3.3 – Revenge
Toblen Stonehill
Toblen Stonehill looked up from the counter curiously when he heard the tavern doors open. It had been a quiet day. It was just him, Quelleen from the farm and Narn the miner. The greying innkeeper hadn't expected any other visitors. It was already late, and most miners chose to stay with their families instead of drinking on nights like this. Most of them. As for Narn, well- he was always there. Toblen had expected to have but one drunkard to keep an eye on tonight.
But he had been wrong – as he looked on, a familiar group of adventurers came in. They were a weird bunch – a human, three elves, a Dragonborn and a Tiefling, all seemingly getting along. They even had a little goblin pet. He would have been more suspicious of them, if they hadn't proven themselves to be very capable and dependable people. They had freed Phandalin from the Redbrands on their very first day here, and were closely connected to Sildar, the current unofficial mayor of the town. Not three days past, they had set out to rescue a certain dwarf from the clutches of goblins– and Toblen had had no doubt that they would be successful.
But from the looks of them, they were not. In fact, all five of them had grim, reserved expressions on their faces. Toblen had not seen that look on them before. He waved at them regardless, attempting to give the group a warm welcome.
'It's good to see you all in one piece! Your rooms are just the way you left them, if you wish to re-rent. I'm glad you all made it back safely.'
'Not all of us did,' Nala muttered. She glanced at the brown-haired elf next to her. The Dragonborn seemed to be in a particularly sour mood. Toblen gave a confused look to the second elf, a pink-haired young girl with a flute. She shook her head at him with a regretful expression.
'We lost Gundrin. We managed to clear the ruins from goblins, but we couldn't save him.'
'I… am sorry to hear that,' Toblen replied. 'I'm sure you did all you could.'
From the corner of his eye, he could see the gold-skinned Dragonborn glance at Mialee again. Something was definitely going on there. But Toblen was a wise man, and he knew better than to pry.
'Well, if there's anything you need, you know where to find me.'
'Actually, I do have a request,' Telyn replied, just as he was about to get back to his work. 'Would you be willing to provide me with lodging if I performed in your inn?'
'Performed?' the brown-haired barkeep asked.
'Yes. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty handy with an instrument.'
Toblen looked around his inn. It was still just him, Quelleen and Narn, no matter how you looked at it. But he did owe them. Toblen shrugged, gesturing at an empty spot between the inn's tables.
'All right, knock yourself out. You can have the first room on the left when you're done.'
Telyn nodded enthusiastically. Without another word to the rest of the group, she took out her flute and got into position. Before too long, a pleasant melody filled the inside of the tavern. The girl wasn't lying – she really was quite talented. Toblen could see both Quelleen and Narn visibly enjoying the change in atmosphere. The Dragonborn and one of the elves, the pale glowy one, joined to listen to her as well. Before too long Quelleen got up from her seat. She walked over to Telyn without a word, then nodded approvingly. A single gold coin was placed on the table next to her. The pale elf looked at the display with a slightly tilted head. She dug around in her pockets and added a coin, as well. The Dragonborn followed suit. For a moment, Toblen was taken aback by the massive tips Telyn was getting. But she really was good, no doubt about it. He nodded to himself. She'd earned that gold- and the room.
'Excuse me,' Quelleen said to Nala, looking up at the massive paladin. 'Are you the one that is currently employed by Sildar?'
'I am,' Nala said, looking down at the woman. Recognition gleamed in her eyes.
'Wait. We've met before.'
'Yes, dear. I'm the one that sold you a chicken the other day. I trust that it has been to your liking?'
Toblen could swear he saw her golden scales turn a shade darker around her cheeks.
'Ah- yes. It has been very… yes. Thank you again.' She coughed. 'What is it that you wanted to discuss?'
'It's about your mission, dear. Your group is looking for the location of Wave Echo cave, right?'
'We are,' Alatar said, joining the conversation. 'Do you have information about that?'
Quelleen took a few seconds to answer, looking at Telyn. The pink-haired girl was still playing her flute in the background.
'Not about the cave itself, I'm afraid. But Sildar has been such a good help to us over these past few days, and you saved us all from those nasty bandits- I'd like to at least help point you in the right direction, if I can. As a show of gratitude.'
'We'd be happy with any lead you give us,' Nala nodded. By now, everyone was listening.
