Although there was no attack on the Monastery of Saint Vardishal as the group slept, the night didn't pass without incident. Zalerian woke up along with the other adventurers with the sound of a loud yelping howl that seemed to travel a great distance. They grabbed their weapons and rushed out of their room in case of trouble but no attack came as the guards awake looked around for danger. The adventurers made their way outside of the monastery to see the dark night sky above them. The sound of the howl came from the direction of Kelmarane, and when they glanced in that direction, they heard another loud howl that was more quiet coming from the Pale Mountain. With it becoming obvious that the howls weren't a sign of immediate danger, Zalerian and the others returned to their quarters and went into an uneasy sleep.
They woke up early the next day when a guard informed them that Almah wanted to meet with her entire party in the chapel. Zalerian was the first of his group to get dressed for the day as his clothes were easy to put on compared to the armor his friends wore. With little else to prepare, he waited outside of his group's dormitory for the others to finish their preparations. As a monk, he had little need for armor or weapons, and had an attack took place last night, he would have been one of the first ready to fight. Once the others made it out of the dormitory with their armor on and their weapons holstered, he joined them to head to the chapel.
Almah and Garavel stood in front of the altar of the chapel with the guards and mercenaries making their way to take their seats on the intact benches. The adventurers took up two benches toward the front of the chapel with Zalerian sitting in between Emra and Arguk while Belash, Melkia, and Teshak took up the second. Trax sat by Arguk's end of the bench with the gnoll running his hand over the hyena's back. Zalerian took a quick moment to look around the room, noting that while Father Zastoran and the camels were making their way into the chapel, Dashki was already present and kept to himself at the corner of the room, holding onto a staff that held the corpse of the pugwampi from Sultan's Claw as a trophy.
"I wonder what this meeting is about," Emra said quietly.
"I'm curious as well," Zalerian nodded, speaking quietly as well . "Do you think that Lady Almah will bring up the howling from last night?"
"It's likely," Emra whispered back. "I'm sure everyone wants to know what it is."
"She could also explain what the plan is regarding Kelmarane," Arguk suggested. "Now that we have the monastery to use as a base, we need to look toward the reason we came here before."
"True enough," Zalerian said with Emra nodding in agreement.
With the rest of the caravan arriving and taking their seats, Almah addressed the crowd. "Good morning, everyone. I won't take too much of your time but I want to establish what we're going to do moving forward. Kelmarane is two miles out from the monastery and we'll need to scout out how fortified the gnolls are."
"To reclaim Kelmarane, we'll need to take the battle market from the gnolls," Garavel explained matter-of-factly. "The information we've obtained before setting out suggests that the battle market is heavily fortified. Although we have a specialized team of adventurers to handle most of the fighting, Lady Almah and I believe that a direct attack on the battle market would overwhelm the group. Instead, we suggest that you employ guerilla tactics against the gnolls, striking them quickly before retreating."
"Aside from the battle market, there are still plenty of buildings that will need to be cleared out before we can launch a direct attack," Almah added. "Are there any questions so far?"
Belash raised his hand. "Should we be concerned about that noise from last night?"
Almah shook her head. "Not immediately, no. Dashki, if you would explain to everyone what you told me."
"Of course, Lady Almah," Dashki stepped up with a limp, bowing his head to her authority before beginning his explanation. "The howling was that of the Carrion King, the warlord of the gnolls in the area. He's able to communicate with the gnolls at Kelmarane from the Pale Mountain through great distances. It's likely this is the gnolls at Kelmarane reporting to the Carrion King, but even if they report an attack, it's unlikely that any reinforcements the Carrion King would send would make it on time."
"That's a relief to hear," Emra said.
"If Dashki is right, that is," Melkia added, shooting a glare toward the man.
Dashki remained silent with Almah sneaking up. "Regardless, we will proceed as planned. We'll keep a rotating shift of guards to keep an eye on Kelmarane for every hour of the day. Everyone else knows what they're to do while we wait on our strike force. If there aren't any other questions, let's get to work."
