1 Chapter Four
They got to the edge of town and looked at the road. It branched and went off in three different directions. Jea looked at her companion. "Which way, Pally-boy? It's your journey, not mine."
Laguna thought for a moment, and, upon coming up with nothing, pointed randomly at the northwest going fork. "That one, I guess."
"Okie-day."
* * * * * *
The first several nights of the trip were uneventful. They would travel until twilight, and camp out on the roadside at night. When they set up camp, Jea would fix their dinner—sometimes rations, sometimes animals brought down by sling or bow during the day. Laguna would ofttimes clean his equipment or practice his skills, keeping both fine tuned in case of a fight. After dinner, one would roll into their blankets while the other took first watch. Halfway into the night, they would switch off. And so they fell into a pattern.
On the eleventh night, during Jea's watch, she heard a noise. Shaking the paladin gently, she hissed, "Wake up and get your sword. We've got company."
Laguna was on his feet in an instant. Grabbing his sword, he moved to the ranger's side. Wolf stood there too, growling softly. "What is it?" Laguna asked.
She shook her head. "Not quite sure. Noisy, whatever it is."
"Guess we wait, huh?"
"Yup!"
They didn't have to wait long. A few scant seconds later, several dozen short, squat humanoids and half a dozen taller ones came pouring out of the woods. The short humanoids were goblins, and stood roughly four feet tall, with green brown skin. And, of course they were screaming foul obscenities at them.
The larger six caught Laguna's attention. They looked like hyena men without tails, standing roughly seven feet tall. He recognized them from a book he'd read once. These were gnolls. They seemed to be urging the goblins on. Laguna could taste the evil in the air. It rose like sour bile in his throat.
He and the ranger slashed and hacked at the mini-sized goblins; he in an attempt to get to the bigger gnolls, which were, to him, a bigger threat than the goblins; she because she wanted to go to sleep.
Wolf fought at his mistress' side, laying about him with fangs and claws, felling several goblins at a time. Jea would take two swings and knock goblins like bowling pins, taking them out four and five at a time.
One of the goblins rushed forward to hit Laguna, and in its eagerness, slipped in mid-swing in a patch of grease from the previous evening's dinner. He spun wildly around, cutting down six of his fellows before falling and landing on his own sword.
The action cleared Laguna's path to the gnolls. Biting back the taste of evil, he charged them, screaming. The first gnoll went down in a second, and the next barely managed to block in time.
His second swing cut through its middle. With a gurgle, it slumped to the ground. The other four gnolls advanced on him and he fought in a flurry of blades and blood.
As the last gnoll fell, Laguna turned to aid his friends—in time to watch the second comical mishap of the evening. Nine or ten goblins were left and in their excitement to try and surround the ranger and Wolf, one of them tripped on a fallen comrade—causing a domino effect for all. Unfortunately, the ground was littered with fallen goblins' weapons, and they managed to skewer themselves on the blades of dead allies.
Laguna and Jea stared at each other in surprise—for about 30 seconds. Then they started laughing at the comedy of the situation. Tears of mirth streaming down their faces, they kicked, dragged, and threw the bodies into the woods.
Jea shook her head. "That was really funny! Did you see those goblins?!" she laughed as she reseated herself by the fire.
Laguna chuckled as he settled down next to her. "I can't believe it! I think the goblins killed more of each other than we did!"
"I'd say this calls for a celebration, eh, Laguna?" Jea asked, reaching into her Bag of Holding.
"It certainly does." He watched as she pulled out a bottle of wine and two cups.
They spent the last few hours off the night drinking and talking. The next day both were slightly tipsy and feeling very good.
That evening, they camped out like normal, Jea taking first watch, and Laguna second. Jea woke him a little after midnight for his watch and crawled into her bed wearily, falling asleep instantly.
Laguna leaned back against the rock near the fire, staring into the sky. He had just began spotting constellations when he heard a noise.
Looking around, he heard the sound again. It was a whimper of pure terror, almost human in its sound.
The moment he thought that, he whirled to look at the ranger. She was tossing in her sleep, muttering loudly.
"….No…….Watch…..to your left!……………..Careful! Its—AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jea's eyes snapped open and she screamed in absolute fear.
Laguna immediately went over to her. She sat there, panting, trying to catch her breath and slow her heartbeat to normal levels, still confused and disoriented.
Putting both hands on her shoulders, Laguna shook her gently. "Jea! What's the matter? Wake up!"
She managed to regain control. "I'm….sorry, Laguna. I…I…just had a….nightmare—nothing new. I had thought I was rid of them. Guess not." She shrugged off his hands and reached for her bag.
Laguna prayed to his god, Goku, to help the ranger over come whatever was causing her nightmares. If the god heard, however, he did not answer.
He glanced over to Jea again. She had pulled out a flask and was taking a large swig. "Drinking isn't the way to get rid of your problems, you know," he reprimanded gently. "It doesn't give you any permanent help."
She grimaced. "It's not booze. It's an herbal tea that calms my nerves and helps me sleep. I only use it when I have nightmares."
The ranger woman did not sleep however. She sat up staring into the flickering flames of the fire, and Laguna could see the demons of her past flit across her face as she warred with them.