'There is a druid who goes by the name of Reidoth. He knows these lands better than anyone. They have no secrets to him. If there's anyone who knows the location to that cave, it's him.'
'Where would we find this druid?' Mialee asked, her golden head ornament gleaming in the light of the fireplace. Quelleen's face faltered.
'That's the problem. He tends to travel around a lot. The last I heard of him, he was staying somewhere in Thundertree.'
Their expressions faltered. Toblen knew why. Thundertree was currently overrun with undead – for people like Toblen, going there was a good way of getting yourself killed. That group was experienced, but even they would not be safe there. Especially the Tiefling seemed uneasy at the thought of going there. The Dragonborn nodded to Quelleen, a smile on her scaled face.
'Every bit of information helps. Thank you.'
The old woman nodded back. She started to turn around, but was stopped by the brown-haired elf- Mialee.
'Can I ask something else? Are there any elves in this town? I'm looking for someone, and they might be able to point me in the right direction.'
'Let me see… there's one elf living in the apple orchard to the north. It's called Edermath orchard. The elf you'll want to talk to is named Daran. I don't know if he'll be of any help, though.'
Mialee did not answer the woman. Almost immediately, the brown-haired elf turned away from the group. She either ignored the questioning looks they gave her or just straight up didn't see them, because Mialee marched right out of the tavern. She was quickly followed by the third elf. Toblen saw the remaining members of the group glance at each other.
'Are you going after them?'
'Nope,' Angelica replied. She'd spotted Narn drinking in the corner, and walked off to have a chat with him instead. Nala merely shrugged. The Dragonborn seemed to be done for the day. She went upstairs, leaving Alatar and their pet goblin to fend for themselves.
'I could go for some good chicken for dinner. Where's Elsa?'
'She has the day off.'
'Oh.'
Toblen eyed the cloaked wizard suspiciously. He wasn't stupid. He'd seen the looks exchanged between him and Elsa the other day. And the awkwardness after. It was time to have a chat with him about that. Elsa was a nice girl – and Toblen felt responsible for her, to an extent. It was his duty to confront her suitors. Toblen nodded to himself and approached Alatar, who by now was eyeing him, as well.
'What?'
'Don't "what" me, young man. I saw the looks. I know what happened. You- you treat her right, now.'
The wizard blinked. It seemed to take him a few seconds to process what Toblen had just said. He looked Toblen over, his eyebrow raised sarcastically.
'Excuse me?'
'You heard me, wizard!' Toblen replied brusquely. With a huff, he walked back to his bar and started cleaning mugs. Damn foreigners. Though this group wasn't so bad, really. At least they hadn't set his tavern on fire yet.
Oh, wait.
They had.
Mialee
In a brisk pace, Mialee skipped through the streets of Phandalin. The brown-haired elf had a clear goal. Without looking left or right, she made her way to Edermath Orchard as fast as possible. The words of the farmer human echoed in her mind.
'I don't know if he'll be of any use to you, though.'
Mialee would be the judge of that, not her. Elves had ways of spotting tracks of others of their kind. If there were more of her clan around these parts, an elf native to these lands would have found out about it by now. Mialee was sure of it. She had a lead – and this was the best way to follow it. So she ran, through the dark streets of Phandalin and up a small hill, to Edermath Orchard.
It was bigger than expected, and surrounded by a wooden fence. Mialee could see rows and rows of apple trees behind a large, sturdy-looking home. It wasn't anything special, but it looked well cared for. Small purple flowers grew in the front yard. They smelled vaguely like lavender. Warm light poured out from behind the windows. He had to be home, then. Mialee decided to dive right in. She walked up to the doorway, inhaled, and knocked loudly. It did not take long for a voice to resound from the other side.
'Who is it?'
'Daran Edermath? I have questions. Open the door, please.'
Mialee made a point of saying that in Elven, rather than Common. She had it all sorted out in her head. If he didn't recognise her clan symbol, he could point her towards other elves living in the area. Or share rumours of wandering elves that he'd heard of. Hell, even if he didn't know anything, it would still be a comfort to meet someone who was one of her own people. It had been too long since she'd had a chat with another elf.
'Hold on- I'm on my way.'
Mialee could hear a rattling noise, followed by a soft click. A smile formed on her lips as the door swung open before her. Light poured out, momentarily taking Mialee's vision away. As soon as her eyes adjusted, the person inside became visible. Long, white hair and an elegant, slightly aged face greeted her. He was wearing simple clothes, but of good quality. Then Mialee's eyes wandered to his ears. Her smile faltered.
