The groups morale was low. They knew how close they were to death. Fetch and Frank were slain, and were only brought back due to Clovis's foresight in item acquisitions. Clovis himself had trouble moving his shoulder even with Fetch's healing. the taer that bit him messed up his shoulder really good. Ymir was lain on a stretcher. She was barely still alive , but it appeared she had several broken ribs, possibly a cracked spine. Tyris was in remarkable good shape though, even though she had a few scratches. Fetch thought her face was going to be messed up or something. He distinctly saw a taer backhanded her in the head causing her to fall. At worse she had a slight bruise on the cheek. For a second he wondered if she was holding out on the group , keeping healing magic to herself, but he dispelled the thought when he realized who he was thinking of.
I could depend on Tyris, he thought. She's loyal to the bone. Its been like half a year since she lost her old lord, and shes still searching for him. Someone like that wouldn't hold out on healing magic , especially now. Fetch knew he was seeing doubt in her because he was seeing doubt in himself . This was all his fault .
Clovis summarized the situation, "We have to get out of here, find some shelter, somewhere defensible where we can lick our wounds . Ymir's a mess , rest of us aren't much better. "
Fetch waited for an "I told you so.", but it didn't come. His eyes met with Clovis's and he knew now was not the time. They had other things to worry about.
Tyris cleared her throat, "Umm, can I say something?".
Fetch motioned her to continue. " I did some scouting around the area, and I think I can track them to their lair. "
Frank scratched his head" A) how did you track them...If I recalled , wasn't there a blizzard last night. B) even if you could track them, how do you know the trail leads to its lair, not a hunting trail. and C) Didn't some of the taer get away. Won't they be in the lair?"
Fetch looked at Frank. It was unusual for him to make so much sense. He gave a shrug , "I have my moments"
Tyris cleared her throat, " I'm a good tracker, and its not as hard as you think. Those creatures are heavy, they crush the ice as they walk. Even if the snow covers the tracks, there are signs that they traveled there. As for hunting trails, regardless if they are or not, they will converge back to the lair. "
Fetch added," If there are more taer , they will be back. Better we attack them , then they attack us. We aren't really in tip top fighting shape, but maybe we can set an ambush or something. "
The group pondered fell silent for a moment.
Ymir croaked from her make shift stretcher," Sure I'm in."
Frank said," Count me in."
Tyris nodded, "Its our only course. "
Clovis stared at the rest of them and then relented with a sigh , " Um deja vu.. Count me in."
It didn't take a ranger to know another storm was coming. From the look of the clouds, and the thunder rumbling in the distance Fetch knew it was going to be even worse then the last one. They already lost their pack horses. Frank and Fetch although both still recovering from their resurrection, were the only 2 strong enough to be able to drag the makeshift stretcher carrying Ymir. Frank lighten the load by storing Ymir's weapons in his bag, but she was still extremely heavy. Fetch asked if they could store Ymir in it, Ymir pounded her fist into Fetch's leg.
"I know how those bags work . People don't go in them..only corpses...", she managed to whisper.
Fetch was thinking a million thoughts as they raced through the tundra with their comrade. Will Ymir last that long? Getting dragged isn't helping her condition. Will they be able to even find the creatures lair in time? What if they don't have a lair, what if they nested above ground? How many are still left? Will they be able to kill them? He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He led his companions , no he led his friends here. If they die , it will be on his head.
Frank looked at his leader. "Hey cheer up, it could be worse. She could be one of those fat dwarfs or a half elf. ". Fetch tried to suppress a chuckle but couldn't.
"Still, I think if we make it out of here alive you should go on a diet Ymmiy. I heard the all cod Nordic diet is pretty good, has that omega 3 stuff , helps with the brain and thinking too. We could all use a dose of that heh.",continued Frank.
"Im going to kill...you... " , whispered Ymir.
"At least shes still conscious.", smirked Frank.
Their conversation was halted, when Tyris held up her hand. She spread her hand horizontal to the ground and slowly lowered it. The rest of them fell silent and instinctively lowered themselves to the ground. Fetch crouched and slowly made his way to Tyris.
