Charles' watch began as normal with Naivara waking him up as she finished her watch. He sat propped up against a tree for a hour or so just watching the fireflies lazily dance about in the night, each movement so small, and yet so meaningful, as he pondered the fireflies he felt himself being slowly beconded back to the sleep from which he had been awakened. His body, unable to fulfill the wishes of his mind to stay alert on watch, eventually gave into the urge to sleep, and for a while he rested. Until he was so rudely awakened by the rasping tongue of Buck smearing up the side of his face. Just as he was about to swear out into the void he caught the trailing noise of galloping hoof beats along the road. Shaking off his weariness Charles shook the others awake, "Get up! Get up! Someone just rode by!"
Blinking his eyes in an attempt to make up, Hal asked, "huh, who cares. Let's just get to sleep and we can ask the fort about it tomorrow."
"They were riding really fast, I think it was pretty urgent. I am going to ride after them, you guys pack up camp and meet me back in town when you can." Ignoring the brief protests Charles grabbed Bucks reigns and took off in pursuit of the mystery rider.
The sun had just begun to peak over the horizon as the party made it into Greenmeadow. Charles greeted them on main street. Before any of them could get a word in, a pig came squealing out from an alleyway with an aging man chasing after it, "Stop that pig!" He yelled out. Gnoll stepped into its path, lowering himself into a wide stance. A moment before it would have bowled into his Gnoll deftly sidestepped and locked his arms around its neck dragging it to the ground. Akash then leapt in and slipped a lead around its head and handed the other end to the man. "Well thanks y'all. I hope that's the last of them, been rounding up animals all morning. Some blasted idiot broke the doors of my barn open, and let all the animals out. Next time I see ya in the Grain I'll buy each of y'all a pint."
"Any idea when it was destroyed?" Asked Akash, rubbing a hand over the coarse hair of the pig. "Charles here just chased someone down who was riding this way from the fort."
"Ehhh, not really sure, just sometime early this morning."
"That's unfortunate, well, good luck with getting them all re-organized." Turning to the rest of the group, "We should probably head to the courthouse and update the governor on how the search is going."
"Yeah, that's probably not a bad idea." Replied Naivara. On the way to the courthouse there was evidence of the breakout across town. Villagers out in the streets repairing damaged buildings and cleaning up the waste left behind from the rampage.
"I see you have returned, it appears as though you are still empty-handed. I hope that you at least have a lead, for Lilya's sake."
"Well, we have removed the forest as a possibility" replied Akash, "we are currently looking into a potential lead from last night, but we have nothing hard yet."
A frown appeared on Governor Hawthorn's face, "I had hoped for more than that. Regardless, do what you want, I have a town to clean up." She waved a hand in dismissal and turned to return up the steps to continue overseeing the repairs.
"Well...I'm gonna head to the Golden Grain and see if anyone there has leads on the barn. I've got a feeling that has something to do with our mystery rider." stated Charles.
The Golden Grain was fairly empty this early morning, the few patrons who were present appeared to be enjoying modest breakfasts of sausage and potatoes. The only person who seemed out of place was a lithe woman sitting alone in the corner with nothing to eat, but whose steely gaze flowed from person to person like a wolf among sheep. Akash recognized her from the previous night when they accepted the contract to find the Greenthorn children. She had been sitting at the same table, silently watching the proceedings then as she did now. As Akash approached her she immediately focused in on him, and he felt a shiver run down his spine as her gaze pierced into his very soul, attempting to perceive his intentions. Pulling up just short of the table Akash introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Akash, I recognize you from the other night, You wouldn't happen to know anything about the barn breakout would you? We think it might be related to the missing kids whom we are trying to find. And you," he gestured to the ornate bow resting against the table, "seem like the kind of person who keeps tabs on things going on in this town." The mysterious archer cocked her head to the side before responding.