Not an elf.
'Yes? What can I help you with?'
He was looking at her with a puzzled expression. Mialee hesitated, searching for words.
'You're- you're Daran? Edermath?'
'That's me, yes. Were you expecting someone else?'
The brown-haired elf was at a loss for words. All her carefully thought-out questions vanished like snow on a hot summer's day. She shook her head, eyes still locked on Daran's ears. The silver-haired man noticed it. A look of brief annoyance flashed in his eyes, before Daran shook his head with a small smile.
'My apologies for not being a full-blood like you. Is there anything else that I can help you with, miss?'
'I- no,' Mialee stammered. 'I was looking for- but you're not- do you know of any elves living here?'
'I'm afraid not. Nobody besides me, at least. Forgive me for not living up to your expectations.'
There was definitely an undertone there. Mialee could feel her cheeks turn red with embarrassment. She instinctively took a few steps back, softly muttering an excuse. Then she turned around and hightailed it away from there as fast as possible. Mialee could still feel her cheeks glowing when she was already more than a block away.
Not even an elf. Of all the possible outcomes. And she made a fool of herself, too.
Great. Just great.
The next day…
Telyn
The pink-haired girl awoke to a ray of sunlight, shining through the open window and directly into her eyes. Telyn let out a yawn. It wasn't like her to sleep in. Then again, she had performed until rather late yesterday. She slowly rolled onto her side. The small pile of gold coins lay on her nightstand, gleaming. Telyn looked at it with a smile. She'd never made that much money with a simple flute song before. Most of it had come from her companions rather than real customers, but still. It made her feel pretty good. She liked being rewarded for her music. She liked her current group, too. Most of them, at least.
After getting dressed, Telyn made her way downstairs. She really had slept for too long. Everyone else was already down in the tavern. They had gathered around one of the tables, seemingly in the middle of a discussion. Angelica nodded to Telyn as a greeting, then continued her argument with the others.
'I'm sorry, but I just don't see the merits of going all the way to Thundertree. Reidoth isn't our only lead. We have other ones – safer ones. I for one am not willing to risk my life over some vague promise that he knows what we need. Sorry, but I'm out.'
'Me, too,' Alatar nodded. His hood was still up, partly covering his face in shadows. 'The risk is much higher than the reward. I don't feel like risking my life for such a small chance of success, either.'
'We have plenty of other leads,' Angelica agreed. 'Sildar is currently looking into the whole situation with Gundrin. If we give him a day, he might have some new information for us. His brothers should still be around here somewhere, too. If we can find them, then we don't need to bother with Thundertree in the first place.'
From the corner of her eye, Telyn could see Yorda twitch. She was very quiet. So was Mialee, now that Telyn thought about it. Just as she focused on the elf, Mialee decided to join the conversation. She reached out and placed a piece of parchment on the table. A bounty, from the looks of it.
'If we are going to wait a day anyway, I would like to ask for your help with this.'
Telyn bent forward to give the parchment a closer inspection. Her initial guess had been right. It really was a bounty. It seemed to be giving directions to the lair of a marauding band of orcs. The reward for taking them out was a 100 gold pieces – a very nice amount, considering the targets.
'You want us to go after a bounty? On a bunch of orcs?' Nala asked, one eyebrow raised. Mialee gave a single nod.
'I hate them. You know why.'
She looked at Yorda when she said that. The pale half-elf gave a single nod in response. Meanwhile, Angelica had grabbed hold of the parchment. She looked it over with a smile on her face. Her tail swished in the air behind her.
'Now this is more like it! Safe – well, safer than a town full of undead, at least – and a good amount of money as a reward! Promise me my share and I'll join you.'
'Deal,' Mialee nodded. 'I don't care for the money. Everyone gets a share.'
'No, keep it,' Nala said, shaking her head. 'They're bandits. I will help you.'
'Oh! In that case, we can divide your share between all of us!' Angelica smiled. It earned her a stern glare from the Dragonborn, and she quickly added: 'Kidding, kidding. Mostly.'
'You might want to sit this one out, Telyn,' Nala nodded at the pink-haired girl. 'Cragmaw Castle was bad enough. Plus, we'll be back here in about a day.'
