They made seven miles on the first day, ten on the second, and twelve on the third. The wear was starting to show on them, as was the dust and dirt of the road. Every now and again, they came upon the sandy circles of soil, but left them well alone. After all, as Jaheira explained, they played an important role in working the soil and keeping it fertile, and they were shy of anything going on two legs.
But the Company did find something that gave them pause. Off the side of the road, a small body lay by the side of the road, limp and cold. Upon closer inspection, they found it was a kobold, though one whose torso had been badly mangled with a claw, spilling its maroon-colored blood onto the new grass. Its large gold eyes were blank and unblinking, a small spear still tightly clutched in its small green hand. Not ten paces down the road, an ankheg lay on the road, all ten feet of it twitching. Its head was nearly detached from its body, hanging onto its neck by only a sinew.
Yoshimo let out a low whistle. "Clearly neither one went out without a fight."
Shortly afterwards, they came to a pair of rocky outcroppings that opened up to a series of green, rolling hills. Time and the patient work of tree roots had worn the rock down a bit. On the left side, a small, winding footpath made its way to the top before it stopped.
Lidia flipped open her journal to the map, then looked up to the valley again. It matched the sketch in her notebook. "Looks like it's the place."
They made camp near the base of the footpath. By now, they went like clockwork, getting everything set up within an hour. They'd even found a spot some ways away where a small stream trickled; they filled their waterskins and took turns during the evening to freshen up a bit.
Late that night, after everyone else had eaten and gone to bed, Lidia was up keeping the watch by the light of a single lantern. She heard a rustle in some bushes about ten feet from where her friends were sleeping. She saw movement under the starlight and in the shadow of the lantern. She cleared her mind, pictured a shapeless shadow, and reached out with a thought.
Her left arm briefly twitched, seemingly of its own volition.
"Show yourself!" she shouted towards the bushes, and took her staff into both her hands.
A stout, black-feathered arrow whistled past her ear and buried itself in a nearby tree.
She ran to the bushes and threw its end down towards where the most movement was. She hit something, and whatever it was gave a high-pitched squawk. A second yelp, slightly lower, came from the other side and started getting further away as the voice's owner ran off.
Minsc came running towards her, weapons ready.
"What evil things go bump in the night?!" Minsc said. "Because I can bump them even harder!"
Lidia pushed the end of her staff a bit deeper into the body, then removed it. Something dark coated its end.
She waited for further movement from the bushes, but none came. She handed off the lantern to Minsc, then knelt down and parted the branches. She said, "It's a bit late for that."
She pulled out a small corpse to get a better look. It was a goblin, his small green head crushed. He was dressed more for stealth for battle, wearing black cloth armor. The only distinguishing mark was a red S superimposed over a C on his chest. He carried a bow that hung limply and fell from his dead hand.
By now, Lidia's other companions had been roused, and they gathered around the small corpse.
"Everything all right?" Jaheira asked.
"Yes, I think it was just the two of them," Lidia said. "The other one got away, unfortunately. Any of you recognize this symbol?" she asked, wiping the end of her staff upon the dark grass.
Anomen knelt down for a closer look. "That symbol - it's the sign of the rebel ogre Sythillis. The fiends know we're here."
Lidia recalled a spot of loose dirt nearby. She'd bury this goblin early tomorrow morning, but it'd be better to move sooner rather than later.
Early in the morning, Minsc cooked up a large pot of grits. The clouds had finally broken, and the sun was beginning to shine upon the hills. The warmth hadn't spread down to them yet, but the hot breakfast would be plenty to tide them over until then. The sound of horns resounded, rousing them to full wakefulness, causing them to wonder whether it came from friend or foe.