With no further questions, Almah dismissed the caravan to their respective tasks. Zalerian and the adventurers stood up, realizing that they had a great task before them. Unlike the Monastery of Saint Vardishal, it would take more than a day to take Kelmarane from the gnolls. Even though each of them were great fighters, the gnolls had numbers over them. They would need to pace themselves in their hit-and-run attacks on Kelmarane, and the longer they took to drive the gnolls out of Kelmarane, the more likely they would launch a counterattack on the monastery.
The adventurers were ready to get an early start for their scouting trip into Kelmarane. They made their way outside to see a burning pile of soiled mattresses and other dirty furniture that couldn't be salvaged with a pair of guards dragging another mattress toward the burning pile. Almah, Garavel, and the rest of the caravan were counting on them to handle the most dangerous work and Zalerian would do what he and his companions could to make sure that their group didn't need to risk their lives in Kelmarane.
Much like the journey from Sultan's Claw to the Monastery of Saint Vardishal, the adventurers traveled north toward Kelmarane through the rugged desert. The sun was still rising and the heat had yet to become unbearable. The distance toward their destination was greater than their journey yesterday and it took an hour of walking to make it to the edge of town. The adventurers kept silent during the journey, anxious with the task ahead. Arguk, Trax, and Belash led the way while Zalerian and Emra were behind them. Teshak fell in behind the pair, keeping a hand on Tempest while it was sheathed, and Melkia covered the back of the group with her bow held tightly in her hands.
Kelmarane had fallen into ruin over the years. Many of the buildings remained standing but some were missing their roofs or walls. A river ran through the northeast part of town with a stone bridge connecting the few buildings on the other side of the river to the rest of town. Built on a hill overlooking the rest of Kelmarane was a large building that was three stories tall and fairly intact. Zalerian could see what Almah and Garavel warned them against going after the battle market and wondered what they could do now that they arrived at their destination.
Melkia stepped up, looking over the town. "I can make out a trail of tracks but no gnolls. They patrol the area but don't keep watch over Kelmarane."
"They've grown complacent without anyone to challenge them," Arguk said, nodding in agreement with Melkia's assessment. "Most of the gnolls should be in the battle market."
"Which we can't go to," Belash pointed out with a frown. "What else should we do?"
"We could wait for one of the patrols and ambush them," Melkia suggested.
"I'm not a fan of waiting," Zalerian shook his head. "Maybe the gnolls use some of the other buildings that aren't as fortified. Perhaps we should take a look around and see what we can find?"
"I agree that we should take action now rather than wait," Emra said, patting her scimitar. "We can't stay out in Kelmarane all day. We should get started and scout out the ruins for anything of note."
"That sounds like a plan to me," Belash nodded, his frown turning to a grin as he took out his greataxe.
"Fine," Melkia said with a sigh. "Let's make this quick."
The others turned toward Teshak, checking to see if he had any input for the plan. The young sorcerer pulled out Tempest, looked at the blade, and nodded silently with a glance toward the rest of the group. Zalerian wondered what the rest of the group thought about Teshak's behavior with Tempest. He and Emra had an idea of what was going on but they had yet to let the others know their theory. At the very least, if they thought that Teshak wasn't fit for combat, they didn't say so, with Belash leading the way into Kelmarane.
The adventurers approached the nearest building on the east side of the road that cut through Kelmarane. They took out their weapons with Zalerian noting that fire destroyed most of the building they walked toward. The building had partially collapsed onto itself with a wooden sign standing before the open entrance. Zalerian frowned, recognizing that while the sign was singed, enough of it had survived to note that the building was a slave market. He didn't think that the gnolls would use the ruined building for anything of note and took a step away, looking at the set of buildings on the other side of the street.
Suddenly, Melkia whistled quietly enough for the group to hear and let loose an arrow toward the ruined slave market. Zalerian looked in time to see that she had spotted a giant mamba that was longer than even Belash slithering out of the slave market, hissing as Melkia's arrow missed its mark. While the huntress had missed, Teshak's magical ray of cold struck it between the eyes, providing Arguk with an opening to advance on the snake. With a swing of his scimitar, the gnoll separated the mamba's head from the rest of its body and he turned back to the group with a toothy grin.