The Dragonborn had a point. If their adventures didn't involve traveling to another town, then there was no reason for Telyn to come along. But the pink-haired girl could still vividly recall the moment when she was kidnapped by the Redbrands. It had been a very unpleasant experience. And it could happen again. She really, really didn't want to be alone. If she went with them, she could at least hide behind Nala and Yorda. Sort of.
Yes. The best choice here was to go along for the ride.
'I'll come with you.'
'Well, not me,' Alatar suddenly said. He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.
'What? Why?'
'What do you mean, "why"? I just told you that it's stupid to have a risk greater than the reward. 100 gold split between five people is only 20 gold pieces per person. I'm not taking on a marauding orc tribe for a measly 20 gold pieces. Get real.'
Teylin could swear she saw Yorda twitch again. She tried to catch the eye of the pale half-elf, but Yorda wasn't looking at Telyn. Her eyes stayed fixed on the conversation before her.
'Fine. I'll let you have my share, then. Is that enough for you?' Nala replied, annoyed. A grin spread on Alatar's lips.
'Almost. But not quite. I want Mialee's share, too.'
'Excuse me?' the brown-haired elf replied.
'You just said you didn't care. I do. Give it to me. Then I'll join you, elf.'
Mialee shot Alatar a very, very dirty look. She couldn't take back her own words, though.
'Fine.'
'Whoa there!' Angelica butted in. 'If that's how we're doing this, I want a piece of that share too. Don't think I'll let you keep all that to yourself, just because our companions are being generous.'
More bickering ensued. It took the group a while to come to an understanding. A good five minutes, at least. Nala finally decided the argument by promising that she'd make sure all finances were equally distributed. Alatar didn't seem particularly happy with that statement, but wisely decided to drop it.
Not long after that, the group set out to the east. It was about a day's travel to the Orc lair. They prepared as best they could, unsure of what would be in store for them…
During their journey to the Orc lair, the group came upon a wagon with a single merchant that was under attack from a pack of wolves. They quickly dispatched with the beasts. The merchant thanked them and offered the group a discount on all of his wares, for he was a traveling merchant of magical goods. Intrigued, the group learned of an item called a Bag of Holding. Capable of storing anything inside it regardless of size and quantity, this was a very rare and valuable item.
The group bought it – but made a nasty discovery as the merchant bolted. He had deceived them. It was not a Bag of Holding, but a Bag of Folding – any items placed within the bag that were not round would be folded or broken in half. As a storing device, the bag was useless. And the merchant was nowhere to be seen. He had tricked them, then bolted before they could find out. The group continued, with lighter purses and a valuable lesson added under their belt.
That evening, they found the Orc lair…
'What do you see?'
'At least two. They seem to be standing guard.'
The group had gathered on the slope of a small hill, staying as low to the ground as possible. Down the other side, there was a large rock formation. A passage between two of them led to the orc lair. The entrance was decorated with numerous crude, wooden spikes. According to Mialee, some of them had animal heads skewered to them. The brown-haired elf had agreed to be their eyes and scout ahead – but Telyn could see her fingers shake as she lay on the grass. Her jaw was clenched. As the elf scoped out the orc lair, Telyn realized that Mialee was trying very hard to control herself. She seemed moments away from grabbing her bow and storming in.
'Remember what happened the last time we charged in without a plan!' Alatar said from the back of the group. It was a warning and an accusation at the same time, but Mialee did not respond to his jab. He did have a point. Charging in without a plan was not a good idea.
'What if we try to put them all to sleep again, like we did in the other cave? We could take them out without a fight.'
'No,' Mialee growled. 'They die today.'
Her eyes were still locked on the cave in front of her. She was calm, but it was a flimsy layer hiding a storm.
'No one's saying they stay alive at the end. We just have to think about this. Does anyone have any ideas?'
As they talked, Telyn slowly crawled up to where Mialee was. She could see the cave from there. Two burly-looking orcs stood on the sides of the entrance, keeping watch. They didn't look all too bright. They didn't look like the types to negotiate, either. Crudely made swords rested in the belt of one of them, and the other one was holding a nasty-looking mace. Telyn couldn't see the inside. Who knew how many of them there were. But the pink-haired girl really wasn't in the mood for fighting. Especially after what had happened in that castle. Yet fighting was exactly what would end up happening if she let the group talk it out among themselves. She was sure of that.
