Snow
Chapter 5
They made the decision to go to Fireshear first, then once there, would determine where to go after that.
But first, they needed a lot of trail rations, and Rick needed to replace his arrows. To do that meant returning to Bryn Shander since it was the largest city in the area. He mentioned something about possibly getting Magic Arrows.
It turned out that it was going to Bryn Shander was best for going south to Fireshear. It was the road that dictated that.
So there they were, dressed lightly, given how cold it was outside. They could do that since each now had a Ring of Warmth. Kate had a magical short sword. It was nothing compared to Rick's magic items, but she was happy with what he gave her and swung the weapon while she walked.
It took them four days to get back to Bryn Shander. Bear came with them into the city and almost instantly, he was noticed. People were muttering and pointing at him. It was obvious they didn't approve of a bear in their city.
Rick started with trail rations and got four weeks' worth for the two of them. Then he went shopping for arrows and was pleased to find that he could get the special arrows he wanted.
He needed somewhere around thirty arrows. He chose ten +2 arrows and two arrows of Slaying Hill Giants. Then he selected twenty-one regular arrows. Those with what he already had brought the total number up to sixty, the most his quiver could hold. He also bought two Javelins of Lightning. It cost him but was nowhere even close to a tenth of his hundred thousand gold.
Then he went outside the wall and set up their tent outside the city. Everyone in Bryn Shander was overjoyed to see Bear leave.
"Could we go into Bryn Shander again and find something real to eat?" Kate was so hungry she felt like she was starving.
"Certainly. I'm glad you mentioned it. You stay and guard the tent, Bear." Rick petted him, and together he and Kate went inside the city and looked for a place to eat.
They found the Hooked Knucklehead. It was a little more modern and luxurious. Rick ordered two meals: marinated venison steak, cheddar smashed potatoes and greens, and two Dwarven Ales. Much to Kate's delight, the greens tasted like broccoli though they didn't look anything like it.
Kate drank the Dwarven Ale. "Smooth." She didn't cough this time and thought the food was ten times better than the last place they ate. She didn't even bother to look at what it cost. Rick was buying anyway.
They returned to their tent that Bear was still guarding and yet again made love to each other.
~oo0oo~
It took them four days to get to the edge of the Spine of the World. Thankfully, it was also uneventful.
"This is where anything can happen, so stay alert," Rick told her as they broke camp. "It will take us five days to travel the Spine of the World."
"Five days? Damn." Kate shook her head and thought maybe they should have gotten horses. It was just that she didn't need saddle burn. Her thighs would get burned as they rubbed against the saddle. That and she had never ridden a horse before.
Rick didn't fight her; he just went with it.
~oo0oo~
Their first day was uneventful. Bear kept watch while they slept...mostly. Even he had to sleep sometime. They made love to each other that first night.
That morning they were breaking camp when Bear growled. Rick immediately snapped to attention. "Where?" He looked in the direction Bear was looking. "Stick close," he told Bear.
"What is it?" Kate looked around but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Five Hill Giants, that way." Rick pointed toward them, and suddenly, she saw them.
"They're kinda big." She thought they were maybe fifteen feet tall. The closer they got, the more it was evident they were a motley bunch, even though four of the five had clubs. The one not carrying a club had a sword and wore a metal breastplate.
They created a line in the pass, waiting for them. Rick had his bow at the ready with one arrow nocked. But only just the one instead of two, which was his norm.
Bear stayed behind them. When they got closer, one called out, "A hundred gold to pass. …Each."
"Do we have a hundred gold?" Kate asked Rick just loud enough for them to hear, knowing full well that they did.
"How about you let us pass, and you get to live," Rick countered.
That one just roared, and they charged en masse. The five of them came shoulder to shoulder.
Rick aimed at the one with the metal breastplate and fired at him. He immediately fell. "So much for that Arrow of Slaying," Rick commented as he drew the second and final one of those arrows.
Rick yelled, "Bear!" And Bear promptly charged the four of them. He chose the one on the far left. Kate drew her sword, but given the size of those giants she could only hope she would survive this.
Bear and his Hill Giant clashed at high speed. The Hill Giant quickly found out what it meant to come into contact with an Owl Bear. His claws gutted him, ending that Hill Giant.
Rick aimed at the one on the other end and let the arrow fly, piercing the Hill Giant's heart. He crumpled and hit the ground. The remaining two Hill Giants came up short. They were all alone now. They thought better of it and retreated just as fast.
Bear roared at them, confident that he could run them down and claw them to pieces. And he did just that. He went after the slower one and ripped his chest open.
Rick called him to come back. Bear roared at the one that got away, then turned and ambled back to his best friend. It had all happened so fast and stunned Kate into silence. Rick had killed two. Bear had also killed two.
Rick went over to the body of the group's leader, pulled out a wand, and spoke a word. "It looks like he had a Bag of Holding that's magical, as is his Headband of Intellect," Rick told Kate. "That seems to be all. Correction, he has a potion of Cure Light Wounds. I'd like you to have the Bag of Holding and wear the Headband of Intellect, and I'll take the potion." After saying that, Rick handed both things to Kate.
