Chapter Two
Laguna yawned and rolled out of bed the next morning. He dressed and headed downstairs to the common room. The woman was sitting down already, eating breakfast. Wolf was lying at her feet, tearing at a chunk of meat. Laguna walked over and pulled out a chair. Before he could sit down, the woman stood. "I realized this morning that I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jea Kinnaran, ranger/druid," she said, holding out her hand for a handshake.
Laguna took her hand, but not to shake. Instead, he kissed the back of it as if she were a noble woman. "I am Laguna Kimsteed. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Jea."
Taking her hand back, she responded, "Likewise--but its just Jea. No title."
"Very well." Both sat down and Laguna ordered breakfast.
While he ate the ranger outlined their mission. "The bugbears are laired up in a cave in the heart of the woods. They occasionally come near the road in a hunting party. As near as I can tell, there are eight bugbears: five male, three female, no young." She explained the layout of the cave, bugbear sentries, and the path they'd be taking.
Laguna asked, "Tell me, Jea, is there a chance of having to camp outside?"
Jea shrugged noncommittally. "Depends. If all eight bugbears are in the cave, probably not. If we have to wait around for any of them to return, then probably."
Laguna nodded and said, "I'm going to get my saddle bags. Could you have the stable boy get my horse ready?"
She nodded her ascent, and he went upstairs to get his immediate necessity items. The rest he left. He informed the innkeeper they would return that night or the next day for the rest of their stuff.
Outside, Jea had his horse and Wolf. He slung the saddlebags on and mounted. Jea, who apparently had no mount, thanked the stable boy and left the innyard at a trot, Laguna close behind.
She led him northeast of town on the road for about two hours, before angling to a path in the woods heading north. Laguna had to slow Furret to a walk because of the perils of the trail: roots, branches, and holes. After another hour of traveling, Laguna began to get uncomfortable with the silence.
"So, Jea, who hired you to kill these bugbears?"
The ranger slowed so he could catch up a little. "Oh, a guy a week up the road named Baron Chamberpot. A courier was delivering the necklace he ordered for his daughter's birthday and was captured somewhere on the road by bugbears. The Baron wanted his stuff back so he hired the first adventurer brave enough to do it--me. He's paying me a fee of 1000gp for the job. But, like I said before, because you're helping, you get half. It's only fair."
He nodded and was about to open his mouth to respond when she commented, "Ya know, you don't act like the paladins I've run into before."
"Oh?" he asked. "How so?"
"Well, for one, you're a lot nicer. Second, you're intelligent. Third, you have a personality. Fourth--"
Laguna started laughing. "Okay! I get the picture! Oh, gods!" he chuckled. Then he sobered. "However, these individuals don't sound a lot like paladins. They sound more like cavaliers--in need of demotion."
She laughed. "That's putting it mildly--but I wouldn't worry about it. It's not likely that we'll run into them. Basically, though, that was why I left my party--those gods be damned paladins."
Laguna frowned. "If we ever have the sorry misfortune to run into them, I think I might have to teach them a lesson on being paladins. My master would probably have them whipped."
Jea smiled in amusement and asked him about his home and family. He launched into a description of his parents, their horse farm, his teacher, and his childhood. She listened raptly, highly interested in the wonders of his boyhood. "What about you?" Laguna asked a little later.
"Huh?"
"There must be a story of some sort behind you. Like: how did you and Wolf meet? It's not everyday you see a woman with a wolf. Or, where are you from?"
She shrugged. "Wolf and I have been Life-Friends since we were three weeks old. My particular village has a special ritual for it. He and I have the same birthday and the ritual is actually a spell that binds our life-forces together--basically we will live until the same moment. It extends his life and shortens mine. They use it mostly on half breeds." She gestured to her slightly pointed ears and elf-like features. "He and I are the best of friends though," she added, as if to hide her bitterness.
Laguna heard it though. However, he didn't have time to answer. Wolf had stopped dead in his tracks, and snarling warningly. Both of them halted. Jea cocked her head to one side, listening.
Laguna dismounted and drew his long sword. "What is it?"
Jea pulled out her mace. "Animal of some kind--angry." She pointed to their right. Less than a few seconds later a huge animal burst onto the path, squealing.
It was a wild boar. It looked at the two people, beady red eyes peering at them between two cracked, yellow tusks. Saliva dripped to the ground as it stared at them in madness.
