"Boo says he smells something off," Minsc announced.
It had begun raining heavily, which Silandra thought would have washed away any other scents. They had only been traveling for an hour or so, slowly making their way up the rocky mountain road. The water made the path more difficult but there wasn't any decent shelter to be found so they had decided they may as well press on. Minsc slowed down to sniff the air, and Silandra did the same. Mostly she just smelled the rain, but she also thought she got a faint whiff of something burning that should not be.
"The fire may be out by now, but we should still proceed with caution," Jaheira said.
It wasn't like it was easy to move along this particular path without caution. It was steep and the rocks were made even more slippery by the rain, and although Silandra was more or less used to walking all day by now, it was a little different when it was all uphill.
Thankfully, the ground soon evened out and she looked around. It was not immediately obvious what she was looking at. The clearing was scorched as if a forest fire had torn through the area, though there wasn't enough kindling for that to be the case and Silandra could sense that magic had been involved.
Then she noticed the source of the burnt smell, the one that was so wrong. This had apparently been a village of some kind. There were burnt out husks throughout the area, some obviously the remnants of crude structures, but others smaller and disturbingly humanoid-shaped. Silandra took a few hesitant steps forward, unsure she wanted to get close enough to see what they were.
"They're not… children, are they?" Imoen asked. She was still back at the top of the mountain path, her eyes wide.
"Xvarts," Jaheira said. She evidently had no qualms about investigating the bodies closely, and was bending over one that wasn't quite so badly burned as the others. "More of a nuisance than a true threat. Whoever did this invaded their home. It is not right."
"But they are evil," Ajantis said, though he didn't sound too sure of that.
"They generally don't attack unless they feel threatened," Jaheira said. "Not all monsters are evil."
"You think Xzar did this?" Imoen asked. "It was magic, right?"
"I wouldn't put it past that madman," Jaheira said.
"I don't know if fire was really his style," Silandra said. "Maybe it was the Red Wizard he's with."
"Hey… I think there's something over there," Garrick said, pointing to a dark cave a short distance away.
Minsc perked up at this. He had been standing a short distance from the others, apparently talking to his hamster. This was something he did often, much to Jaheira's annoyance, but no one else seemed to mind. Silandra found it kind of endearing, and as long as Minsc did not threaten her or the others, she was happy enough to have him with them.
"Maybe there's some evil that needs its butt kicked!" he said, drawing his sword and beginning to advance on the cave.
"Wait!" Jaheira called. "We don't know what's there."
Minsc either didn't hear her over the rain or didn't care; he continued on his way. Khalid and Jaheira exchanged a glance and followed quickly, and the others did the same.
As they drew closer to the cave, a deep growl came from the blackness within. Minsc was unperturbed; in fact the prospect of getting to fight something seemed to just make him more eager.
"Will you wait a moment you bloodthirsty oaf!" Jaheira shouted. "That sounds like a bear, and this is likely it's home. We should leave it alone."
"But if we kill the bear we could shelter in its cave," Garrick said, causing Imoen to gape at him in dismay.
"There has been enough carnage here," said Jaheira. "We move."
"Back to finish us?" came a guttural voice from the cave's depths. "No fair! We done nothing to you!"
"We come in peace," Jaheira said, crossing her arms and standing by the cave's entrance. "Who are you?"
"I am Nexlit, one of few left. Monsters attacked, but… you are not they."
A blue creature about the size of a halfling came to stand at the cave's entrance. He was a pitiful sight, his clothing ragged and bleeding from a badly bound wound around his arm. Minsc still had his sword out and looked ready to attack.
"Minsc, calm down," Silandra said. "I don't think you need to harm this creature. Maybe we can reason with him." She didn't know whether or not this xvart was evil but he did look quite defenseless at the moment.
"My lady, are you sure that's wise?" Ajantis asked, coming to stand by her side. "We know he's not alone in there; that was a bear we heard before."