Ahead of them was a man in black armor , lying on the ground. Beside him was a woman and 2 horses. The woman seemed to be pleading with the man, and getting annoyed. Oddly, the thing that caught Fetch's attention the most was the lead horse. It was a massive destrier. Fetch spent a lot of time handling horses in the stable, but he never saw a horse so big, and powerful looking. It was a grey stallion with light blue flecks and had a noble look about it. Its head was staring at the clouds, seemingly challenging the oncoming storm.
Black was not a common color for armor in the north, it was reserved for "black" knights. Those who turned their backs on knightly tradition, and weren't afraid to let others know. Men like those wore their armor proudly, waiting for people to challenge them. Fetch knew a few black knights that passed through the inn. They were shunned and feared, King told them they were often hunted . Fetch once asked why didn't they paint their armor grey or something else to blend in. That would make catching them harder. King answered , a lot of them don't actually want to run.
The woman upon closer observation, appeared to be an elf or a skinny half elf. She wore a simple chain shirt , a large sweeping blue cloak and high leather boots. She was tall and had very pale almost white skin . She had long loose dark hair, and her exposed skin seemed covered in tattoos. The exact pattern , Fetch couldn't make out from here. She looked out of place here in the tundra. Fetch found her odd appearance interesting.
"We have to leave now,...the storm is coming", the woman pleaded with a strong femine voice .
The man replied with a thin voice, " Its comfortable here, you know how long its been since I found a good patch of ground to lay down on."
"That's tundra! If we don't leave now, we won't be able to out run the blizzard. Even Pixietrampler wont be able to out run it.", the woman continued. The large horse snorted at the last comment, as if it was insulted by her insinuation.
The man in the armor started to babble, "Blizzards come and go, but a good patch of ground is hard to come by.", the old man continued," Whats the hurry , its not like we are in a rush are we? Wait, or we going to be late for Arnborg's wedding? I don't want to miss the wedding. They serve cake at weddings , and those tiny sausages on crackers. I like sausage, but not too much. Too much sausage makes my stomach hurt. I have to be regular you know. I hate fiber, but its a necessary evil. A necessary evil like floss. Oh how I hate thee floss. With all the time I've spent flossing in my life, I could have learned another language..or learn to play an instrument. I like music. Do you remember William, he was good with music. I miss William...Hey you , crouching on that ridge. Do you guys like music?"
The woman appeared surprised , and spun to determine which ridge. The man on the ground raised his hand and pointed his finger at Fetch's group. She drew a great sword from under her cloak and muttered what appeared to be an incantation of some sort. Her body glowed briefly as a breif outline of some magical armor glowed around her. "Who are you! are you friend or foe!" , she shouted.
Fetch got up with his hands open. "I'm Fetch and these are my friends. I have a severely injured comrade, we humbly request any assistance you can offer us. "
The woman stared at him, Fetch felt her gaze pass through him. She then turned her gaze at her comrades , one by one she stared at them. Her gaze settled on Clovis , she seemed to stare more intently on him. She put away her sword, and replied," I have some healing magic let me look . I am Brita of the Order of the Snow Lion, this is Sir Hildraxel."
Fetchs heart was seized in a panic for a second. Sir Hildraxel, was the bogey man of the northern wastes. He grew up with stories of how this legendary black knight, committed countless crimes and atrocities. His reputation started in the great war. He apparently betrayed both sides and was known to kill friend and foe indiscriminately . He slew the order of the lions champion, when they attempted to bring him to justice. He single handedly burned and looted an orphanage because he heard there was treasure there. He sacked the convent of Koryis, raped the sisters there , because he didn't like the snooty southern churches. He was the one responsible for wiping out the last tribe of ice elves from the north, because he didn't like how he curdled his cream . There was countless stories of how he would waylay travelers , usually by cunning and guile. He's sacked many castles and towns, his only companion being his impish halfling sidekick.
Fetch held his breath then slowly released it. Well this man couldn't be "the " Sir Hildraxel, for one thing, he doesn't seem like the pinnacle of cunning and guile, and his companion is an elf. He's suppose to hate elves . He's probably somebody who gets around on the real Hildraxels reputation. "I am Fetch, these are my companions Frank, Clovis, Tyris, and Ymir. " . He noticed when he pointed to Tyris she was not there, he knew she was good at hiding, but didnt realize she could vanish from plain sight.
