The Missing Children
The peaceful atmosphere of the unremarkable tavern was broken by an old woman standing up abruptly from her seat by the fireplace. "How could you be so heartless? My grandchildren are missing and you aren't going to do anything to help find them! Some governor you've turned out to be." The target of this outburst looked down into her lap taking a moment to smooth the wrinkles from the dark green suit she wore.
"Lilya, as I told you before, the children haven't been gone very long, before I waste what little resources this town has left searching for them when they will likely be home before the sun finishes setting tonight." The governor maintained a firm tone through the exchange. "Now if you will excuse me I have other matters to attend to this evening." Rising from her seat in an attempt to leave, a large gray skinned figure stepped into the conversation. In this tavern of farmers and small-town merchants this goliath's sudden interest in the argument turned more than a few heads as anyone who was merely listening with half an ear allowed their conversations to trail into silence.
"I am terribly sorry for eavesdropping, but I am afraid I couldn't help overhearing your predicament ma'am. I, well, really my friend and I may be able to help find your grandchildren." At this he gestures to a small table where Akash is sitting taking in the conversation from a distance. "See, while we may not be the most qualified, we are more than willing to help track down a few missing kids."
Another table filled with patrons who appear somewhat out of the ordinary for this small farming town also pipes in, "we can help as well! We are a little short on coin at the moment, is there a reward for successfully returning the children?"
"No, no, no, I will not let the people of this town be taken advantage of by you people." The governor snapped, an edge appearing in her even voice. "If you are going to demand money like that then I think it's best if you pay your tabs and make your way out of town in the morning." Lilya placed her hand on Governor Hawthorn's shoulder.
"Please Eliza, if they can help find my grandchildren I have the means to pay them myself. Fifty gold to each of you if you find my grandkids and bring them back unharmed. But be warned, I fear they have been taken by the witch of the woods!" More than a few of the listening tavern-goers groan and turn back to their drinks, muttering about old wives tales. "I'm telling you all she's real!" Lilya exclaimed, addressing the tavern as she took notice of the crowd's unfavorable reaction. Turning back to the goliath she continues, "They probably got snatched up by the witch in the woods on the road to Fort Thundercliffe. Their brother Jimmy enlisted and they have been missing him so dearly. I daresay that is your best place to start…" she pauses for a moment, "I'm afraid I haven't even asked your name yet, kind traveler."
"Ha, no worries, you have quite a lot on your mind at the moment, you may call me Gnoll Edge, and my companion is Akash Astra. As for that group over there." as he gestures to the other table, "I am not sure of their names either at the moment." Gnoll tilts his head as if to invite a response.
The more human at the table takes a quick glance at his compatriots before responding, "I am Charles, and these are my friends Naivara and Halimedes, although he goes by Hal." At the mention of their names a well dressed elven woman and slightly more bedraggled half-elven man give brief waves of recognition. Raising his hand to bring the attention of the conversation back to him Charles asks, "I do hate to be the one to say it, but in the event that the children are…" he pauses, as his eyes look up in thought for a moment, "are, well if their souls are no longer with us. Is there still a partial reward for bringing them back for closure?" He winces slightly as the final words leave his lips preparing for the worst as the entire tavern goes silent save for the low crackle of embers in the fireplace.
Lilya breaks the silence with a soft sob, "I know it may be reality, but please, I need them back." her voice soft, and heavy with emotion, "I can offer thirty-five gold if you can bring them back regardless…regardless of if they are still alive…" She trails off turning to Eliza, her frail form hanging onto the governor for support, both physical and otherwise.
"You have your promise of gold, now get going before you emotionally scar anymore of my people." Eliza hisses at the party.
Akash replies, "We are terribly sorry, may the stars guide you in these times." As he and the others rise to embark on their quest Akash takes one final look over his shoulder, "we will find them, I promise."