So why not try something else, instead? If it was going to end up in a fight anyway, then she could try whatever, then hide behind the Dragonborn. Probably. And there was something Telyn had always wanted to try. Now was as good a time as any. Seize the moment, and all that. Yes. She nodded to herself.
Time to try.
As the pink-haired girl rose up from the ground and started walking, Mialee threw her a shocked look.
'Hey! What-?'
She ignored her. Telyn kept walking, straight down the hill and towards the entrance to the orc lair. The two guards saw her coming right away. They raised their weapons and growled at her. One shouted something in a language Telyn didn't understand. She didn't need to – it was clearly some kind of threat. Telyn took a deep breath, conjured up a smile and addressed the brute to the left. When she spoke, her words were loaded with magical charm.
'Well hello there, handsome. My, but you look so strong and dependable. Really rugged, yet charming. I bet the girls are all over you!'
The orc in question – a burly, muscular male with a flattened nose and a large scar running down his left eye, grunted in response. But the magic was working. As Telyn kept talking, he slowly lowered his mace.
'No, really! I'd love to have someone as strong and capable as you around. You look like you could do anything.'
The orc huffed, scratching the back of his head with his hand. He was blushing, and it showed. The other orc looked at his friend like he'd gone crazy. Telyn's smile widened as she weaved her charm around him even more.
'It just so happens that I'm in distress, darling. I really, really need your help with something over there. I'm weak and fragile, and you're so fierce-looking. I bet you could solve any problem right away, couldn't you?'
The scarred orc nodded, agreeing with her. It was time for the final push.
'Wonderful. Would you come over here and help me then, please? I will make sure you're… rewarded.'
That did it. He was like butter in her hands. The orc dropped his mace, muttered an "owkay" in broken Common and left his comrade, who by now seemed both intrigued and slightly panicked. As his friend marched up the hill after Telyn, the other guard turned around and disappeared inside the cave. The scarred orc didn't even looked back. He followed Telyn like a love-sick puppy, waltzing right into the rest of the group. A whack on the back of the skull from Nala knocked him out cold.
'Or we do that,' Angelica said, slightly impressed. 'That works, too.'
'The other one went inside,' Yorda noted. She had moved slightly away from the group, keeping an eye on the cave entrance. 'What should we do now?'
She received no answer. Before anyone else could talk, Mialee had moved next to the orc and had drawn her swords. She swung them down, burying the blades deep in his back. Blood poured out from a torn artery. It quickly formed a puddle underneath the orc, whose body convulsed once, twice… and then stopped. Just like that, he was dead.
'Now that was uncalled for,' Nala frowned at the elf. 'He was already out cold. Killing a harmless person is just bad form. Even if they are an enemy.'
'They're never harmless,' Mialee growled back. 'They're cold-blooded murderers and they deserve every bit of the pain that they're about to experience.'
'Um, everyone? What should we do about that?'
'About what?'
Telyn looked up, past the hilltop to where Yorda stood. The pale half-elf was pointing in the direction of the orc lair. Before, it had been empty. Not anymore. Telyn looked as one, two, three, four, five orcs came running out, armed to the teeth. Heading straight for them.
'More of them! Didn't work! Nala!'
The Dragonborn barely had time to reach for her sword before another shape came crashing out of the cave. And this one wasn't an orc. Oh, no. It was much, much bigger. The ground shook underneath the creature as it came charging out, giant club swinging above its head. It was an ogre, and it was headed right for Yorda. Even though it was more than forty feet away from the tiny half-elf, the massive ogre covered that distance almost instantly. The next second, Yorda wasn't there anymore. Her form shifted, shaping into the familiar white bear form.
Just in time, too. She had barely regained her balance or the ogre pounced, swinging his club wildly and slamming it into the bear's side. Yorda was pushed to the right, her large form just barely keeping her from being thrown away. This was bad, Telyn realised. This was very bad.
And then it got even worse. As the ogre wound up for another swing, the five orcs had caught up to him. All but one surrounded Yorda. The last one spotted Telyn on the hill and made a beeline for her, instead! The pink-haired girl let out a yelp, moving back immediately.
'Nala!'
'Get back!'
The Dragonborn charged past her at the same time that two blasts of arcane energy – one purple, and one blue- coursed over her head and towards the group down the hill. The paladin roared over the sound of the charging orc. She parried his attacks, slamming her shield into his torso and sending him sprawling down the hill. Angelica and Alatar were right behind her. They fired their magic almost simultaneously. But while Alatar's attacks found purchase on the group below, Angelica kept missing. It seemed to piss her off greatly, and Telyin could see her growl. It was a slightly scary sight. The pink-haired girl quickly diverted her attention from the Tiefling, and back to the battle below.