The woman walked confidently towards them. She didn't look like a regular elf, she looked like a barmaid with pointy ears from a trashy bar, but with more tattoos. She was tall and muscular with very lusty curves. When she got closer, Fetch noticed that her tattoos were all of serpentine dragons . Fetch didn't know much about tattoos but he could appreciate the skill and design of her body art. He wondered how many tattoos she had.
" Hi , I'm Frank, how you doin ?",frank tried to be smooth but she ignored his greeting and stalked past him, to examine Ymir.
" I can alleviate her pain, but her injuries are beyond my skill. She needs shelter and a cleric. As you've noticed a storm is coming this way . She won't survive in the open.", Brita said solemnly she noticed the makeshift sling she was being transported on." We can offer you aid with our horses, but sadly I know of no clerics or shelter nearby."
Clovis spoke, " Thank you. We have a cleric, "he pointed to Fetch, " but we were involved a fierce fight recently and he has no magic at the moment. We have no shelter either, but our tracker thinks there is a taer lair nearby."
Brita considered his words, and seem to eye him warily, " We will go with you, there are indeed taer in the area, they can be dangerous. Especially the big ones. Unfortunately my "companion" is being difficult right now, he won't move. Hes in one his moods."
Sir "Hildraxel", face was old and parched, and his thin white hair almost gone. He still had the look of a seasoned warrior though, he looked like he belong on the battlefield not an old age home. He wore battered black ornate armor , Fetch could tell it was of the highest quality and craftsmanship It was adorned with numerous heraldic symbols. He had a traditional broadsword at his side, and he layed a simple black shield to his side. The shield looked unremarkable besides its quality and craftsmanship, but Fetch though he heard a muffled voice from the sheathed sword. On his belt he had what appeared to be a perfectly preserved woman's hand. For a second Fetch thought it twitched, but assumed that it was a trick of the light.
The old man continued to babble, " I m not being difficult, I'm just resting. I'm a busy man. ", he raised his hand with several ribbons tied to it, " Let me see...this ribbon says slay the god of war and save the world, this one says..eat more fiber..now thats wisdom you cant ignore...this one says find Williams corpse and raise it...hmm did William die? Or maybe its another William. I knew a William once , he was a bard . He was a great companion. Made great sausages for breakfast , only Arnborg made better sausage. He's gonna make a happy woman a great husband one day. I wonder if he ever got married."
Brita, threw up her hands, " as you can see, hes being stubborn and uncooperative."
She lowered her head to his ear, " I know you can hear me. WE HAVE TO GO... NOW"
Fetch shuffled towards the old man and try to move him, he was heavier then Ymir and didn't budge.
"Don't bother, if he doesn't want to move , hes not moving. You will need a giant to move him right now.", sighed the tattooed woman.
Clovis waved everyone away, and invoked an infusion. He motioned his hand rapidly. Snow and ice was moved but the old man remained motionless.
"I've tried that" said the woman, she waved her hand as well, and more ice and snow was levitated to prove a point.
Tyris reappeared, and she grabbed a leg. Fetch grabbed another leg, but the old man just squirmed and dug his shoulders into the ground. They both try to pull him, After about a minute, they think he might have moved 2 inches.
Fetch grew angry, "this is ridiculous, a storm is coming and my friend is dieing. Move you old man!"
The man grew calm and serene ," everyone dies, dear boy. This might be as good as time as any, especially for someone like me."
"Nobody is dieing , not today , not if I can help it! Move you selfish old man!", Fetch said with another tug.
"I'm perfectly comfortable right here, I can see the clouds, look that one looks like a fish , and that one looks like a sausage ...hmm they sure are moving rapidly today. maybe a storm is coming ", pouted the old man.
Fetch stopped and considered kicking the old man , but instead took a few second to calm down. He turned to the distressed woman ," I'm sorry, he doesn't want to move. We can't budge him, you are welcome to come with us to the Taers lair. The storm is almost upon us, we dont have much time we must move. ", he nodded towards Ymir.