"Ursa is kind!" Nexlit screeched. "Ursa our friend! But monsters hurt Ursa. Go away!"
"The bear is injured?" Jaheira asked. "I am a druid, a servant of nature. Perhaps I could see to… Ursa's… injuries."
"D-dear are you sure that is… um… p-prudent?" Khalid asked, staying close to his wife's side.
"The bear will recognize me as an ally and this creature is too badly injured to be a threat. Nexlit, show me to Ursa."
"But w-what if there are m-more?" Khalid asked.
"Are there more of you?" Silandra asked.
"Very few," Nexlit said. Some of his initial aggression appeared to have left him, but he was evidently still unwilling to trust them. "You mean no harm?"
"Of course," Silandra said, extending her influence just a little. "You can trust us."
Nexlit suddenly laughed, a strange dry hacking sound. "Ha! Ugly creature, you can't charm Nexlit! You funny! You can enter but put swords away."
Silandra froze. Her, ugly?
"Hey now, you can't go calling Sil ugly!" Imoen said quickly. "You'll hurt her feelings!"
Nexlit did not look like he cared about anyone's feelings, however. Jaheira glared at Silandra as if warning her to not cause any problems, and began to proceed slowly towards the cave entrance, Khalid following closely.
"Doncha worry Sil," Imoen said. "Xvarts probably just have different standards of beauty. Because you are beautiful. Right guys?"
Silandra tried to ignore the way she felt right now. Obviously, not all creatures would think her beautiful. But she had never been called ugly before. Imoen came to put an arm around her, which made her feel a little better.
"Guys? Right?" Imoen said, louder this time. "Sil's beautiful. Right Ajantis? Garrick?"
"Oh, um, yes, of course," Ajantis said, and cleared his throat. "Silandra, you are very beautiful."
"Yes, very beautiful," Garrick echoed, is face going red.
"Boo says the little blue man should pay for such slander!" Minsc said, his sword still at the ready.
"Uh, no, that won't be necessary," Silandra said, blinking back tears. She knew this was a silly thing to get upset about. Why should she care what a xvart thought of her? "You should put your sword away and tell Boo to calm down. We may as well get out of the rain. Just… be on guard."
Thankfully, Minsc did as she said, including telling Boo very sternly that he must control his rage for the moment. They followed Khalid and Jaheira into the dark cave. Silandra wished she was confident enough to try a magelight spell, but she hadn't quite perfected it yet. She could make out some features in the dark, but she knew it must be pitch black for the humans in the group.
Thankfully, a bright light appeared suddenly from up ahead—Jaheira had lit a lantern.
"I got this in preparation for the mines, where we should be right now," she said, glancing back at Silandra pointedly for a moment before continuing.
With the additional lighting, Silandra could now see that the cave did not go too deeply into the mountain. There was a large bear sprawled on the ground at the back, its fur matted with blood and singed completely off in places. Nearby were huddled a few small blue figures. They watched Silandra and her companions approach with what looked like pure fear, and shrank as far back into the cave as they could. Nexlit came to stand by the bear, his strange little face twisted in what was probably worry.
Jaheira set her lantern down and approached the bear slowly. At first it lifted its head and growled, but it was obviously in pain and lay back down quickly.
Jaheira knelt beside the bear. "I am one of nature's servants," she said, in a voice so calm and quiet it was hard to believe it was Jaheira speaking. "Relax and let me help you."
The bear shifted slightly, revealing a nasty wound in its side, a mix of dry and fresh blood staining its fur.
"An axe wound, I think," Jaheira said, probing it gently. "Wounds on furred creatures can be tricky. It should be cleaned first."
She rummaged in her pack for a moment, withdrawing a bowl and piece of cloth, and used the water from her own waterskin to clean the wound. Nexlit continued to stand by, watching her every move.
"One monster attacked Ursa with an axe," he said quietly. "She hit him and he and the other monsters left. Ursa saved us."