Laguna spoke quietly. "Can you calm it down, Jea?"
She shook her head tightly. "No. I tried. It's insane. Something spooked it. We'll have to kill it..." The ranger frowned.
The boar attacked them, still squealing. The paladin swung his sword in a large arc, striking the animal's shoulder deeply. It screamed and raked his armor with its tusks, bruising him.
Grimly, Jea brought down her mace in a heavy arc on the boar's head. However, even the large dent in its skull didn't fell the pig.
Wolf leapt onto the thing's back, tearing a huge chunk out of its neck. The boar squealed in rage and turned its head around to try to rip into Wolf. Laguna, seizing the opportunity, thrust his longsword at the boar's exposed throat.
He got lucky. The sword slid into the boar's throat, slicing its windpipe and veins cleanly. With a final shriek, it collapsed died, collapsing to the ground.
Laguna pulled his sword out and proceeded to clean the blade. The ranger inspected the boar. "Hmm..." she mused.
"What?" Laguna asked curiously.
"Look at this." Jea pointed at an infected gash in the boar's side. "We cause that. My guess is those bugbears. We'd better press on. We're almost there."
Laguna went to remount his horse and the group started out again. Roughly a half an hour later, Jea stopped again. "We need to go on foot from here. Your horse makes too much noise."
He nodded and slipped down off of Furret's back. The ranger stopped him from tying his horse up. "May I? I don't want him to be trapped if the bugbears find him."
Laguna nodded again and Jea whispered into Furret's ear. Smacking the horse's rump, she sent him off into the woods. She motioned for Laguna and Wolf to follow her.
Ten minutes later, they reached the bugbear lair. They peered through the trees. Three of the males were outside. They were large and very muscular, standing over seven feet tall. Their hides ranged from light yellow to yellow brown, and their nasty, coarse hair seemed to vary from brown to brick red. Their eyes were greenish white with slitted red pupils, and their wedge shaped ears rose from the tops of their heads. And of course, they had mouths full of sharp fangs.
Two of the males stood next to the cave entrance and the third was swinging his short sword at the air a dozen feet away. Laguna looked at Jea and made a charging motion with his hand, silently asking a question. She nodded and held up three fingers. --Good,--Laguna thought, biting back the taste of evil he felt. --On the count of three then...--
One finger. Two. Three! Laguna, Jea, and Wolf charged out of the woods at the bugbears, taking the hideous beasts by surprise. Laguna rushed the lone bugbear, while Jea and Wolf attacked the two at the cave entrance.
The paladin swung with all his might and felt his sword shear through flesh and bone as he aimed perfectly and lopped the monster's head off. Blood spurted and the head flew a good 20 feet before bouncing to a stop. He whirled to aid his friends.
Jea raised her mace to club the bugbear in the face while Wolf hamstrung him. The beast went down with a strangled cry of rage, swinging futilely at the ranger woman with his club.
His aimed seemed good, but she sidestepped his swing just as Laguna joined her. He swung his sword, but missed.
Wolf decided to go after the third beastie and keep it busy while the two people got rid of the second bugbear. Wolf charged at it, trying to hamstring it, but the monster dodged and Wolf went head over heels into the dirt.
Laguna and Jea felled the second bugbear in time to turn and see Wolf go flying nose over rump. The last beast charged them and Jea swung her mace so hard that when she hit its skull, the bone was shattered and bugbear brains splattered all over the place.
"Nice swing," Laguna commented. "How many more were there, again?"
"Five," she responded, wiping the gore off of her mace with a bugbear tunic. "And here they come," she finished, pivoting to face the cave entrance.
Laguna could hear the growling shouts of the other monsters coming down the dimly illuminated tunnel. He stood next to the ranger in the entrance, preparing to swing.
Ten minutes later, he had learned what most people learn about bugbears- -they lack any and all common sense. Eight dead bugbears and only some minor bruises on the three of them.
He and Jea investigated the cave, searching for the necklace lost by Baron Chamberpot's courier. Jea was rummaging through the last pile of junk before she was victorious in the search.
"Found it!" she exclaimed, holding up the leather pouch.
"Good," her companion replied. "Can we get out of here now? This place stinks. Bad."
"Yeah, let's go."
They left the cave and hiked back down the trail a ways. Jea whistled and Furret came trotting up a moment later. Laguna remounted and they continued down the trail.