"That was close," Arguk chuckled quietly. "Do you think it was tamed or wild?"
"Definitely wild," Melkia suggested. "I don't see any gnoll tracks heading into the building. I take it that the mamba must have made its lair there and fed on any gnolls that got too close."
"Should we do anything with the corpse?" Emra asked. "The gnolls might be on guard if they see it out in the open."
"I'd rather not touch a snake, even one that's dead," Zalerian said, shaking his head with a shiver despite the heat.
"I never took you to be afraid of snakes," Belash chuckled.
"I'm not!" Zalerian quickly told the warrior. "It's large though and the texture underneath them…"
"No need to go into detail," Arguk assured Zalerian. "Let's leave the body out. One of the gnolls might claim credit for killing it."
"Good thinking," Emra nodded in agreement. "Where should we go next? Across the bridge?"
"Not yet," Melkia answered. "If we get caught by a gnoll patrol, it might make fighting our way out of Kelmarane more difficult. Next time, perhaps."
"How about those buildings?" Zalerian gestured across the street.
The trio of buildings Zalerian pointed out were mostly intact. The one closest to the river was a large manor that was as tall as the battle market but not as grand as the building on the hill. Next to it was a stable that connected to what seemed to be once an inn by a hallway. Any of the buildings look to make for a good spot for the gnolls to occupy and the others were quick to nod at the idea.
"Let's start with that big building over there," Melkia settled her gaze on the manor. "I imagine that one gnoll would at least want to make that their home."
"I certainly would," Arguk chuckled again, ignoring the glare that Melkia gave him.
The group made their way cautiously across the road and toward the manor. The door was intact and unlocked, allowing them to explore the building without any issue getting in. Melkia was quick to note that there were a lack of tracks leading to or from the building, indicating that none of the gnolls made their home there. Still, the group searched on with Arguk having Trax stand guard outside. Most of the furniture had been taken away but there was a balcony over the third floor that gave an excellent view over the docks on the side of the river.
Most of the adventurers looked out from the balcony, and after determining that there weren't any gnolls nearby, made their way downstairs. Zalerian started to follow after them when he noticed that Teshak had stayed at the balcony, looking out from it still. Zalerian worried that this was Tempest or whatever had affected the sorcerer influencing his actions and he stepped toward his friend. Teshak heard Zalerian coming and looked over his shoulder, offering a friendly smile.
"This was the wharfmaster's manor," Teshak told Zalerian softly, his tone emotional yet his own. "My grandfather was the wharfmaster here before Kelmarane fell. Or at least that's what my mother told me."
"It must not be easy," Zalerian bowed his head. "I take it you were born after Kelmarane fell?"
"That's right," Teshak nodded. "To come back here feels like fate. Perhaps one day I can call this manor home."
"You might have to convince Arguk to back off from his claim," Zalerian told Teshak jokingly.
Teshak laughed for a second. "We'll see when the time comes."
Before Zalerian could press for more information, the two heard a noise of exclamation coming from outside. The monk had been so focused on checking up with Teshak that he hadn't thought about the rest of the group continuing on, thinking that he and the sorcerer were behind them. Teshak quickly ran from the balcony, passed Zalerian, and toward the stairs. Zalerian followed after Teshak, worried that his friends may have alerted a gnoll patrol.
Outside, Zalerian spotted no gnolls aside from Arguk, who surrounded the stables along with the rest of the adventurers. Zalerian and Teshak joined the rest of their group, looking around to see what had happened. They were surprised to see a human man emerge from the stables. His skin was tanned from the sun and an old helmet covered his head. He wore a leather breastplate over his clothes and held a rusty spear in both his hands. The stranger looked at the group nervously before his frown, covered by a thick mustache, parted with a sigh.
"You're not gnolls," the stranger said. "Please, you have to get me out of here!"
"Hold up," Melkia told the man, her tone distrustful. "What business do you have in gnoll territory?"