Nodding, Kate tied the Bag of Holding to her belt. She knew what one of these was – it was bigger on the inside than on the outside. The headband seemed simple enough, she'd tie it onto her head. Then she opened the bag and put her hand inside. Out came coins, a few gold, some silver, and a bunch of copper.
"What are these coins?" Kate inquired.
"One gold is worth ten silver, and one silver is worth ten copper," Rick said. He looked over the dead leader and decided there was nothing else on him he could use.
"And what exactly does the headband do?" Kate had trusted him enough to put it on before asking him.
Rick smiled as he replied, "It increases how smart you are. Simple."
Kate stared at him. She didn't see how that could work. "Then it's magic."
They went back to walking while keeping their eyes open for another group of Hill Giants.
~oo0oo~
They went off to one side, deep to one side, and stopped there for the night. Bear slept outside next to the tent.
Kate was taking off her clothes. "Bear is dangerous." She had watched him rip those two Hill Giants to pieces. Almost literally.
"He can be when he wants to be. He might have eaten those two Hill Giants save that he went hunting recently," Rick told her as he stripped off his clothes.
Finally, they were both naked and in each other's arms. They didn't make love, but being close to each other was enough. Kate went to sleep, secure and safe in his arms.
Come morning, they went outside, did their business, and then went inside to dress.
They were back on the road in under ten minutes. Rick handed Kate a ration bar that she ate while they walked. They didn't need their snow shoes for this part.
Kate looked around as Rick led the way with his bow in hand. "Are you expecting more trouble?"
He shook his head. "Not really, but it pays to be prepared." Hearing him say that, Kate walked with her hand on the hilt of her sword. They walked that way until they took a break.
Kate took a deep breath before telling him about the most horrific thing in her life. "When I was 19, my mother was murdered – stabbed, and left there to bleed out. The police chalked it up to a wayward action of gang violence. A gang is just what it sounds like, a group of young boys or even men. She still had everything of worth. Every piece of her jewelry, even her diamond wedding ring, her wallet, and all her money."
Rick frowned. "They went to all the trouble of killing her. One would think they would steal from her as well. Take advantage of the situation. What they did makes no sense at all."
"That's part of why I didn't like that response. I quit my college classes and joined the Police Academy. I did my time in a patrol car. I put in my time in Vice. Then I finally made it to Homicide Detective.
"That led me to the body posed to look like one in a book Richard Castle wrote. I was going to interview him the next day. But I woke up here instead."
"I'm both glad and sad you were," Rick told her. Kate leaned across and gave him a quick kiss. He was so kind to have said that.
"I'm ready to get started again." Kate got to her feet and waited for him to join her.
Several hours later, they stopped for the night and pitched the tent off to one side, almost hidden from view. They made love to each other that night.
~oo0oo~
The next day they ran across a caravan headed in the opposite direction. They talked for a time. Rick advised them of the Hill Giants they came up against, and the head of the caravan told them of the Orcs they encountered.
"Orcs, is that bad?" Kate asked, looking at Rick.
"That depends on how many of them there are. The more there are, the more dangerous they can be," Rick said. "Think Gnolls and how easy they were to kill. Just two arrows took them down. However, there might be a Wizard or a Shaman. A spellcaster. Those can be dangerous."
"That's just great," Kate declared, not liking the sound of it. "I'm not sure your realm is all that safe."
"You're a Homicide Detective; just how safe is your realm?" Rick countered.
"Point taken," Kate conceded. "I guess we'll have to keep our eyes open."
He nodded. "Yes, very much so."
~oo0oo~
They set up the tent just before sunset. Kate had to tell him that it was her woman's time; her period had started and there would be no sex for about a week.
"You have what you need, yes?" Rick questioned her, wanting to be sure she had everything.
Kate's face got a little pinker. "Yes, I got it in Bryn Shander. That's what I borrowed the five silver pieces for."
"So that's what that was for." Rick looked relieved. "Well, I'm glad you found something."
"It just means no sex for a while," Kate said, watching him.
"I'll live. I hope." He had gotten used to making love to her. Doing without was going to be a big test for him. Kate kissed him and accepted one of the trail rations to eat.
That didn't mean they didn't sleep together because they did.
In the morning, they went outside to do their business. Kate took some of Rick's wipes with her, wishing she had a toilet, but this place, this world, didn't have any. At best, they had an outhouse. Even in a city, they didn't have running water, let alone a toilet.
"I need to teach you the benefits of running water," Kate said while dressing.
"Running water?" Rick understood the concept, but the practical implications were enormous.
~oo0oo~
They stopped for lunch which was another bar of trail rations. Kate looked around. "So, exactly where are these Orcs?"
"They could be anywhere," Rick replied. He needed to talk to his friend so he walked over to where Bear was resting. "I want you to guard Kate for me."
Bear snorted.
"Yes, she has a sword, but she's unskilled in its use. I need you to protect her. Please, Bear," Rick asked.