This time, their pace was relaxed and ambling. They talked, slowly getting to know each other better. Unhurried as they were, it took them much longer on the return trip. In fact, they were still in the woods as it began to get dark. Jea looked around and remarked, "Gee, do ya think we should find a place to camp?"
Laguna looked up through the canopy at the darkening sky. "Yeah, we probably should stop. Do you know of a clearing or something?"
She nodded. "Sure do. This way."
The ranger woman took him on a side path to a clearing. There they set up camp. Jea started the fire and Laguna gathered a surplus of firewood.
The woman reached into her red velvet bag and pulled out food. Looking at Laguna, she asked, "Did you bring food, Laguna?"
The knight shook his head. "No, I didn't."
Jea smiled in amusement as she divided the food in half. "Here. I'll share." She handed the food to Laguna. "Eat."
He thanked her profusely, but she waved it off. After they ate, Jea looked at Laguna. "So, do you want first watch, or do you want me to take it?"
He tilted his head at her. "There is no need for you to lose a night's rest. I can stay awake. One night's sleep lost won't affect me."
She looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "What?! No, no. I'm not a helpless female. I can take care of meself, Pally-Boy. I don't need the likes of you trying to lead me by the hand. I was adventurin' before you was old enough to shave."
Laguna did not understand her sudden hostility. He was, after all, trying to be nice. "It's no problem. I don't mind."
Jea stared at him, her temper coming to a slow boil. "I said I don't mind taking a watch. I do it all the time. Now, which watch do you want?" she snarled.
"Miss Jea, I must insist on taking the whole night's watch. You seem tired, and I need to practice anyway."
She eyed him. Then a light bulb came on. "Oh, I get it. Yer afraid I'll slit yer throat while ya sleep. Fine, then. Don't sleep. But you better not try anythin'. Wolf and I both sleep with one eye open."
He responded, "It is not that I fear you. I simply don't feel tired tonight, and you look like you could use some rest. And do not worry. I will not harm you. I am a paladin. You have my word.
As she crawled into her blankets, she muttered, "Bah! I trust the word of a paladin even less than the word of an assassin who's a dark elf." Wolf curled up next to her, whining softly.
Laguna blinked, then started cleaning his equipment to banish the confusion he felt. He spent the night training, working hard to improve his skills.
Laguna yawned and rolled out of bed the next morning. He dressed and headed downstairs to the common room. The woman was sitting down already, eating breakfast. Wolf was lying at her feet, tearing at a chunk of meat. Laguna walked over and pulled out a chair. Before he could sit down, the woman stood. "I realized this morning that I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jea Kinnaran, ranger/druid," she said, holding out her hand for a handshake.
Laguna took her hand, but not to shake. Instead, he kissed the back of it as if she were a noble woman. "I am Laguna Kimsteed. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Jea."
Taking her hand back, she responded, "Likewise--but its just Jea. No title."
"Very well." Both sat down and Laguna ordered breakfast.
While he ate the ranger outlined their mission. "The bugbears are laired up in a cave in the heart of the woods. They occasionally come near the road in a hunting party. As near as I can tell, there are eight bugbears: five male, three female, no young." She explained the layout of the cave, bugbear sentries, and the path they'd be taking.
Laguna asked, "Tell me, Jea, is there a chance of having to camp outside?"
Jea shrugged noncommittally. "Depends. If all eight bugbears are in the cave, probably not. If we have to wait around for any of them to return, then probably."
Laguna nodded and said, "I'm going to get my saddle bags. Could you have the stable boy get my horse ready?"
She nodded her ascent, and he went upstairs to get his immediate necessity items. The rest he left. He informed the innkeeper they would return that night or the next day for the rest of their stuff.
Outside, Jea had his horse and Wolf. He slung the saddlebags on and mounted. Jea, who apparently had no mount, thanked the stable boy and left the innyard at a trot, Laguna close behind.
She led him northeast of town on the road for about two hours, before angling to a path in the woods heading north. Laguna had to slow Furret to a walk because of the perils of the trail: roots, branches, and holes. After another hour of traveling, Laguna began to get uncomfortable with the silence.
"So, Jea, who hired you to kill these bugbears?"
The ranger slowed so he could catch up a little. "Oh, a guy a week up the road named Baron Chamberpot. A courier was delivering the necklace he ordered for his daughter's birthday and was captured somewhere on the road by bugbears. The Baron wanted his stuff back so he hired the first adventurer brave enough to do it--me. He's paying me a fee of 1000gp for the job. But, like I said before, because you're helping, you get half. It's only fair."
