NB: 21 Chapters now. Thank you for sticking around. Anyone keen to leave some comment and how do you think I am going?
Lost in Realm
21
By now, the trail ahead of them was clear. Fog had dispersed some time ago. They were able to see the sea on their left and the inclining hills on their right. Snow partially covered the road surface. Wind started to pick up, but not to the degree of howling. Before them, up in the air, were half a dozen large birds circling in the sky. Bastian was looking at them with great concern. Narrowing her eyes, Nhilva also took a closer look at the birds. Then she saw there were people on their backs.
"There are people on those birds," she observed. "What are they...locals? Are there even locals hereabouts?"
"These aren't friendly local-yokels," Greg spat, drawing out weapons. "These are Black Raven Tribe folks!"
So they were.
The Black Raven Tribe was the most legendary robbers in this area. They were considered the most traditional and hostile of tribes that resided around this region. They usually rode giant ravens to carry out aerial raids. Merchants Guild, Arcane Brotherhood, and Luskan and Icewind Dale had sent troops to eliminate them, without success. They were one of the many reasons travelers preferred to go to Icewind Dale via the sea route. Nhilva hazarded part of the reason the Merchant Guild put an insurance on this job was because of those nasty buggars.
"Gears at the ready!" Bastian shouted at the front. They were approaching the birds and the people riding them. Any minute now, the robbers would launch their attack. The paladin had drawn his long sword; both Greg and Boyle took their scimitars out of their sheaths. Nhilva heard soft crackling not very far from her. Now she knew exactly what Viessa was, aside from the female's day job.
Eyeing what was in the air, the drow searched in her brain what she was capable of doing. The amount of cantrip and actual spells she was able to perform was limited. Fire bolt was pretty decent, but it worked only on one target. Could she manage casting a missile spell? She could not remember. But that was another useful spell. She might have to try, should the situation arise. Which she believed will be sooner than she expected. Whatever spell she decided to use, it seemed she will have to make do. Because the next thing she knew, the giant ravens took a steep dive and started charging at the party.
"Here they come!" Boyle yelled.
One of the tribal folks flew near and dropped somewhere near them. The mystery item hit the ground and exploded. It was a bomb. The explosion wasn't intense, but enough to cause some damage of those in the immediate area. The two half-orcs jumped away in time, so their scraps weren't as catastrophic. Viessa did not move, but the shimmer on her indicated there was some kind of mage armor spell in place. Bastian also swung his sword in a way to bounce off the blast, so at the end, she was the one who received the most damage. Even though she was furthest away from where the bomb hit.
The light blinded her temporally. Being a creature who grew up in the Underdark, she was already having some difficulties adjusting the daylight. It was why she was usually out and about at night, and under the hood if she must head out during the day. This sudden, intense flare was too much for her. She staggered back, seeing nothing but flashes before her. Her feet stumbled and she fell onto the ground. Overhead, she heard the raven shriek in the strong coastal wind. At this moment, she was vulnerable to any attack.
"Shite," she heard a female curse. A second later, it registered in her head it was Viessa. Footsteps rushed to her direction. Next thing she was aware was a sensation of someone cracking an egg over her head. Then everything around her sounded a little muffled. It was like she was now under a lid.
"Sanctuary?" The drow identified the spell. "You are a cleric?"
"I dabble," Viessa muttered. "And you...you are more useless than I thought. Here I thought drows were supposed to be clever!"
"Sorry to disappoint you," Nhilva mocked in sarcasm. "I've been trying to tell Bastian over there but he really wanted me to tag along."
"Well, bloody hells, stay here and don't do anything foolish." The sorceress-cleric had the last word and resumed fighting off the Black Raven Tribe robbers.