Chapter 2: Who Needs a Head?!
Kith
Kith Cromstone has been with Queen Anastacia's guard for years now and they still treat him like nothing more than a common orc. He was half-orc, the ugliest part of him. He has short black hair with black eyes. Both of which match his attitude right now. The past few decades for that matter. His human side softened his orc-ish features. Women who were looking for a bit of danger all thought he was handsome. But being of mixed lineage and with it being an orcish lineage, didn't mean they would accept him anywhere other than their beds.
"Move it, green pig." Sergeant Rel pushes Kith in the back of the shoulder. "Get out of the way." Some of the sergeant's lackeys are snickering behind him.
"You can always go around, Sergeant," Kith says through his teeth.
"You disobeying an officer, pig." The sergeant says, puffing up his chest.
Kith gives a smile that promises death or at the least dismemberment. "As a matter of… "
"Kith!" Kosh interrupts. The gnome is the only person Kith trusted. They met a few years before coming to Thassilon. Kith had been an orphan discarded by his own people. Kosh had been a kid subjected to the whims and fancies of slave traders. The things they did to him and his family. And they call him a monster.
The sergeant upon seeing Kosh snorts and walks away. Kith would have pummeled Sergeant dumbass and his two idiots. But he would have been beaten and thrown in jail or worse for hitting an officer.
Kosh is favored by the queen and the Sergeant knows better than to mess with the gnome. Decent lady. Too rich for his blood though. Too prim and proper. All the things you would expect of a respectable queen.
"Seems like you're always getting into trouble, hmm?" Kosh says still eyeing the sergeant's back.
Kith just growls and heads down the narrow hallway to the back where the training grounds are. The sun is just rising and the air is still cool and crisp. It smells of dewy grass and sweet as tarts cooking in the kitchen permeate the air. The kitchen window overlooks the training field and every morning Eris, who didn't know if she is the cook or not, would leave out sweets for the soldiers. Kith had always wondered why she bothered. The soldiers didn't give a shit. They are men with no real etiquette and couldn't even bother with a thank you. Kith's mother tried to teach him about kindness, but her dying ended such frivolousness. Eris is beautiful. Dirty blonde hair with amber eyes. She has a cute body and small freckles adorning her face. She is sweet and kind. Not traits typical in such a harsh world. He wonders how long it will take for the world to corrupt her, taking away all the things he has fallen in love with.
"The queen is sending out an elf necromancer and me to the Dreadlands to find out if the whispering Tyrant is moving his army into the Saga Lands. I want you to accompany us. We need muscle and I've asked the queen for your services." Kosh says eyeing him.
"What's in it for me?" Kith asks retrieving a sword from the weapons rack. He didn't really care. Kosh and he are like brothers. If he went Kith would follow the same can be said of Kosh as well. He just liked to bother his rogue friend.
"Would you rather stay here with these people? They don't like you nor do they trust you to be anything more than fodder for whatever raids they send you to quell."
Kith ponders this for a moment. Killing the Whispering tyrant would be a boon for him. It would earn him enough money to go anywhere he pleased. "I'll think about it." Kith steps onto the field and two others of his rank joined him. With that, Kosh leaves him to spar.
It is two hours later. When the elf and Kosh show up at the city gate. Following behind them is Eris.
What the hell? Kith thinks with confusion.
Kosh approaches Kith with his hand in the air. "The queen asked for Eris to come."
"What is a cook going to do for us where we're going?" He asks incredulously. "It's not like she can kill them with a tart."
Eris snickers. "I happen to be a sorceress. Cooking tarts is just something I like to do. But maybe you're on to something. Death by exploding tarts." She thinks to herself for a moment and nods. "Sounds interesting."
Kith didn't know she is a sorceress. He knew he was never going to have a chance with her, but her being a sorc cemented it.
"Sounds like a waste of time." Renimil starts to walk past them, out of the city gates. Looking over he says, "Do try and keep up, Sorceress."
Eris rolls her eyes and follows after Renimil.
Kith looks at Kosh. "Are we sure about this?"
Kosh knew about Kith's people and their hatred for magic users. So there is no way Kosh would have suggested this.
"No choice really," he says with a shrug.
And that is that. They are off towards an adventure that is filled with uncertainty and death. Hopefully, it isn't their death any of them have to worry about.
Eris
They decide to head toward the Hold of Belkzen first. The orc incursions on the Saga Lands are a more immediate threat. The group spends the next few hours in silence traveling towards the Kodar Mountains. Eris hates the silence. She is used to the casual conversations between the people in the city. But these guys. They all make her so uneasy.
Especially Kith. She made those tarts for him. But not wanting to be overly obvious she gave them to everyone. But only if he was on the training grounds. He is strong and dangerous. She just worries about how dangerous he is. She heard of his exploits out on missions. He fought like a man that was okay with dying. She is the opposite. She is light, friendly, and happy, or at least tries to be. He is dark, brooding, and wears a constant frown. He wears it well. She is walking beside him and tries catching glimpses of him as she looks around. What do you know, he is frowning. They are in a meadow heading towards a patch of trees. There are wildflowers of blues, yellows, and white. He looks completely out of place in such a colorful backsplash.