He nodded and was about to open his mouth to respond when she commented, "Ya know, you don't act like the paladins I've run into before."
"Oh?" he asked. "How so?"
"Well, for one, you're a lot nicer. Second, you're intelligent. Third, you have a personality. Fourth--"
Laguna started laughing. "Okay! I get the picture! Oh, gods!" he chuckled. Then he sobered. "However, these individuals don't sound a lot like paladins. They sound more like cavaliers--in need of demotion."
She laughed. "That's putting it mildly--but I wouldn't worry about it. It's not likely that we'll run into them. Basically, though, that was why I left my party--those gods be damned paladins."
Laguna frowned. "If we ever have the sorry misfortune to run into them, I think I might have to teach them a lesson on being paladins. My master would probably have them whipped."
Jea smiled in amusement and asked him about his home and family. He launched into a description of his parents, their horse farm, his teacher, and his childhood. She listened raptly, highly interested in the wonders of his boyhood. "What about you?" Laguna asked a little later.
"Huh?"
"There must be a story of some sort behind you. Like: how did you and Wolf meet? It's not everyday you see a woman with a wolf. Or, where are you from?"
She shrugged. "Wolf and I have been Life-Friends since we were three weeks old. My particular village has a special ritual for it. He and I have the same birthday and the ritual is actually a spell that binds our life-forces together--basically we will live until the same moment. It extends his life and shortens mine. They use it mostly on half breeds." She gestured to her slightly pointed ears and elf-like features. "He and I are the best of friends though," she added, as if to hide her bitterness.
Laguna heard it though. However, he didn't have time to answer. Wolf had stopped dead in his tracks, and snarling warningly. Both of them halted. Jea cocked her head to one side, listening.
Laguna dismounted and drew his long sword. "What is it?"
Jea pulled out her mace. "Animal of some kind--angry." She pointed to their right. Less than a few seconds later a huge animal burst onto the path, squealing.
It was a wild boar. It looked at the two people, beady red eyes peering at them between two cracked, yellow tusks. Saliva dripped to the ground as it stared at them in madness.
Laguna spoke quietly. "Can you calm it down, Jea?"
She shook her head tightly. "No. I tried. It's insane. Something spooked it. We'll have to kill it..." The ranger frowned.
The boar attacked them, still squealing. The paladin swung his sword in a large arc, striking the animal's shoulder deeply. It screamed and raked his armor with its tusks, bruising him.
Grimly, Jea brought down her mace in a heavy arc on the boar's head. However, even the large dent in its skull didn't fell the pig.
Wolf leapt onto the thing's back, tearing a huge chunk out of its neck. The boar squealed in rage and turned its head around to try to rip into Wolf. Laguna, seizing the opportunity, thrust his longsword at the boar's exposed throat.
He got lucky. The sword slid into the boar's throat, slicing its windpipe and veins cleanly. With a final shriek, it collapsed died, collapsing to the ground.
Laguna pulled his sword out and proceeded to clean the blade. The ranger inspected the boar. "Hmm..." she mused.
"What?" Laguna asked curiously.
"Look at this." Jea pointed at an infected gash in the boar's side. "We cause that. My guess is those bugbears. We'd better press on. We're almost there."
Laguna went to remount his horse and the group started out again. Roughly a half an hour later, Jea stopped again. "We need to go on foot from here. Your horse makes too much noise."
He nodded and slipped down off of Furret's back. The ranger stopped him from tying his horse up. "May I? I don't want him to be trapped if the bugbears find him."
Laguna nodded again and Jea whispered into Furret's ear. Smacking the horse's rump, she sent him off into the woods. She motioned for Laguna and Wolf to follow her.
Ten minutes later, they reached the bugbear lair. They peered through the trees. Three of the males were outside. They were large and very muscular, standing over seven feet tall. Their hides ranged from light yellow to yellow brown, and their nasty, coarse hair seemed to vary from brown to brick red. Their eyes were greenish white with slitted red pupils, and their wedge shaped ears rose from the tops of their heads. And of course, they had mouths full of sharp fangs.
