Chapter 3 Kosh's Luck

Renimil

The group is already a few hours in the Kodar mountains. The air is thinner and much cooler. The wind picks up and Renimil is regretting not bringing a thicker cloak. He had bought a new scroll and started training on it last night before going to sleep. Every time he thought about coming face to face with the murderer of his clan, it caused his blood to boil. He is scared sure but he couldn't think about that.

Fear is in the mind and he spent too long desiring to kill the lich bastard. He is walking behind Eris and decides to focus on her instead. Her shapely bottom is a good distraction. Her hair is curly and went just past her ears. She has it tucked behind her ears and Renimil could see that the tips of her ears were red from the cool air. From back here, he can look at her all he wants with no one the wiser. Not that she would have ever known anyways. She seems to have eyes only for the Orc. Not sure what she saw in the impossible scenario. He looks like he could break her in one thrust. Renimil shakes his head. She is pretty but too innocent. He likes a woman that knows her way around.

Renimil eyes his surroundings. The view is magnificent. Behind him, he can see the clearing where the cyclops still lay. Scavengers already starting to feast upon its corpse. Things are so small from up here. The world seems bigger, brighter.

"Just over this next break should be a little mountain village. Heg Town, I think it is called. We should stop and buy warmer clothing." Kosh suggests.

Eris shivers. "That would be nice."

Kosh

They approach a tiny village with 3 - 4 shops, a tavern, a farm, and a few houses for the residents. The tavern is the first thing they run into and takes up most of the right side of the village. The Dwarven towns-people are dressed in yak-fur.

Entering the tavern, Kosh walks up to the barman as the rest of the group sits down.

"What can I get you?'" the barman asks gruffly. He is a burly dwarf. His brown hair and beard are shorter than most. He has tattoos going up one side of his arms, dwarvish in design.

"My group and I are looking for a place to stay, food and perhaps some information," Kosh asks flippantly.

"I can help with the first two." The dwarf scratches his beard. "10 gold pieces. I only have one room. But it has two beds. Tomorrow you and your friends can leave. We're not big on visitors." With that, the barman slides him a menu and walks away to help other patrons.

Kosh sighs and walks back to the group.

Kosh relays all that the barman said. "We need information and gear if we want to make it across the mountain without dying of frostbite," Kith says impatiently.

Kosh scans the customers in the bar. He notices a group of 3 male dwarves playing cards. Kosh smiles and Renimil follows his eyes to see what he is looking at.

Kosh walks over to the table. "Hello, fellows. How much to join?"

"20 pieces down." The man who spoke is the oldest looking of the group. His bread is gray and the most top part of his head has no hair.

"Hmm," Kosh says. He reaches into his pockets and pulls out his money pouch. He only had 100 pieces and still needs it to buy gear and pay his share for the room.

"A game of chance. Dice war. Best roll out of three." A younger dwarf chimes in. "Once you beat me, you go to Old man Mogar and put down an additional 25 pieces."

Damn, another 25 pieces, he couldn't lose 50 pieces, Kosh thinks. "No problem" he responds with a fake smile. "But if I win you give me your money and information."

The group whispers amongst themselves and the old man turns and nods.

Kosh rolls. "16"

"Not bad" Mogar compliments.

The young one rolls the dice a bit in his hands. Kosh eyes his hand intently. There wouldn't be any cheating going past him. "7," the young one says between clenched teeth.

Shit! "4," Kosh says evenly. Not letting them see him sweat.

"17", the younger man says with a smirk. "Next one wins."

"13" Kosh keeps a straight face as if the 50 pieces are not going to suck losing.

The color on the dwarf's face leaves him as the dice lands. "4" he manages to croak out.

The younger man gets up, throws his money down, and walks out mumbling obscenities about gnomes.

"Sore loser, I take it?" Kosh comments, smirking at the old dwarf who is now sitting in front of him.

Mogar ignores him and throws his dice. "8. Seems like you have good luck Little One."

Kosh knew he was calling him that to get a rise out of him but what he didn't know was that as a slave in his younger years he was called much worse. Kosh's roll lands on 6. "Not that good apparently." Most of these games, Kosh learned from watching his slavers play. Once, the slavers saw him watching and decided to let him play. The stakes were higher. Beatings if he lost. Extra food at dinner that night, if he had won. They forced him to play and it didn't take long to realize that they switched out the dice when he played. He lost every time. They soon got bored beating him, he guessed. After that, they moved on and messed with someone else.

"6," Mogar says and lets out a puff of air.

Yes! The dice rolls to a 7.

The old dwarf hands him his money. "2 questions."

"Orcs have been seen more and more on the flatlands.

Have you seen a rise in Orc activity around here?"

The crowd that was watching their game started to disperse at the mention of orcs.

"We see the same number of orcs as usual."

Lie. Kosh nodded. "We are looking to earn some extra money to spend on gear and provisions. Any ways to earn that around here? I know you don't like visitors. But if we can help..." Kosh's words trail off.

The old man stands up. "There is an old cave further north of the village. No one can mine there anymore. Dwarves go in and never come out. Kill it, whatever it is and we will compensate you."

"With Gold or the equivalent." Kosh clarifies.

Mogar smiles, dips his head, and leaves.

Renimil

The group ate and went to their room. It is small, fitting a tiny, round standing firepit in the corner and two dwarf-sized beds. Renimil chuckles and looks at Kith. "Flip you for it"Kith rolls his eyes and lays out his sleeping bag on the floor. "Man, do you hate everyone?" Renimil asks.

Giving the elf his back, he replies. "Just magic users. Especially ones like you."

"Handsome, charming, powerful?"

Kith makes a gagging sound.

Kosh chuckles and lays down on the bed just below a round window. Eris takes the other bed.

Renimil looks at Eris. No doubt her feelings are hurt by Kith's comment. He didn't blame Kith his opinion. Powerful magic users forced his people out of their homelands and they were never the same. Renimil shrugs and lays out his sleeping bag. He sits down on it and takes out his Blindness scroll. It is a higher level and is taking longer to learn because of it. Light sputters from his hands and then fizzles out after a few seconds.

Looking out the corner of his eye, he can see Eris staring at him. Quickly, she turns over. Damn sorcs. They have it easy. This shit was in their blood. His clan had mostly been made up of rangers. None were really heavy magic users. He would have been the first. Would he have been, if things had been different. Renimil decided long ago that beating the Tyrant at his own magic was Ren's way of avenging his family. It truly didn't matter how he killed him. He just wanted… to sleep. Though, being honest with himself, he knew killing his nemesis wouldn't stop the nightmares. He would re-live them over and over. Renimil practices for another half hour before getting exhausted. He manages to hold blinding energy for 30 seconds. It isn't long before Ren drifts into the sleepy darkness of his ever-going nightmares.