"I do indeed like to keep an eye on things here in town. However, I do not know who broke into the barn. That being said, I have my suspicions. A man going by the name of Thomas showed up a few days ago looking for work, and I happened to spot him early this morning skulking around town. I haven't seen him since then, so he may have skipped town, he has short, unkempt black hair and a beard, if you happen to see him I would ask a couple questions."
"Well, that was very helpful, thank you Miss…"
"Fierna, Fierna Swiftfoot."
"very well, Miss Swiftfoot, we appreciate your help, may the stars guide your arrows." Akash turned back to round up his companions who were scattered around the tavern questioning the others. Collecting them back together he shared the description he was given of Thomas by Fierna and explained that she had seen him early in the morning, but not since. "I think we should try to find this guy. I think we can split up and search around town. Hal, you and Charles go check the east side, Gnoll, you and I can check the west side, and Naivara, are you good to check out the barn, and see if you can find anything over there?"
"Oh yeah, no problem, meet back here in a couple hours if we don't find anything then?"
"Yup, sounds good." With that the party broke off to search their assigned sections of town.
Naivara made her way to old Will's barn, the dirt path churned by the veritable explosion of animals following the breakout. The doors were secured by a piece of rope looped and tied through the handles, the metal latch that would normally be doing that job hung limply by a single nail, its surface scratched and dented from some unskilled attempt to remove it. She quickly untied the rope and made her way inside, making sure to close the door behind her. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark interior, her nose was assaulted by the scent of two dozen animals all living under one roof. Finally her eyes adjusted to the faint light filtering through the gaps in the old boards that made up the walls and roof. She walked down the main hallway peering into each stall, her hand never straying far from the revolver at her hip. Stall after stall proved to be empty except for the beast that called it home, she reached the end where she opened a small tool closet that seemed to be mostly full, with a couple empty hooks. Shutting the door to the closet Naivara noticed a ladder of planks nailed into the wall studs leading up into a hay loft. The ladder squeaked and groaned as she climbed, peeking of the edge revealed the fairly expected sight of neat stacks of rectangular bales. However, as she was about to descend the ladder she caught a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. She completed her ascent and crept over, upon this closer inspection Naivara saw a small bedroll laid out behind a pile of cleverly stacked bales clearly meant to deter simple glances. As she reached to pick through the pile of clothes that seemed to serve as a pillow a dark form rose from a bale behind her. The figure raised a manure stained shovel and with a mighty stroke brought it down at Naivara's exposed head. The wind from the strike gave Naivara just the time she needed to duck her head to the side avoiding the worst of the blow, but the heavy strike still rang true, slamming down on her shoulder. Crying out she quickly whipped around to face her assailant and fired off a shot from her revolver. The flash from the barrel lit up the hay loft like the midday sun. Clutching his shoulder Thomas blindly stumbled back, tripping over the bale which had concealed him in the process. Now on the attack Naivara pounced forward, stuffing the barrel of her revolver into the chest of Thomas, "Where are they?" she bellowed.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Thomas shouted back. With a violent twist he knocked the run aside causing Naivara's next shot to miss wide, firing down through the floor of the loft. Wrestling himself to his feet they briefly separated, their heavy breathing the only sound in the now silent barn. "I'm sorry, only one person was supposed to get hurt. Please just let me go, you'll never see me again, I promise." He began to slowly pace backwards towards the far end of the loft where it turned into rafters above the main holding stalls.
Following him Naivara asked once again, "Where are they? If you tell me we can work something out." Thomas made his way out onto the rafters, the old wood crying out in protest with every step. "Come on, no need to do anything drastic, we can talk about this."
Thomas peered over the edge eyeing the manure covered ground beneath him. "You don't understand, they'll kill me. If you dont They will." A sense of dread and curiosity crept over Naivara as she took in the words of the skittish man in front of her. Who was They and what warrants such fear of them. She nervously licked her lips, mulling over several responses when the doors to the barn burst open, revealing the rest of the party. Startled by the sudden noise Thomas took a step back and as his heel dug into the wood of the rafter a chunk cracked off sending him flailing through the air until his brief flight was stopped with a heavy thump as he made contact with the compacted dirt floor of the barn.