Silandra took a seat a safe distance from the bear and the xvarts, glad to be out of the rain for the moment. She was uncomfortable sitting around in wet clothes but there wasn't much she could do about it right now. At least it wasn't too cold. Imoen and Garrick came to sit with her, but Minsc and Ajantis preferred to stand, their weapons sheathed but probably ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
"You should both relax," Silandra said. "I don't think these creatures could hurt us if they tried."
In fact, the small group in the cave looked to be mostly made up of older xvarts and a few much smaller than the others—children. Had they been sent here when the village was initially attacked? That seemed very… human.
"I feel better knowing I am ready to defend you if necessary, my lady," Ajantis said.
"Minsc and Boo will always stand ready," Minsc said. At least he seemed more interested in the rain falling outside than the xvarts within the cave. He was probably just anxious to get moving.
There was a flash of lightning which made Silandra glad they were now sheltered. Rain was one thing, but a storm could be much more dangerous what with all the metal armor Khalid and Ajantis were wearing. No matter how much peril Dynaheir was in, it would be sensible to wait until it was safe before continuing on.
"I never thought of monsters as having their own little societies like this," Imoen said softly, echoing Silandra's own thoughts. "Makes ya think, huh?"
"Yeah," Silandra said. "I can't help but wonder… would we have attacked them too? I mean, say we were just coming up the road and came upon them. They probably wouldn't have acted too friendly. We might have done the same."
"I like to think we wouldn't have, but you're probably right," Imoen said glumly. "At least now we know. They're people too, kinda."
"I wish we had more light," said Garrick. "I need to write all this down. I think I could turn it into a masterpiece."
"You should," said Imoen. "People oughta know about xvarts and their… their culture."
Silandra remained silent. She couldn't stop thinking about she and her companions being responsible for this carnage instead. She had always believed that anyone who attacked her deserved death. She remembered her dream and frowned. Maybe that voice was right. But she dismissed the thought quickly. She would never murder someone. Even if she had killed these xvarts, if they had attacked first, surely it would not have been murder. Though she did think they had the right to defend their home, if they believed it was being threatened. She frowned, not liking how much this bothered her.
"What's up Sil?" Imoen asked. "You are looking far too intense right now. You're not still worried about that little jerk calling you ugly are ya?"
Silandra glanced over at Nexlit, still standing by while Jaheira worked on the bear. The healing process was now beginning, Jaheira's hands glowing blue. Hopefully the bear would be thankful and not decide to try and eat her or anyone else. Garrick had shifted closer to the cave entrance to make use of the gray daylight, scribbling on some parchment, while Minsc and Ajantis were still standing on guard a few feet away.
"I had a weird dream the night before we left Nashkel," Silandra said quietly. "I dreamed that Neira—the assassin—was dead. And the dream… it said it was my fault."
"That's silly," Imoen said. "She brought it upon herself, even if it was because you made her betray the other bounty hunters. Serves her right for gettin' caught up in such business."
"But then she really was dead," Silandra said. "How could I know that?"
"Must've just been thinkin' it before you slept," said Imoen. "That's how dreams work, right? You're just too nice, feelin' bad about assassins dying and all."
"But I don't feel bad," Silandra said quickly. "She wanted me dead and… I'm happy she's gone. She might have tried killing me again after being released. There's more, too. I saw Gorion… he told me it was my fault he's dead and I can't help but think he was right."
"That wasn't Gorion," Imoen said. "He knew more than he let on, we know that. He musta known he was risking his life out there and he went on anyway. He'd never blame you for what happened."
"I guess," Silandra said. "It was just so weird. And I knew I was dreaming. How often does that happen?"
"Never happens to me, though you'd think it would with some of the crazy stuff my mind comes up with," said Imoen. "Having a pink pet dragon sounds perfectly reasonable when I'm sleepin'."
A low growl came from the bear, and Silandra flinched and scrambled to her feet, Imoen doing the same. Ajantis reached for his sword but stilled when he looked over at the bear.