"So, where do you guys want to start looking for these kids?" Charles asks as he walks over to a sleek brown horse with a dark splotch on its hind quarters. "I think we've really only got two options, we can go directly into the forest or head the road up to the fort."
"I think the road is a good place to start and if we see any sign of them leading off into the forest we can change course." replied Halimedes. "Any objections?" The impromptu party looked at each other and merely shrugged.
"Sounds like a good place to start," said Gnoll. Charles finished untying the horse from the hitching post outside of the Golden Grain.
"This is Buck by the way." Charles mentioned, "He and I go way back. Best horse this side of the Barzul mountains." He took a couple final moments packing items away into Buck's saddlebags before taking the reins in hand. With that they strode onward to the outskirts of town, heading north for Fort Thundercliffe, and with any luck, towards the missing Greenthorn children.
The first few hours of their search proved wholly unsuccessful. The recent rain had turned the dirt road into a muddy mess, and any sign of the kids seemed to have been washed or smeared away by the traffic of horses and carts. However, as the sun was shedding its last moments of light upon the day Akash felt the slight hairs on the back of his neck perk up ever so slightly as years of wandering the mountains with Buran alerted him to a presence watching him from the woods that butted up against the road. Shifting his focus Akash scanned the shadowy forest for any further sign of this unsettling feeling. Snapping back to the road he jogged forward to catch up with Gnoll, "hey, you sense that? I have a feeling this night's star rise has shown me a new path to follow."
"I was actually just about to ask you something similar, though I caught a glimpse of something, off in the woods. Could be the witch Lilya warned us about. I'll alert the others, you just keep an eye out for the time being." Gnoll crossed the road where the others were inspecting the bordering underbrush. "Hey, I think Akash and I have a lead. Something or someone is watching us from the forest over on the other side, I can't tell if it knows what we know yet, but I think we should check it out."
"Any ideas what it could be?" asked Halimedes, his hand drifting to the handle of the scimitar belted at his waist.
"Nah, neither of us have gotten a good look at it, but it might be the witch that Lilya warned us about."
"Well, shit."Rejoining Akash on the other side all five now became aware of the presence studying them from beyond the treeline. Taking a collective breath they plunged into the forest. Moments after entering the forest an eerie voice began wafting on the breeze from deeper within. They cautiously continued deeper and deeper into the forest. The voice gradually got louder until they were able to make it out. "Turn back if you want to live, turn back!" it resounded off the tree trunks with a strange metallic echo. It seemed to jump from tree to tree, surrounding the area with its dire warning.
"Anyone got a lock on the source?" Charles shouted out, reigning Buck into a defensive stance.
"I got nothing! Could there be more than one of whatever is saying this?" Akash answered.
"Hey, up there! I think that's it!" Gnoll pointed into the upper branches of the spruce tree he was standing under. "Here, I can boost someone up." putting his back to the tree and interlocking his large hand.
"I call dibs!" Hal shouted out as he backed up and began to sprint towards Gnoll. At the last second he skipped up planting his foot into Gnoll's hands, who then lifted with a grunt propelling Halimedes up into the branches. Just as he reached the apex of his flight the slither of metal on leather as he drew his sword and in a flash struck out at a metallic sphere nestled within the needles of the pine. With a sharp clang of metal on metal the device fell from its perch and then smashed into pieces against an exposed root. As the rest of the party approached the debris with weapon's drawn wisps of arcane energy rose from the fragments as it repeated its warning for a final time. Calling down from his vantage point, Hal asked, "Did I get it?"
"Oh yeah, you definitely got it. Although…" Naivara looked over her shoulder, "I think there might be more of these, can you guys still hear it?"
"Yeah, I can still hear it, I think we have to keep going deeper, find the source of this thing." Akash answered. Continuing deeper into the forest the sense of being watched did not fade, but instead intensified as even the faint light of the stars seemed to dim as it filtered through the increasingly dense boughs overhead. Regardless of the increasing gloom they found a faded game trail that led in the direction of the second voice. After picking their way through the underbrush for ten minutes they came upon another clearing, this time with a similar spherical contraption, only this time it was levitating in the clearing, rotating and it lazily bobbed up and down on some unfelt breeze.