Bear gave Rick a soft roar.
"You have my deepest thanks, buddy. I knew I could count on you." Rick petted him and kissed his fur.
Rick was walking, carrying his bow at the ready. He just needed to pull out some arrows and fire them. When suddenly, there was a lot of yelling. "ORCS!" Rick shouted and drew a couple of his arrows.
There were six Orcs on the right and another six on the left. Rick chose to shoot right. He dropped the first Orc, quickly pulled out two more arrows, and fired them. Rick did that two more times and had a choice to make. Either he risked two more for the last Orc, or he dropped his bow and drew his sword. He chose to pull out two arrows and fired nearly point-blank.
Kate froze for a moment and then drew her sword. Except she found she didn't have to. Bear got in front of her and swung his two paws, gutting those two and nearly biting the third in two.
He swung again and killed two more, followed by biting the third.
Rick saw eight more to the front. They were followed by two more in the rear. He chose the two in the back to shoot. Rick fired over the heads of the eight. He quickly fired again and hit both of them. They dropped, but it was only a minute before they got back up. The eight were nearly on top of them, but Rick fired at those two again. This time they dropped and they stayed down.
Bear moved to intercept the eight. He got hit but shrugged it off. He swung twice and bit the third.
Kate moved in, swung her sword, and missed everything. Fortunately for her, Rick was there with his sword, killing him with one swing.
Together Bear and Rick made quick work of the remaining four, though they both got hit.
Rick ran his hands over Kate, checking her for any injuries. "You're well? Not hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine, Rick. Really. Bear intercepted them for me."
Rick sighed in relief and thanked the gods as he kissed her.
He turned his focus on Bear. "Here you go, my friend." Rick got out a Cure Moderate Wounds and poured it down Bear's throat. He did the same for himself.
Then he moved to the two lying on the ground. He was betting they were the leaders. He realized both of them were still alive but unconscious. He debated whether he should slit their throats, but Kate joined him, and he decided not to.
He took out a wand and ran it across them. "This one has a magical staff. It's a Staff of the Woodlands, but only has three charges left in it." He picked it up and handed it to Kate.
"As for this one, he has a magical belt. It's a Monk's belt." He took it off him and handed it to Kate for now. "He also has a potion of Speed." Rick took that as well and put it in his backpack.
"We need to put as much distance between us as possible. Let's go." Rick strode off, forcing Kate to hurry to catch up. Bear stuck with Kate like glue. His buddy asked him to protect her, so that was what he would do.
Kate walked for a while, using that staff like a walking stick. "It was an ambush," Kate declared now that she had thought about it.
"Very good, Kate!" Rick was proud of her. "Except they didn't time it perfectly. Those eight should have attacked at the same time. Because they didn't, it gave me time to attack the two leaders."
"You didn't kill those two." Kate noticed that.
"No, I didn't." Rick thought he should have, but he didn't because Kate was there.
Kate kissed his cheek for that. She was proud of him. Those two didn't deserve to die, not like that.
"You mentioned charges. What are charges?" Kate asked while they walked.
"Wands, Staffs, and Rods all have charges. Once a Wand's charges are used up, the Wand cannot be recharged. They hold one hundred charges at the beginning. Staffs can be recharged. They can hold twenty-five charges at the beginning. Rods can also be recharged. They hold fifty charges at the beginning. Charges are just what they sound like," Rick explained, "charges."
"I see." Kate looked at the staff she was using like a walking stick. "Your wand, how many charges does it have left?"
"Thirty-three," Rick replied.
That told her Rick had used it for a while. "What does the staff do? I assume it can cast spells."
"Very good, you're learning, Kate. Yes, the Staff can cast spells. In this case, Animal Friendship, Barkskin, Speak with Animals, Wall of Thorns, and Summon Natures Ally." Rick let her think about that.
"Barkskin. That will make my skin harder, making me harder to hit," Kate told him.
"Very good." Rick was impressed.
Her brow creased while she thought about one of the spells. "Summon Natures Ally. It sounds like it summons something, but I don't know what."
"You're correct, it does summon something. Once you summon something, it automatically shows up and attacks. Now what you summon depends on you. Very good." Rick was proud of her.
"The rest are self-explanatory, I'm thinking. You called it a Staff of Woodlands. Sounds fitting somehow." Kate looked at the staff. It had just three charges, though. "How do we get more charges?"
"For that, we need a Druid who can cast those spells," Rick said. "Only he or she can recharge it."
"A Druid. Do you mean like a Druid, Druid?" Kate just stared at him. "How do I explain a Druid in my realm?"
"A Druid is a lover of nature. More so than I am," Rick told her.
"I'm not sure that's what a Druid means to me," Kate said hesitantly. She suddenly noticed what felt like a change. "And is it warmer out?"
"Noticed that, did you?" Rick was so proud of her that he could burst. "Yes, we are approaching out of the Icewind Dale and the frozen north. It will still be cool but not freezing."
"I like it. It's cool but not cold." Kate removed her ring to feel it and decided she liked it. But she put it back on so she was warm.