She shook her head eyes downcast , " I can't leave him, hes..hes... my father. " The words came painfully to her throat. " You can take my horse Star for now to move your friend, shes not as sturdy as Pixietrampler here, but the stubborn beast won't leave his master side. He's dumb ,stubborn , foolish ,stupid, and he doesn't know when to give up on lost causes.", her voice grew weak .
Fetch appreciated her generosity, he thought it was senseless for her to die in the tundra , but he appreciated her loyalty , he wondered if he could die with his friends if a similar situation arose . Or would logic win out and save himself. He admired her courage for making the decision, even if he might not have made the same choice in her place. He accepted the reins of Star and led her to Ymir.
" YOOHOO crazy old man...look what I got!", Frank started to fish through his bag, " LOOK ! its sausage ! Yummy sausage! " He brought out several links of sausage. He held one a foot above the old mans head.
"Gimmie!", the old mans head snapped up but Frank drew it away. "Nuh uh...no sausage till we make camp. That's the rule right guys?", he gave a wink to the rest of the group.
"Gimmie! ",the old man scrambled to his feet.
"Sausage, sausage , sausage . I don't know about you guys, but I cant wait till we make it to camp. I'm so hungry! Sausage ! sausage!", Frank said as he led the old man to his horse.
Tyris continued to lead them, with the 2 new travelers behind them. Frank walked past Fetch with a wink. "Don't doubt the power of sausage my friend."
There were a few more taer left in the cave. Tyris scouted it and told them there were 3 chambers in it. About 2 dozen "small" ones Another large one. and several pet wolves. Fetch wasn't sure if they were capable of dispatching them in their weakened condition. From their short time together he surmised Brita was a paladin who dabbled in the sorcererous arts. Or more likely a a sorcerer that started her career as a paladin. He asked if she could do the fireball thing , but she shook her head. He wasn't sure what she was capable of , but she seemed handy with the sword, so he was gonna place her with Frank . He drew a brief map in the snow.
"Ok , this is going to be a tough fight guys, like last night, but we have the advantage of surprise this time. Frank Brita and myself will meet them, at the caves mouth. Clovis and Tyris will cover us with missile and spell fire. We will scatter caltrops and other obstacles near the front to plug them up. ", Fetch explained.
"Don't let them break our ranks, they outnumber us , and we cant let them break our ranks and press their superior numbers on us. Frank will center us, we keep his flanks covered ", continued Fetch.
"We haven't fought together before Brita, but I can do some healing. We beat them before we can beat them again. You have to trust me and keep fighting no matter what. I'll keep you healed and won't abandon you. We don't abandon our comrades here.", he met her deep blue eyes, and they understood each other.
She was impressed with his leadership and confidence, but broke the seriousness with a smile. "I don't think your plan will work."
Fetch was a bit deflated, he thought Brita and himself came to an understanding. They don't have much time to argue. " What do you mean, its a good plan"
Brita with a smile pointed towards the cave with her sword.
Sir Hildraxel waved at them with one hand, the other hand he was flicking the blood and gore off his blade, "Its all clear, can we have that sausage now!"
The storm roared, howled , and battered the tundra. Fetch was glad there were 3 chambers. The first chamber wasn't much protection against the wind and cold, but the second and third proved more "cozy". They moved what they could of the taer bodies to the first chamber, to provide a bit of a wind break, and it seemed to work.
Sir Hildraxel stood watch, in the first chamber, he was happy to munch on his sausage. The cold and wind didnt seem to affect him. He just stood there against the wind and cold, standing over the corpses of the dead taer holding his half eaten sausage . Fetch thought he cut a pretty heroic image right now, much different then a few hours ago. I can understand why great heroes have bards. It would be nice to preserve this moment. Minus the sausage , Fetch corrected himself. Despite all the effort Hildraxel made to get his sausage, he was only half way through eating his first. It didn't seem to matter though, he really seemed to enjoy it.
Fetch was still in shock and awe, at the martial prowess of the man. He looked like he was 100 years old, but he could still move in his armor and wield a heavy broadsword. More impressively was how he slew all the taer. At first he wondered if he used magic to slay them, but the wounds on the taers showed they were dispatched by blade. Most were dispatched with a single blow. He was disappointed he never saw the man in action, he might have picked up some pointers, but in the end he would probably just be embarrassed.