It wasn't going well. One of the Orcs had frozen over, but there were still three orcs and an ogre swarming their bear. Just as Telyn made that observation, the ogre swung his giant club again. It slammed straight onto the bear's skull, resounding through the area with a loud crack. A killing blow. Or it would have been, if it were an ordinary bear. Instead, its form shifted. For a moment, Telyn could see Yorda crouched on the ground. Then her form shifted a second time and the bear returned. The ogre hadn't expected that. It roared in anger, readying its weapon again.
'We need to get rid of the big one, quick!' Alatar yelled. Telyn nodded at the wizard. But everyone else seemed occupied with the rest of the orcs – his words had fallen on deaf ears. Another Eldritch Blast soared by, missing the nearest orc by just an inch. And all Telyn had was her flute. Her flute and magic words. Could that ogre even talk? Her words might be useless.
But wait- she did have one other trump card. The pink-haired girl did not give herself time to hesitate. She ran down, as close to the battle as she needed to be. She focused on the shape of the ogre, making a transparent arcane energy swirl around her fingers. In a fluid motion, Telyn brought her hand up to her lips. She whispered into her palm, keeping her eyes locked on the ogre.
In her head, she recalled the scariest music that she had ever heard, transferring it to the mind of the brute in front of her. The effect was instant. The ogre's eyes went wide. He staggered back, grasping at his temples with his greasy paws. Telyn added another whisper, pushing the ogre over the edge. With a fear-stricken scream, he bolted. Straight back to the cave. Within seconds, the ogre had vanished back into the cave's darkness. It left the group with only the four orcs to deal with, significantly turning the tide in their favour.
'What was that?' Angelica asked next to her, as she aimed another attack at the group in front of her.
'The memory of the scariest music I've ever heard.'
'Which is?'
'My mother playing.'
The Tiefling gave her a blank stare. Next to the pair, Nala finished off her orc by driving her sword through his chest. It was short and violent. The Dragonborn didn't give herself time to breathe, running past the dying body to join the rest of the fight. Bear-Yorda wasn't looking good. The white fur was covered in cuts and gashes. She didn't seem to care, though – her jaws were buried deep in one of the orc's legs. The bandit screamed bloody murder as she jerked him around – until a well-placed arrow from Mialee ended his life. He crumpled to the ground.
Two orcs left. This was going well.
And then it wasn't. As Angelica readied another of her Eldritch Blasts, Telyn could hear a loud roar come from the inside of the cave. The Dissonant Whispers had worn off. That was bad news. The ogre had regained its senses, and from the sound of it, it was angry. Very angry. It came crashing back out of the entrance in a raw display of strength, instantly closing the distance between him and the group. It seemed to think that his last target was responsible for the creepy noises in his head – and coursed straight for Yorda, again.
The bear never had time to react. Before she could as much as look up, the ogre had swung his club and made it crack down on her skull. Again. It had the exact same effect as last time. The bear's form shifted, shaping back into Yorda. The pale half-elf was lying flat on the ground, gasping for air. She couldn't move. She couldn't run. And within seconds, she would be ground into paste by the ogre's club.
Above Telyn's head, three vague blurs shot by. The attacks were so fast that the pink-haired girl couldn't make out what they were before they had already found purchase on their target. The ogre let out a terrifying howl, dropping his club as he grasped at the arrow stuck in his eyeball. His other arm had been hit by a blast of blue arcane energy. The limb rapidly froze over, making the brute lose his sense of balance. He staggered back, roaring furiously at his target – before something landed with a sickening thud, and the sound abruptly stopped. Nala's javelin had hit its mark, flying right into the ogre's open mouth and piercing his jugular.
It was the fatal blow. The brute staggered again, took a step forward… and fell. He took one of the orcs with him, too. Landed right on top of it. His scream was cut short as the orc was crushed under the ogre's weight. Another arrow shot by, striking the last remaining orc. He fell easily, almost effortlessly.
They had won.
At the bottom of the hill, Yorda sunk down until she was lying face-first on the grass, limbs stretched out widely. Her chest was going up and down in sharp heaves. Mialee wasn't done yet, though. After shooting another arrow into the nearest orc, the brown-haired elf took off running towards the cave entrance.