They got to the edge of town and looked at the road. It branched and went off in three different directions. Jea looked at her companion. "Which way, Pally-boy? It's your journey, not mine."
Laguna thought for a moment, and, upon coming up with nothing, pointed randomly at the northwest going fork. "That one, I guess."
"Okie-day."
* * * * * *
The first several nights of the trip were uneventful. They would travel until twilight, and camp out on the roadside at night. When they set up camp, Jea would fix their dinner—sometimes rations, sometimes animals brought down by sling or bow during the day. Laguna would ofttimes clean his equipment or practice his skills, keeping both fine tuned in case of a fight. After dinner, one would roll into their blankets while the other took first watch. Halfway into the night, they would switch off. And so they fell into a pattern.
On the eleventh night, during Jea's watch, she heard a noise. Shaking the paladin gently, she hissed, "Wake up and get your sword. We've got company."
Laguna was on his feet in an instant. Grabbing his sword, he moved to the ranger's side. Wolf stood there too, growling softly. "What is it?" Laguna asked.
She shook her head. "Not quite sure. Noisy, whatever it is."
"Guess we wait, huh?"
"Yup!"
They didn't have to wait long. A few scant seconds later, several dozen short, squat humanoids and half a dozen taller ones came pouring out of the woods. The short humanoids were goblins, and stood roughly four feet tall, with green brown skin. And, of course they were screaming foul obscenities at them.
The larger six caught Laguna's attention. They looked like hyena men without tails, standing roughly seven feet tall. He recognized them from a book he'd read once. These were gnolls. They seemed to be urging the goblins on. Laguna could taste the evil in the air. It rose like sour bile in his throat.
He and the ranger slashed and hacked at the mini-sized goblins; he in an attempt to get to the bigger gnolls, which were, to him, a bigger threat than the goblins; she because she wanted to go to sleep.
Wolf fought at his mistress' side, laying about him with fangs and claws, felling several goblins at a time. Jea would take two swings and knock goblins like bowling pins, taking them out four and five at a time.
One of the goblins rushed forward to hit Laguna, and in its eagerness, slipped in mid-swing in a patch of grease from the previous evening's dinner. He spun wildly around, cutting down six of his fellows before falling and landing on his own sword.
The action cleared Laguna's path to the gnolls. Biting back the taste of evil, he charged them, screaming. The first gnoll went down in a second, and the next barely managed to block in time.
His second swing cut through its middle. With a gurgle, it slumped to the ground. The other four gnolls advanced on him and he fought in a flurry of blades and blood.
As the last gnoll fell, Laguna turned to aid his friends—in time to watch the second comical mishap of the evening. Nine or ten goblins were left and in their excitement to try and surround the ranger and Wolf, one of them tripped on a fallen comrade—causing a domino effect for all. Unfortunately, the ground was littered with fallen goblins' weapons, and they managed to skewer themselves on the blades of dead allies.
Laguna and Jea stared at each other in surprise—for about 30 seconds. Then they started laughing at the comedy of the situation. Tears of mirth streaming down their faces, they kicked, dragged, and threw the bodies into the woods.
Jea shook her head. "That was really funny! Did you see those goblins?!" she laughed as she reseated herself by the fire.
Laguna chuckled as he settled down next to her. "I can't believe it! I think the goblins killed more of each other than we did!"
"I'd say this calls for a celebration, eh, Laguna?" Jea asked, reaching into her Bag of Holding.
"It certainly does." He watched as she pulled out a bottle of wine and two cups.
They spent the last few hours off the night drinking and talking. The next day both were slightly tipsy and feeling very good.
That evening, they camped out like normal, Jea taking first watch, and Laguna second. Jea woke him a little after midnight for his watch and crawled into her bed wearily, falling asleep instantly.
Laguna leaned back against the rock near the fire, staring into the sky. He had just began spotting constellations when he heard a noise.
Looking around, he heard the sound again. It was a whimper of pure terror, almost human in its sound.
The moment he thought that, he whirled to look at the ranger. She was tossing in her sleep, muttering loudly.
"….No…….Watch…..to your left!……………..Careful! Its—AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jea's eyes snapped open and she screamed in absolute fear.
Laguna immediately went over to her. She sat there, panting, trying to catch her breath and slow her heartbeat to normal levels, still confused and disoriented.
Putting both hands on her shoulders, Laguna shook her gently. "Jea! What's the matter? Wake up!"
She managed to regain control. "I'm….sorry, Laguna. I…I…just had a….nightmare—nothing new. I had thought I was rid of them. Guess not." She shrugged off his hands and reached for her bag.
Laguna prayed to his god, Goku, to help the ranger over come whatever was causing her nightmares. If the god heard, however, he did not answer.
He glanced over to Jea again. She had pulled out a flask and was taking a large swig. "Drinking isn't the way to get rid of your problems, you know," he reprimanded gently. "It doesn't give you any permanent help."
She grimaced. "It's not booze. It's an herbal tea that calms my nerves and helps me sleep. I only use it when I have nightmares."
The ranger woman did not sleep however. She sat up staring into the flickering flames of the fire, and Laguna could see the demons of her past flit across her face as she warred with them.