Two of the males stood next to the cave entrance and the third was swinging his short sword at the air a dozen feet away. Laguna looked at Jea and made a charging motion with his hand, silently asking a question. She nodded and held up three fingers. --Good,--Laguna thought, biting back the taste of evil he felt. --On the count of three then...--
One finger. Two. Three! Laguna, Jea, and Wolf charged out of the woods at the bugbears, taking the hideous beasts by surprise. Laguna rushed the lone bugbear, while Jea and Wolf attacked the two at the cave entrance.
The paladin swung with all his might and felt his sword shear through flesh and bone as he aimed perfectly and lopped the monster's head off. Blood spurted and the head flew a good 20 feet before bouncing to a stop. He whirled to aid his friends.
Jea raised her mace to club the bugbear in the face while Wolf hamstrung him. The beast went down with a strangled cry of rage, swinging futilely at the ranger woman with his club.
His aimed seemed good, but she sidestepped his swing just as Laguna joined her. He swung his sword, but missed.
Wolf decided to go after the third beastie and keep it busy while the two people got rid of the second bugbear. Wolf charged at it, trying to hamstring it, but the monster dodged and Wolf went head over heels into the dirt.
Laguna and Jea felled the second bugbear in time to turn and see Wolf go flying nose over rump. The last beast charged them and Jea swung her mace so hard that when she hit its skull, the bone was shattered and bugbear brains splattered all over the place.
"Nice swing," Laguna commented. "How many more were there, again?"
"Five," she responded, wiping the gore off of her mace with a bugbear tunic. "And here they come," she finished, pivoting to face the cave entrance.
Laguna could hear the growling shouts of the other monsters coming down the dimly illuminated tunnel. He stood next to the ranger in the entrance, preparing to swing.
Ten minutes later, he had learned what most people learn about bugbears- -they lack any and all common sense. Eight dead bugbears and only some minor bruises on the three of them.
He and Jea investigated the cave, searching for the necklace lost by Baron Chamberpot's courier. Jea was rummaging through the last pile of junk before she was victorious in the search.
"Found it!" she exclaimed, holding up the leather pouch.
"Good," her companion replied. "Can we get out of here now? This place stinks. Bad."
"Yeah, let's go."
They left the cave and hiked back down the trail a ways. Jea whistled and Furret came trotting up a moment later. Laguna remounted and they continued down the trail.
This time, their pace was relaxed and ambling. They talked, slowly getting to know each other better. Unhurried as they were, it took them much longer on the return trip. In fact, they were still in the woods as it began to get dark. Jea looked around and remarked, "Gee, do ya think we should find a place to camp?"
Laguna looked up through the canopy at the darkening sky. "Yeah, we probably should stop. Do you know of a clearing or something?"
She nodded. "Sure do. This way."
The ranger woman took him on a side path to a clearing. There they set up camp. Jea started the fire and Laguna gathered a surplus of firewood.
The woman reached into her red velvet bag and pulled out food. Looking at Laguna, she asked, "Did you bring food, Laguna?"
The knight shook his head. "No, I didn't."
Jea smiled in amusement as she divided the food in half. "Here. I'll share." She handed the food to Laguna. "Eat."
He thanked her profusely, but she waved it off. After they ate, Jea looked at Laguna. "So, do you want first watch, or do you want me to take it?"
He tilted his head at her. "There is no need for you to lose a night's rest. I can stay awake. One night's sleep lost won't affect me."
She looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "What?! No, no. I'm not a helpless female. I can take care of meself, Pally-Boy. I don't need the likes of you trying to lead me by the hand. I was adventurin' before you was old enough to shave."
Laguna did not understand her sudden hostility. He was, after all, trying to be nice. "It's no problem. I don't mind."
Jea stared at him, her temper coming to a slow boil. "I said I don't mind taking a watch. I do it all the time. Now, which watch do you want?" she snarled.
"Miss Jea, I must insist on taking the whole night's watch. You seem tired, and I need to practice anyway."
She eyed him. Then a light bulb came on. "Oh, I get it. Yer afraid I'll slit yer throat while ya sleep. Fine, then. Don't sleep. But you better not try anythin'. Wolf and I both sleep with one eye open."
He responded, "It is not that I fear you. I simply don't feel tired tonight, and you look like you could use some rest. And do not worry. I will not harm you. I am a paladin. You have my word.
As she crawled into her blankets, she muttered, "Bah! I trust the word of a paladin even less than the word of an assassin who's a dark elf." Wolf curled up next to her, whining softly.
Laguna blinked, then started cleaning his equipment to banish the confusion he felt. He spent the night training, working hard to improve his skills.