"I'm an adventurer!" the stranger quickly told her in a panic. "Please believe me! My friends and I wanted to search Kelmarane for treasure but we were captured! I was barely able to escape on my own and have been hiding out here for several days!"
"He's telling the truth, Melkia," Emra said, glancing towards the huntress. "We can't leave him here."
"We have work to do," Melkia snapped back at Emra. "We have to continue looking around Kelmarane and do what we can to weaken the defenses."
Zalerian tapped his chin in thought and gasped when he came to an idea. "Maybe he can tell us more about the gnolls' defenses."
"I can!" the stranger said, nodding several times. "Get me out of here and I'll tell you everything I know!"
"I don't like this," Melkia muttered quietly. "We're not likely to come back here again."
"So be it," Belash said with a shrug. "I say we help the man."
"As do I," Teshak nodded in agreement.
Arguk opened his mouth to speak when his ears perked up. "I hear movement coming from where we came from. Melkia, you might get the fight you've been waiting for."
"It must be a gnoll patrol," the stranger said, his voice rising with panic. "They're coming, aren't they?"
"Stay back," Emra told the stranger. "We'll handle the fighting. Once the gnolls are dead, we'll make our way to our base. You'll be safe there."
The stranger nodded and fell back into the stables as a group of four gnolls, each wielding their own spear, walked around the corner. They jumped up in surprise at the sight of the adventurers but soon broke out into a violent cackle. Even though the gnolls were outnumbered, they weren't going to back down from a fight. The gnolls took up a defensive position, and the adventurers came to an agreement. Melkia and Teshak stayed back, covering the others with their arrows and magic respectively as they charged forth into battle.
Melkia's first arrow missed its mark while Teshak struck one of the gnolls with a chilling ray across the chest. Arguk advanced on the injured gnoll, bringing his scimitar down onto his shoulder to finish off his opponent. Trax lunged at the gnoll by Arguk, biting down on his leg only to be smacked by the shaft of the spear. Belash made quick work of his foe, shouting violently as he slammed his greataxe down on the gnoll's head. Zalerian followed Emra after the remaining gnoll, and while the gnoll blocked Emra's scimitar with his spear, it provided Zalerian an opening to punch the gnoll in the throat.
The attack wasn't enough to bring down the gnoll, who jabbed his spear toward Zalerian. Emra quickly interposed herself between the monk and their foe but wasn't fast enough to parry the attack. She yelled out in pain when the spear impaled itself into her shoulder, and through gritted teeth, struck the gnoll across the face. The attack wasn't lethal but it did claim one of the gnoll's eyes and forced him to back away. Zalerian grabbed Emra from behind and pulled her away from the fight, afraid that she might fall into more harm. It was Teshak, charging forward with Tempest, who finished off the last gnoll by stabbing him through the skull with his magical dagger. Zalerian glanced to the final gnoll in time to see Belash decapitate him, saving Trax from another attack.
"Emra, are you okay?" Zalerian asked, his worry clear for her to see.
"I'll live," Emra tried to assure him though she wasn't able to hide the pain in her voice. "We need to press on."
"I can heal you before we leave," Arguk offered, glancing in their direction.
"Save your magic in case of an emergency," Emra told Arguk with a shake of her head. "The gnolls might try to chase after us."
"What are we waiting for?" Melkia asked when she approached the rest of the group, the man they rescued behind her with his spear. "Let's get back to the monastery."
The adventurers were quick to leave the site of the battle behind them as they made their way back to the Monastery of Saint Vardishal. Zalerian couldn't stop himself but glanced back at Emra frequently during their escape. The ifrit clutched her injured shoulder tightly but pressed on with the rest of her companions. Zalerian picked up the pace, knowing that the sooner they made it back to the monastery, the sooner that she could be healed in a safe area.
A/N: So, as a quick update, I'm not sure how likely it is that this will be done within the time frame I gave a while back. The vacation I took last week set me back farther along than I had thought. Still, I'll do my best to keep the updates coming.
Until next time.