Fetch felt a tug on his arm , he looked and was surprised to see Tyris next to him. Her hair was down and she motioned for him to return to the inner cave. Despite being a bard, Fetch liked her more when she was silent. Her singing was awful, and her speech habits were annoying...but when shes silent, it just felt right. He began to say something to her , but she yanked his arm again and led him back into the cave.
Tyris brought him to Frank and Ymir. Ymir was awake again, she looked better, but was still weak. "Guys , I'm sorry to have gotten you two killed. ", she raised her hand to stop their protest," I tried to do everything myself, I should have bought more into the teamwork thing instead of showboating. Thanks for getting me out, I owe you two.", she continued apologetically.
"Its fine Ymimmy. We all made mistakes there. We all could make adjustments to our tactics. ", said Fetch appreciating Ymirs honestly.
"Is this your way of saying, "there's gonna be some dwarf sex involved."?, Cuz I'll tell you right now, I'm not into midgets. However, when you do that giant dwarf thing, that's a real turn on. Always wanted to make out with a woman taller then me. ", chirped Frank.
Ymir smiled and punched his face with unexpected force." I'm a noble I dont sleep with commoners."
Frank rubbed his jaw and pointed across the room , " oww...hey how about Clovis...hes a noble. "
"I don't do bookworms either.", smiled Ymir then yawned.
"Ok, that's enough , let our dwarf princess rest.", Tyris said as she shooed Fetch and Frank away.
Clovis was examining the taer's treasure. He seemed pretty excited at the haul. The Taer did not value wealth, but they dragged their victim to this lair, and the treasure of over a hundred victims were left here. It was too difficult to dig out all the coins admist the bones and the filth, but it was easy to dig out the few magic items they had here.
Fetch said they would divide the treasure with Brita and her father, Brita didn't care, and no one seemed to object to this idea. Fetch expected some opposition, but at the time, survival was more important.
"Thanks for the help there.", said Fetch to Brita."We wouldn't have made it without you guys."
She smiled and nodded."I have to thank you too. That's the first time I admitted to strangers that... hes my... father. ", her voice stumbled but she completed the sentence.
"Oh?...he doesn't seem that bad, a bit daft, but a lot of old people are like that.", pressed Fetch.
"You know who he is right? Hes "The " Sir Hildraxel, the terror of the north. He's not a nice man. He killed my mother and raped her corpse, but she lived and had me. ", she paused taking a deep breath," but everyone deserves a chance at redemption. I thought I was going to kill him, but I couldn't ..not when hes like that. His mind is broken the villain died along time ago . It would mean nothing if he died like that. I started to follow him on his wanderings...and...", she stopped.
"I'm not sure why I just told you all that , I guess I needed an outlet. ", she said staring at the cave. Her father silhouetted the entry.
"I think I understand, I'm an orphan, I always wondered what my father was like. I don't think I could kill him , even if I found out he was a villain. I would have wanted to know him." Fetch responded. Their eyes locked again, and for a moment time froze. They stood there in silence for a long time. She then came closer to him and he kissed her. 2 Lonely souls in a cave in the middle of a blizzard. He thought her lips tasted oddly minty. They retreated to the last cavern, Fetch explored her body memorizing and counting every tattoo .
The next day , Fetch intoned his healing prayers. Ymir was still weakened but she could move and stretch. The taers treasure was divided between the two groups. They were mostly minor items, but Clovis pointed out a powerful horn and a sword. The group chose the sword, and unanimously gave it to Frank.
They exchanged maps of the surrounding area, and they parted ways. Brita and her father heading south towards Mammoth Keep, Fetch and gang heading north to the Scar.
Brita and Fetch , agreed the previous night to keep their rendezvous a secret between them selves. Brita gave Fetch the horn, as a parting gift. Fetch had a feeling he would never see her again.
The group departed. An awkward silence between them all. Fetch could feel them stare at his back. He wondered if he just betrayed Tyris, or if she even cared.
After a mile, Frank patted Fetch on the back." Good job back there leader. I knew you were a team player, how did you get that horn from her? Did you whore yourself out or something? "