"You have come this far, you will come no further. Turn back, turn back."
"I just gotta know what these are guarding, seems kinda counter intuitive to announce that there is something of potential value by leaving these things out here." Naivara stated, "you would think there would be some sort of actual defense, not just these little things." she continued as she tapped the orb with the barrel of her revolver. As she tapped it the orb deviated from its repeating script.
"You have been warned…" then it went dark, falling to the ground.
"oh man, you just had to say somethi-" Charles was cut off as a massive steel bull charged from the surrounding brambles leveling its horns in an attempt to gore Buck. Quickly wheeling his steed around Charles was able to save Buck from the worst of the charge as the bull skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. Quickly recovering Charles urged Buck into a charge of his own at the Bull, expertly maneuvering to its flank he carved a long gash into its steel hide with his longsword. The ear-rending screech of steel on steel was quickly drowned out by the resounding gong of Gnoll's mace striking the opposite flank. Now surrounded, the Bull's mechanical eyes flicked between the two assailants calculating its next move. With a bang a shot rang out in the night, Naivara's muzzle trailing smoke as she fired a round at the beast.
"What the hell is this thing?" she shouted as the round pinged off of one of her target's gleaming horns.
"Maybe it's the actual defense you were talking about!" Hal shouted as he sprinted from the edge of the clearing taking up a defensive stance should the Bull break away from Charles and Gnoll. "Hey Akash, are you gonna get in this fight or what?" he yelled over his shoulder at the shaking form of Akash.
"Come on, you can do this" Akash thought as he took a deep breath and outstretched his hands, as a thin frost coated his forearms as he exhaled the frost flowed from his arms onto the head of the Bull. However, as the crystals began to form the Bull let out an exhale of its own and the steam instantly melted the frost away. "Damn, I thought that would at least do something."
Finishing its exhale a small click sounded from the Bull as strips of its neck retracted emitting a rolling green gas that quickly enveloped half of the clearing.
"Woah, woah! Watch out!" Charles coughed as he buried his face into his arm in an effort to avoid inhaling the gas. His gaze settled on Gnoll's gray form as it seemed like what little color he had began to drain out and his movements began to stiffen. "Gnoll! You gotta fight it!" Charles swung out with his longsword two more times, but between the gas, and his companions' condition neither seemed to faze the Bull to any great effect.
Gnoll's breath slowed as the gas's effect tightened its grip on him, but, just as the color drain reached his neck Gnoll's eyes sparked with a renewed determination and a shock of energy crackled from his sending him stumbling forward. He quickly shook his head, and with a mighty yell brought his mace down upon the head of the Bull caving it in. A second blow on the neck crushed whatever delivery system expelled the gas, cutting it from its source. The gas slowly dissipated, leaving the clearing quiet once again.
"Are you okay Gnoll?" Akash rushed forward, "some kind of paralysis gas?"
"Seems like it, I'm just glad I was able to break free from it before it finished laying its curse. At the same time it was an interesting experience, I will have to record the sensation for future study."
"Hey Gnoll, could you give me a hand with something really quick?" Halimedes asked, "I want to try to peel the face of this thing off and use it as a shield, but uhhh, I'm gonna need your strength."
"Sure, let's give it a shot." The two of them took up positions on opposite sides of the head. Finding cracks left by Gnoll's killing strike they gripped and lifted. The groans of their strain filled the clearing until they relented, leaving the face still firmly attached to the rest of the cold steel corpse.
Akash stood silent, hands on hips looking to the stars for guidance on the next leg of their journey as the trail they had been following seemed to terminate in this clearing. The cool night air calming him after this abrupt encounter. Just as he was about to bring his attention back to earth to search for tracks or a trail to lead them onward a bright blue ball of energy zipped across the sky.