I know it's been a long time since I've updated this story. Sorry to anyone who was enjoying it. It's been a long summer for me and one mostly without an internet connection. Thanks for the reviews; feedback is nice to have.
This next chapter comes from the mouth of the valiant Palanob, champion of justice.
I was surprised that Swanky wanted to go with Doran and me, but after the others left we found Bruno and went on our way, too. I was glad to have help along, even though I was sure Heironeous would give me a victory if the creatures showed themselves. I admit that I was barely tested in combat, but my training had taught me the basics of swordplay and other fighting techniques. My pure heart would also be a line of defense against any evil tides, but a powerful cleric and cunning stalker couldn't hurt. I assumed Bruno wouldn't mind, especially as he said nothing when I joined him with my companions. He was pretty drunk, but I guess he'd had practice getting home like that. Indecent behavior, but it was his choice.
We made small talk along the way to the farm. Bruno was certainly an "interesting" character, but nothing would have prepared me for what Swanky suddenly did. The scoundrel took out his crossbow and fired at our host. The bolt sank into Bruno's right shoulder, and the hulking drunk charged Swanky. Doran recovered first, swinging his mace and missing the dancing miscreant. I brought out my punching dagger and stabbed Swanky in the side, and the distraction let Doran's mace come crashing onto the evildoer's skull. Swanky collapsed instantly from that final blow.
Bruno kicked at the body a little, but he was too drunk to harm the fallen rogue very much. I debated his fate with Doran while Bruno removed the bolt from his arm. "Should we kill him now?" the cleric wondered aloud. I wasn't sure what had caused Swanky's attack, but I hated to kill a helpless opponent.
"I think we should stabilize him and take his weapons. He can't do much to us if he has nothing to fight with." I looked to Bruno for suggestions, but he simply grunted and moved to stab Swanky with the bloody dart.
"Let's not do anything hasty," Doran soothed, taking the bolt away. He stepped between Bruno and Swanky's fallen form. The drunken farmer eventually calmed down and grunted in distaste. I watched Swanky in shock, astonished that any human could act like he did. I wiped the blood off my dagger and sheathed it while Bruno cooled his rage.
"We'll leave him here," Doran decided at last. "He attacked us unjustly, so we shall leave his fate to the gods. And let us hope that no evil demons come to rescue him this night…"
The three of us trudged the rest of the way to Bruno's, intent on solving this nocturnal mystery. When we reached the farm, Bruno showed us to the barn. "You can sleep here," he grunted.
"So I have permission to remain here and assist Palanob?" Doran asked. The farmer eyed him skeptically for a moment before shrugging.
"Sure, why not? Why do I care who's here? Just don't expect any more money," he grumbled and went inside.
"Lovely gentleman," Doran muttered to himself as I got out my bedroll. "We should probably have at least one of us keep watch at all times," he remarked when he saw what I was doing. "We don't know for sure when these creatures will show, and someone needs to be ready for them."
"I agree, I'm just getting ready for when I want to sleep." The older man seemed a little annoyed, even though nothing in his face or tone gave it away. Maybe I was just imagining things, though. He'd been nothing but courteous and respectful to me as far as I'd seen and treated me very kindly because of my calling. I had to be imagining it.
"If you'd rather sleep now, I'll take the first watch," he offered, and I accepted the suggestion. I was already a little tired, so I gladly went to sleep.
"Palanob! Awaken!" It seemed like only a few moments had passed before Doran was hurriedly shaking me. His face bore a strange fear, and I saw deep scratches on his arm. A fight was close at hand.
"What happened?" I asked groggily. I shook off my sleepiness and looked around for my weapons. Thank Heironeous that my sword and shield were still nearby. I quickly snatched them up.
"I found some kind of—well, it's like a demonic shrub," the cleric answered. "It was raiding the chicken coop when I interrupted. It attacked me, and I ran back to rouse you." He shook off his panic, then moved back out to confront whatever creature he'd found once more. I followed my comrade to see a gnashing tree stump with limbs spring toward us. The creature scratched Doran's shield uselessly before turning its attention to its latest attacker: me.
I stabbed at the monster, but it proved surprisingly nimble for a stiff block of wood. It clawed me, and I felt its sickening poison infect my veins. Doran grazed it with his mace but did little more than knock a few chips off its body. This creature ruined our best efforts to hit it, darting underneath our weapons and scratching us when opportunities presented themselves, until I finally swung with all my strength and landed a single blow that split it in two. Splinters flew from the body and sap spattered against the ground.
The minister and I looked at each other in amazement after the fight. "I have no idea what that was, but excellent blow," he congratulated. "I think we've discovered the culprit behind these nocturnal incursions." Doran put his mace back into his belt, wincing from the wounds he'd suffered. "I'll have to mend those," he declared and healed himself before my eyes. The scratches scabbed over and disappeared into healthy flesh.
"Very impressive," I said. "Now can you help me out?" Doran laughed and healed my cuts as well. I felt so much better and took over watching for the cleric. He gratefully went to sleep in the barn while I kept an eye out for more wood-creatures.
I didn't have to wait long. In a short time I heard rustling in the chicken coop, so I woke Doran up. "We should get Bruno," he said after grabbing his mace and shield. I followed him to the door, and Bruno arrived in his nightcap after we banged on the door.
"Yeah?" The farmer was very sleepy and not at all happy to see us.
"Bruno, we found this...thing in your chicken coop. You should come immediately, as we believe more have just come to your farm to steal your hens," Doran told him. I'm not sure how much he understood, but he grabbed a sickle and followed us to the barn. We showed him the creature's fragments on our way to rescue the other chickens. Bruno heard loud clucking and charged ahead. Doran and I went right behind him.
When we reached the coop, we saw three more demon-shrubs busy killing their prey. They quickly turned to us as soon as we arrived, fangs bared and leaping. I caught one of them against my shield. Its weight popped my shoulder, and I smelled the foul odor of blood from its mouth and claws. The thing scraped my arm, and I felt poison weakening me. I shrugged off its effects and swung my sword. My blow glanced off its woody skin harmlessly. With a squeal, the creature attacked again, but I dodged. My next stroke fatally split its head, or what passed for one. Sap oozed from my opponent's broken body, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Doran smash another in the back as it clawed at Bruno. The other already lay in a puddle of sap, crushed to pieces by a heavy mace. The battle was over.
Bruno surveyed the henhouse carefully. The farmer dropped to his knees in grief and picked up the body of a dead chicken. "Henrietta!" he cried tearfully. He brought the hen to Doran. "Can we...can we bury her tonight?" he asked. "She was my favorite." Bruno led us outside, sniffling the whole way, and found a shovel from his barn. He cleared a small hole, and in no time at all Henrietta was laid to rest on his land. The farmer looked at Doran carefully. "Would you mind saying a few words? You're a man of the gods, after all, and it would mean a lot to me."
Doran's look told me his true feelings, but he cleared his throat all the same. "Henrietta was...a good hen," he proclaimed somberly. "She...gave her life to save the other chickens when they needed it most." He might have gone on, but Bruno completely broke down and started bawling on his shoulder. I couldn't help it. I started laughing under my breath, but I don't think Bruno even noticed in his grief over the lost Henrietta.