'Wait, don't- there might still be orcs in there!' Nala yelled after her. But the warning fell on deaf ears. Or maybe Mialee was actually hoping that there were more orcs. Telyn couldn't tell. Angelica took off after her, disappearing into the dark cavern entrance after Mialee. A soft thud could be heard; next to Telyn, Nala had sunk down on the floor as well.
'That was close,' the Dragonborn sighed heavily. 'That was. Way. too close.'
Telyn let out a small, nervous laugh. It really had been. She saw Yorda still lying on the ground, panting, and decided to walk over. The pale half-elf was coated in blood. That seemed to be happening a lot with this girl. Telyn squatted down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
'Are you okay?'
The pale half-elf let out a chuckle. It didn't sound happy, though.
'Do you know what the downside of wild shaping is?'
Telyn shook her head, looking down on the girl with a worried frown.
'Every time it gets defeated, it dies. And every time it dies, it feels like I die. The experience is… not pleasant.'
'I… can imagine that,' the pink-haired girl muttered. 'Do you need healing?'
'I'll be fine. Just… let me catch my breath for a moment.'
Telyn nodded. She looked up, gazing at the carnage around her. At least everyone on their side was still alive. They were a rather terrifying bunch, if she thought about it. It was a good thing that they were good people. Well, mostly. From the corner of her eye she saw Alatar, rummaging through the bodies of the orcs. He was muttering with a frown on his face; apparently the bandits didn't have a lot of treasure on them.
'Here. Let me help you up.'
Yorda grabbed hold of Telyn's outstretched hand. The pink-haired girl pulled her up, careful not to get any blood on her. From the cavern entrance, she could see the shapes of Mialee and Angelica coming back out. They were empty-handed, save for a bunch of coins that the Tiefling was carrying. Mialee marched over to the nearest orc right away. She drew her sword again. With a wide slash, she cut off its head. As macabre as that was, her next move was even more disturbing. She lugged the severed orc head to the nearest wooden spike and slammed it on, spearing the neck on the pointy end of the weapon. She repeated this with all of the fallen orcs. Telyn gave Nala a concerned look; the Dragonborn just shrugged, still on the ground.
By now, Angelica had made it over to the rest of the group.
'Look what I found. It's not a lot, but it's still a nice little extra on top of the reward money we'll get.'
'Anything else in the cave?' the wizard asked, looking down on the coins in Angelica's hands. To Telyn it seemed as if he was trying to be casual, but his eyes were gleaming at the sight of the gold just a little too much.
'No. Just this,' Angelica replied, holding up the coins. 'I'll divide it equally among all of us.'
She began to do exactly that, handing a small portion of the gold to each member of the group. Alatar did not seem convinced, however.
'A whole group of bandits and that is all that's in there? I don't think so,' the wizard replied.
'You're more than welcome to check out the cave, if you want.'
'I don't think I need to,' Alatar replied, glaring at Angelica with a dark, calculating look in his eyes. 'I think I know exactly what happened to the rest of that treasure. And so do you. Admit it- you took a little extra for yourself just now, Tiefling.'
'Excuse me?' Angelica replied, anger resounding in her voice. 'I risk my life to come here and help you out, I share all of this gold with you equally and you accuse me of stealing? Do you really want to go there, wizard? Really?'
Her tail was swishing behind her furiously. That frustrated look from before re-appeared on her face, too. Telyn took a tentative step backwards. The wizard and the warlock faced off against each other for a few tense seconds, before Alatar broke eye contact.
'Fine, whatever. I'll come for you later. Right now I have more debts to collect. You- elf.'
He turned to Mialee, who by now was also stained in orc blood. She was trying (and failing) to wipe some of the blood off her face, but stopped when she heard Alatar address her.
'You owe me money. I helped you kill them. We succeeded. Now hand it over.'
'Fine, fine,' the brown-haired elf replied. She went to dig in her pockets, where she had previously put the coins from the orc treasure. That did not seem to sit well with Angelica at all. Next to her the Tiefling snapped:
'Stop that! You're not giving him your share of the treasure! I divided it equally!'
'I have a right to that money, woman!'
'You have a right to a whole lot more than money if you keep going like this!'
'Enough! Both of you, stop bickering!'