Kosh, who is walking ahead stops suddenly and sticks up his hand to signal the others to stop. He crouches to the ground.
Kith grabs Eris, shoves her behind him, and readies his weapon. He can't see whatever it is Kosh sees, but damn it smells like shit. After a moment, he can see the trees moving and snapping ahead of him. Whatever it is, has to be pretty strong and big to do that. The smell becomes more pungent and now he can hear loud grunting. Eris continues to back up the same as Renimil. Out of the tree line burst forth a cyclops. It is over 7 feet tall. There is blood splatter all over its chest and on its mace. It looks a little too skinny. The cyclops licks his lips and heads straight for Kith. Kith starts after him.
Renimil's hand stretches forth as chilling darkness emits from his palm. The cyclops brings down his mace but Kith easily dodges him. Kith counters with his falchion to slice the monster's arm. The cyclops grunts and pivots to strike Kith again.
As the monster lifts his arm to strike, Kosh leaps from the bushes and slashes at the tendons behind the cyclops' knee. The monster bellows as blood pours out. The beast brings his mace down towards Kith.
Lightning shoots from Eris's hands and hits the cyclops in the face causing it to shriek loudly.
The mace of the monster brushes against Kith's shoulder who manages to dodge him again.
Renimil mumbles under his breath and vines suddenly appear from the ground. Flicking his hand, Renimil uses the weakness of the now injured tendons to wrap the vines around the beast's ankle. This causes the cyclops to stumble around trying to catch its footing.
Taking advantage of the unbalanced Cyclops, Kosh moves to the other knee and slashes the tendons in two quick movements. Blood spews out and the monster lands on the ground.
Kith dashes to the downed cyclops and stabs him in the eye.
The cyclops lets out a horrific shout. From the floor, the monster flails out his mace.
Kith jumps over the cyclops's swinging mace and dashes toward the beast's neck. In two massive strokes, the beast is removed of its head.
Kith grunts. "I didn't even work up a sweat," he glances over to Kosh. He is slightly sweating and breathing a bit heavier but looks ready for more.
"I would have suggested we rest here the night but damn," Renimil makes a face of disgust, "it smells horrendous."
"We can find a place in the trees. It likely ate anything that would have been a threat." Eris offers, smoothing her hands down her robes.
Kith and Kosh clean off their blades on the cyclops' tattered clothes. It reeks even as they get further away from the cyclops. The monster's blood had gotten on Kith and Kosh along with other bodily fluids.
The trees provide shelter from the spring breezes. The sun breaks through, granting them an adequate amount of light. Thick bushes surrounding some of the trees have berries and can supply kindling for a fire. There is a small pool of liquid, Kosh can see about a hundred feet away. Kosh starts to walk towards it. "Too green," he mumbles to himself. Green liquid isn't good. "Stay sharp. It's poison." The minute the words come out of his mouth a giant viper leaps out of the bushes.
Eris raises her hands and water shoots out from them making contact with the viper. The pressurized water hits the viper. It only gets knocked back a little but it is enough for Kosh to flip back a few times.
Kith gets in front of Kosh, weapon at the ready. Kith charges at it and swings at its head.
The viper whips its tail around, knocking Kith off his feet. He lands with a grunt a few feet away.
Darkness pools around Renimil's feet as black smoke fires past Eris to the creature. The deathly smoke begins to puff out over the area that Renimil hit.
Kosh slowly makes his way around the viper. He runs up its back and to its head and buries his blade into the back of the viper's neck. The viper shakes and Kosh is thrown off but manages to land on his feet. One of Kosh's blades is now buried in the viper. Its tail whips around hissing. With it distracted trying to remove the blade, Kosh runs to stab its stomach. After the quick attack, Kosh flips backward and out of the way.
Eris shoots out bullets of fire from her hands hitting the viper directly in the face. The viper throws back his head and hisses loudly. Blood is dripping into its mouth and mixes with the venom, droplets of the mixture fall to the ground. It sizzles when it makes contact.
Kith gets to his feet with a roar. His face slightly distorted, he charges at the beast as it rears its open mouth down. Kith shoves his blade into its mouth and out the top of its head. The viper's tail spasms and pulsates. Kith kicks off the bottom of its jaw to dislodge his sword. The head falls back and Kosh's blade falls out and lands on the floor. Kith's breathing was uneven and shallow. It takes him a few moments to calm himself.
Renimil steps forward and retrieves 2 test tubes from his pack. "I can collect some of his venom to make antidotes just in case we encounter something like this again."
Eris nods, "Good idea"
Renimil smiles dryly. "I try"
Eris ignores his sarcasm and eyes Kith. "Is your back okay?
Do you need me to take a look at it?"
"Good luck with that" Kosh chuckles. Picking up his blade he begins to skin the viper beast. "Dinner."
Renimil gathers wood and kindling and Eris gathers berries.
Kosh finishes skewering the meats while Kith sets up their sleeping bags. And sulks.
The group eats and heads to bed. A cyclops and a giant viper. They weren't even that far into their journey. If this was any indication of how the rest of the adventure was going to be, they better get their rest now. They were going to need it. Tomorrow morning, they were off to Kodar mountains and who knew what waited for them there.