Jaheira was smiling and stroking the huge bear's head while it made what must be a contented rumbling sound. Khalid sat nearby, looking relieved. He had not left his wife's side the whole time and had appeared even more anxious than usual.
"Ursa just wanted to thank me for healing her," said Jaheira. "She will be fine now. Nexlit, what about the rest of your people? Are they injured badly?"
"Ursa protected us," he said. "Only Nexlit hurt but not bad. You not like those other monsters."
"Most people would call you monsters," Ajantis said, though thankfully he'd relaxed just a little.
"We don't hurt no one!" Nexlit said, glaring. "Just live in mountains, hunting and… living."
"You do hurt people, sometimes," Jaheira said.
"You would too if you thought you in danger!" Nexlit cried.
"Are we supposed to try talking to every creature we come across that wants us dead now?" Garrick asked, chewing on the end of his quill thoughtfully. "That is… a novel idea!"
"We don't always have time to ask questions," Jaheira said. "In any case, I am sorry about what happened to your village, Nexlit. We are following the ones who did this. Maybe we can get vengeance for you."
"Yes, vengeance!" Nexlit cried shrilly. "It won't bring back village but… it would be something."
"Wait, we're gonna kill Monty and Xzar?" Imoen asked, eyes wide.
"It could come down to that if their group is looking to harm Dynaheir," Silandra said. "But maybe… maybe they can be reasoned with."
"It's unlikely," said Jaheira. "Those two are bad news and if they are traveling with a Red Wizard, he must have something they want, unlike us. Unless you include the bounty on your head, in which case they may just try to take it."
"They had chances before and didn't take them," Silandra said. She did not want to believe that someone she had traveled with might want to kill her for a bounty.
"By the time they knew there was a bounty you were with Khalid and I," Jaheira said. "I imagine things might have gone differently had they found out sooner."
Silandra exchanged a glance with Imoen, who she knew wanted to believe the best of their former traveling companions. But Jaheira was probably right.
"Do you mind if we remain here until the storm calms?" Jaheira asked Nexlit. "There is very little shelter to be found around here."
"We would offer our homes if not gone," Nexlit said darkly. "But yes. You share our safe-cave until water stops. Then leave, for vengeance."
Nexlit gave Ursa a quick pat before moving onto his remaining people, murmuring to them in what must be their own language.
"It's strange," Ajantis said, looking upon the xvarts. "I would always have said any monster is evil but… it is very faint in these creatures. Maybe they don't have to be evil."
"You think they'll be okay?" Imoen asked.
"They will recover, I believe," said Jaheira. "They breed very quickly."
"Maybe they should put up a sign near the road," Garrick said. "To let adventurers know that they are peaceful."
"Not all would heed such a sign, but perhaps it's worth a try," Jaheira said. "I doubt they can write sufficiently in the common tongue, however."
"Hey, Nexlit!" Garrick said, scribbling something down quickly. "You will rebuild here, right?"
Nexlit approached the group, evidently still wary of them despite everything.
"Of course," he said. "This good spot, we live here many years."
"Then take this," said Garrick, ripping out the page he'd been writing on and offering it. "You should make a sign with this on it. It tells our people that you are a peaceful village so hopefully you won't get attacked like this again."
"You have to actually be peaceful too," Jaheira said. "No attacking without warning."
Nexlit accepted the parchment slowly. "Nexlit will consider."
The rain soon let up and Silandra and her companions were on their way. It was already time to start looking for a spot to stop for the night, and she worried about how little progress they had made. Montaron and Xzar's group were obviously ahead of them, and she thought they were probably competent enough to fight their way through a fortress of gnolls, especially if they were accompanied by a Red Wizard who could wreak the kind of destruction seen in the xvart village. Maybe they'd have to stop after the bear had injured one of their number. That would slow them down. And maybe they had taken shelter from the rain too. She tried to continue along this line of thinking. But it was difficult not to worry that they were too far ahead and Dynaheir was doomed.