Nala's comment didn't help. The two kept snapping back and forth, only the massive size of the Dragonborn between them keeping their argument verbal. On the other side of the group, Telyn looked away awkwardly. Money was important, but this was a bit much. She turned away, looking to focus on something else. Yorda was standing next to her. Her body was still stained with red blood. The pale half-elf had picked up a coin from her share of the treasure and was studying it with a furrowed brow. The next second, her expression darkened substantially. She made a disgusted noise and threw the coin on the ground before walking away.
'See? This is what I'm talking about! You people have no sense of value whatsoever!'
The wizard broke away from the group and moved towards Telyn. He reached for the gold coin- but Telyn stopped him, quickly grabbing hold of his outstretched arm.
'I think you've taken enough.'
'Out of my way, bard,' the wizard said in a low growl. 'You do not want to cross me.'
He yanked his arm away from her, once again moving for the gold piece on the ground. Telyn did the same, determined to get to it first.
It was a tiny sound. Barely audible over the wind howling through the hills. A snapping of fingers. It took Telyn only a fraction of a second to process the sound, before her mind clicked. With cat-like reflexes, she pushed herself away from the gold piece. Just in time. As Telyn jumped backwards, the area around the gold piece suddenly erupted in white flames. The grass around it was charred to a crisp immediately, feeding the bonfire until it was about the size of the ogre's leg. It took the group by surprise. Alatar snapped with his fingers as well, trying to counter the bonfire. A ray of blue arcane energy shot forth from his hand. It made contact with the flames- but his ray of frost wasn't strong enough. It was absorbed by the raging flames, fuelling the bonfire even more. Telyn looked back in shock.
She wished she hadn't. Yorda's face was contorted into a dark, angry mask. Her whole body suddenly seemed a lot less luminescent than before. Her fingers were outstretched, ready to snap another bonfire into existence. With a rage-filled voice, she yelled:
'LEAVE IT!'
And stormed away, up the hill and out of everyone's sight. The outburst had abruptly ended all of the arguing. The group was stunned for a second, before Mialee, Angelica and Nala hurried off after her. Alatar stayed put. He seemed to be waiting for the bonfire to die down. Telyn shook her head at the sight, following the rest of the group at a distance.
Yorda hadn't moved far. The pink-haired girl watched as she grabbed the bag of Folding, stuffing what seemed to be loads of copper pieces into it. When she pulled them back out, they had bent and folded in half. Unusable. The pale half-elf kept throwing them to the ground, in a rage, until the Tiefling reached her. She turned around, holding a single gold coin in front of Angelica's face.
'What is this?!' the druid screamed. 'What kind of magic is in these?!'
'What do you mean?' Nala asked, confused. The pale half-elf swung the coin in front of their faces again.
'THIS! These pieces of metal that you're all falling over yourselves to get your hands on! It's not natural! What dark magic is at work here to make you all want this – this worthless metal so much?!'
'It's not like that,' Angelica replied. 'It's a necessary evil.'
That only seemed to anger Yorda further. She threw the gold piece to the ground, yelling:
'WHY?!'
For a moment, Angelica froze. Then the moment passed. She turned around almost immediately, marching away from the group. Far away. She only stopped at the top of another hill, sitting down with her back to the group. It made the pink-haired girl frown – but the raging druid was the more immediate problem. Telyn watched as Mialee and Nala approached Yorda slowly.
'Not all of us are like that,' Mialee spoke slowly. The Dragonborn nodded.
'I don't care for coin, either. But the world unfortunately revolves around money. People need it, and so they want it.'
'Why?! What kind of twisted civilisation is this that pieces of metal are more valuable than people's lives?'
'I told you, we're not all like that. Not me. And not Mialee, either.'
The brown-haired elf shook her head.
'We're not all like Alatar.'
The pale half-elf seemed to calm down… a little bit. Not much. But she wasn't throwing up bonfires anymore, at least. The elf and the Dragonborn continued to talk to her, but in a softer tone, and Telyn couldn't hear what was being said anymore. That was all right. She'd heard enough. The pink-haired girl had never seen someone burst out in rage over money before. It was such an everyday part of her life. Of everyone's lives, really. It made her wonder where the pale half-elf had been living up until now. Even hermits knew about money. Why didn't she?
Speaking of money… Telyn looked back to the cave entrance. By now, the bonfire had died down. Alatar was on his way up the hill, walking casually. The gold coin was nowhere to be seen.
Figures.
Idiots.
