The Longest Road, Part 10

In that split-second of decision, you choose to trust Khaytala's abilities.

"Khaytala!" you shout. The heroine turns to look back at you, puzzled by the urgency in your voice. You point your finger out toward the hidden enemy. "Sniper!"

She whirls in the direction you indicate. Then her eyes narrow as she sees the danger for herself, and she responds immediately. "Everyone get behind the nearest wagon, now!" she barks, shoving the people closest to her in the right direction to get them moving. "Any guard with a bow, start putting some pressure on the bastard!"

The merchants start to let out panicked cries as they run for safety. Khaytala, in contrast, stands there in the open, glaring up at the sniper, making herself a target in an attempt to draw fire away from the non-combatants. She tenses, readying herself to dodge the attack when it comes.

You smile; the sniper took up a faraway position in order to get a sneak attack... but now that their game has been revealed it will work against them. At such a long distance it will take at least half a second for a bolt from even a high-powered crossbow to cover it, which should be more than enough time for Khaytala to react.

And it seems that the cowled sniper agrees. Because instead of shooting at Khaytala directly, they shift their aim to one of the fleeing merchants not too far from her and fire.

The bolt slashes through the air, straight for the defenseless man. But Khaytala is already moving, flinging herself forward in a desperate, headlong lunge with one arm outstretched. She barely manages to get that limb between the projectile and its target, the bolt sinking into her armored forearm. She lands in a roll that brings her back up to one knee, still glaring out at the enemy.

By now most of the other guards have reached cover and many are pulling out bows of their own. Several arrows fly out in response, arcing toward the hilltop and raining down on the earth close to the prone figure. Under such conditions the sniper doesn't even attempt the lengthy process of reloading the heavy crossbow. Rather, they roll out of sight behind the hill, slinging the weapon across their back as they go. Not long after, they gallop away on a horse that had been hidden just behind the rise.

You, meanwhile, are running over to Khaytala, who is still on one knee. "Are you alright?" you ask, looking at the arrow impaling her arm.

The half-orc woman nods. "The wound isn't as bad as it looks," she says. "Crossbows lose a fair bit of their stopping power when fired over that kind of distance, and thanks to you it didn't hit anything vital." Then she winces. "Unfortunately... if they were smart... they probably weren't counting on that alone to do the trick."

Even as she speaks, you notice that her breathing is noticeably shallower than before, and she wobbles as she kneels there. Then she doubles over in a wracking cough, and when she pulls her hand away you can see blood on her palm. "Damn," she mutters, her eyes losing focus a little. "Rootfang toxin. Whoever that bastard is, they didn't spare any expense. This... isn't going to be fun."

Khaytala yanks the bolt out of her arm, removing the source of the poison from her body. You help her over to one of the merchant carts, propping her up against it while you put pressure on the wound. The men are beginning to poke their heads out of cover, and you pick one at random. "Does this caravan carry any medical supplies?" you ask urgently. "Any anti-toxins or healing draughts?"

"W-we have bandages," the merchant stammers. "And a small stockpile of water blessed by the priestesses of Havti with some minor purifying and restorative properties."

"Good. Get them!" you say, with enough authority that the man actually jumps a little, then scurries off to obey.

You turn back to Khaytala, who looks up at you with a small, lopsided smile even as she struggles to breathe. "Thanks..." she says. "And... don't worry. Not the first time... I've dealt with this shit. Actually have a bit of resistance now. If this was enough to kill me... I wouldn't have lasted so long."

From the incredulous looks that statement gets from the bystanders, you're pretty sure that for most ordinary mortals, this Rootfang poison would be an absolute death sentence, whereas she's treating it like a moderate inconvenience. You continue to treat her wound as best you can until the man you sent away returns with some long strips of cloth and a few small, clear vials.

You wash the poisoned wound with the purifying water from one of the vials before binding it with the bandages. Then you have Khaytala drink another one of the vials. You're not sure exactly how effective they'll be—or whether they're actually necessary—but at the very least, the divine blessing should help her recover faster.

You make very sure not to touch any of the holy water directly, though.

While you're treating Khaytala, you hear murmured voices starting to wonder about the source of the attack. The general consensus seems to be bandits, aiming to take out their strongest defender, probably in preparation for a larger attack later on. As speculation piles atop speculation, the merchants grow more nervous with each passing minute.

Arne Rothach soon arrives, but though the caravan master tries to reassure his people, his efforts don't go over well. From time to time he glares over at you and Khaytala, as though the two of you were somehow to blame for all this.

Leaving him to sort it out for the moment, you help Khaytala into one of the wagons, so she can rest even when the caravan continues forward. Whatever that attack was, you can't afford to stay here as sitting ducks for long. You hear that there's a village that you'll reach in the next week or so, Eckenburg, which may provide a bit more shelter and a chance for the caravan to plan their next move.

Eventually, the caravan does start moving again. You sit in the wagon with Khaytala as it trundles along, pulled by the harnessed horses. Despite her insistence that she can manage, you convince her to rest and let you take care of her, arguing that it will help her recover even faster.

She accepts your persuasion with rueful good grace, allowing you to nurse her, keeping her well fed and hydrated. It's the first time you've done this for a mortal, but... it's surprisingly intimate. Not even in the sexual sense; just the reliance and the simplicity of exchanged touch as you hold her. As you feed and tend her. As you care for her. It's... a new feeling.

The caravan continues to wind its way slowly onward. The day after the attack, you notice that Khaytala seems lost in thought as she lays on her cot on the wagon floor. "Hey, Talavar," she eventually says, her tone one of musing. "Do you really think that sniper was working for one of the bandit gangs?"

You think back to what you can remember of that tiny, distant figure, with its dark hood and red scarf obscuring its features. "You think there was something else behind the attack?"

"Mmmm. Not sure." Khaytala frowns. "Something just... doesn't feel right. It's not how bandits normally operate. They don't usually make an isolated strike like that, alerting the prey before they're ready to make their big move. I'm not sure, but... I wonder if that assassination might have been aimed at me... and me alone."

"Do you have any enemies that hate you enough to murder you in cold blood?" you ask. "Or pay to have you assassinated?"

"Well..." Khaytala says. "I know there's at least one enemy who fits that description for sure: the Witch Queen of Kovora."

You cough. "Really. What makes you think she wants you dead?"

"Well, not just me," Khaytala explains. "You see... a while back I threw in with a bunch of other women. Promised I'd fight alongside them, when the time came to finally take the fight to Kovora for once. Our pact is a threat to her... so if one of her servants ever did manage to get within striking distance of one of us, I'm sure they'd try to go for the kill. Just like that sniper did."

Then she smiles fondly up at you. "I'm just lucky you were there to watch my back. That's one thing the Witch Queen couldn't have planned for."

Well actually, you being there was the one thing about that whole situation that the Witch Queen absolutely did plan for. And your mistress is doing everything in her power to ensure that Khaytala and the other heroines don't die. Though you suppose Khaytala was quite correct to expect that Lily would send an agent against them. She's just wrong about who that agent is, and what they're trying to accomplish.

Also, even though the Witch Queen wasn't behind that sniper in the red scarf, Khaytala still might very well be right that the assassin is targeting her specifically. It's just that you have inside knowledge that the one behind it isn't the seemingly-obvious perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Khaytala sighs tiredly, staring up at the roof of the wagon. "I don't know... maybe I'm overthinking it. How does all this sound to you, Talavar? Do you think one of the Witch Queen's servants is trying to take me down?"