Chapter 4: Strange Encounters Day: 3
It was late afternoon and they were thinking of finding a place to stop for the night when they heard voices from up ahead.
"What should we do Jeral?"
"Well it could be nothing Im, let us just keep walking and be ready for anything."
Displaying a calm he did not feel Jeral tried to affect a casual attitude as they walked towards the voices on the road ahead.
"…and so Monty that is how one can use a human skull as a soup bowl. The human body can be so wondrously useful, if only you use all of it."
"Remind me never to let you to the cooking, wizard."
"Oh Monty, don't be dense, I am a wonderful cook. Why my leg of pilgrim is simply to die for." With that the speaker broke out into a series of near hysterical cackles and giggles.
Jeral and Imoen both stopped in their tracks. They could not help and stare at the bizarre picture in front of them. There was a Halfling, barely three feet tall, armored in studded leather armor and carrying a serrated short sword. He had none of the friendly features normally associated with his kind and his face carried a scowl on its heavily scarred surface. As Jeral moved his eyes up to the taller individual he realized with a start that the small one was the normal and less threatening looking of the two. The other man was clearly human, a mage of some sort, and also assuredly insane. He was half a head taller than Jeral, rail thin and covered in tattoos with an unruly mop of wavy red hair atop his head. His eyes bulged in their sockets and seemed to move quite independently of one another. Jeral took in the scalps on the man's belt and his bone dagger and muttered, "Necromancer, evil magic," under his breath.
The two finally noticed Jeral and Imoen.
Look Monty, fellow travelers on this fair road." "A pair of children wandering the wilderness. Surely you must be none too bright to be wandering these roads."
"Ha. They look like a couple of lost little lambs to me."
"Hail travelers, I am Xzar and this is my trusty steed Montaron."
"I not be your steed you brain dead ninny."
"Shush Monty. As I was saying, may we be of any assistance to fellow travelers? You look like you have come into some trouble."
Jeral realized that he looked like death. His armor was torn at the shoulder showing a bloody wound from a few days earlier and the front of his torso was covered in Gibberling blood.
"Thank you but we are more than capable of managing on our own."
The Halfling snorted in disgust and Xzar just giggled.
Jeral started to slowly walk towards the two with his hands at his side and a neutral expression on his face. Imoen hung back a few paces clearly unsettled by the two strangers.
Jeral walked up to the two.
"Are you sure we cannot be assistance?"
"Thank you for the offer but we are able to manage on our own."
Xzar walked right up to Jeral. He leaned down and sniffed Jeral. The then licked the side of his face. It took all of his willpower not to deck the skinny wizard. If he lashed out it would certainly result in a fight, a fight he suspected that he and Imoen would lose.
"MMMMMMMM, fresh Gibberling blood. Very distinctive and quite tasty. Thank you for sharing, very kind."
Slowly edging around the wizard Jeral wished the two travelers well and slowly started backing away from them. Imoen followed right behind him. The two parties watched each other in silence until Jeral and Imoen were out of sight.
"EWWWWWWW, how did you stand that?"
"It wasn't easy, those two really creeped me out but I thought that was a fight we could not win."
"Me too."
I think we had best put some distance between us and them just in case.
"Agreed, I would walk all night to keep away from them."
The two kept up a brisk pace well into the night.