"Shit!" Akash cursed as he ran forward, and laid an ear to the unconscious man's chest, "It's okay, he is still alive!" He called up to Naivara who was looking over the edge, she breathed a sigh of relief then turned to make her way down the ladder to rejoin them. "Okay, let's tie him up, then I can bring him back so we can ask him some questions." Gnoll stepped forward, rope in hand, they quickly bound Thomas' hands and feet, but left his mouth free to answer their queries. After they were satisfied with their handiwork Gnoll stepped back to allow Akash room to work. As he kneeled over the disheveled man Akash's hand began to glow with a faint golden light, muttering a few words under his breath Akash closed his eyes and placed his hand on Thomas' forehead. Thomas awoke with a gasp, his eyes flashing open as they erratically flicked between the strangers before him. He struggled against his bonds, but was unsuccessful in loosening them. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down. You're going to be okay now, we're not going to hurt you." Thomas' eyes locked onto Akash's, his breathing slowing ever so slightly.
"They're gonna kill me…" Thomas said softly tears welling up in his eyes.
"Listen to me" Akash said firmly, "If you don't tell us where the kids are you're gonna have a lot more issues on your hands then whoever they are. If they are still alive, then maybe we can help you out, but you have to tell us where they are."
Thomas slumped in the ropes, at least, as much as a man who is lying on the floor of a barn can slump then replied, "They're in the well, we put them in the well, we couldn't let them go after what they saw. I promise, I didn't want to hurt them, I'm sorry!" more panic set into his voice.
Immediately after hearing Thomas' answer Halimedes and Charles turned and bolted out the door in the direction of the town well. As they left a scrawny farm boy poked his head into the barn, quickly leaning back and Hal and Charles whizzed past. "You folks need any help in here? I heard some loud noises and came to check up on the animals.
Gnoll turned to the boy and responded, "yeah, get some people together, have some of them come here to keep an eye on this one," gesturing to Thomas, "and have the other's meet us at the well.
The boy's eyes widened as he finally noticed Thomas tied up on the floor, then with a quick nod he turned on his heel and sped off to find help. After a couple minutes two farm hands rushed into the barn and told Naivara, Gnoll and Akash that they would take over looking after Thomas. They took this opportunity to hurry after Halimedes and Charles.
A small crowd had built up around the well by the time Naivara, Gnoll, and Akash arrived. Halimedes and Charles stood at the center with buck, peering into the gloomy maw of the well. "There's definitely some kind of current down there." Hal told the rest of the party, "Might lead into some sort of cave system, but nobody here has been able to give me a solid answer. I think we will just have to go down and check. Here, hold this." He handed Gnoll one end of a rope, and tied the other end around his waist. "One tug means I found a cave, two tugs you bring me up. Got it?"
"Yeah, no problem." replied Gnoll.
Jumping into the well Halimedes was careful to not allow his grip to slip on the cold stops that surrounded him. With a quiet splash he reached the bottom. The water was cold as its gentle current flowed around him, soaking him up to his waist. He pulled a torch from the slip pack on his back and lit it with a quick snap of his fingers. A newly illuminated passage appeared before him; it stretched out, extending past the torch's light in an inky blackness. Grabbing the rope at his waist Halimedes gave it a strong tug and yelled up the well for good measure. "Come on down! There's a tunnel down here!" His call was met with a number of splashes as the rest of the party joined him in the well. They lit a second torch and continued down the tunnel.
Several hundred yards down the tunnel it opened up into a proper cave, whose floor sloped up to dry stone. Even though they were now deep underground a strange, haunting wind began to blow, swirling around the cave, slowly increasing in volume and intensity as they pressed forward. As they left the underground river behind them the howling winds grew to an apex. The howling turned to a screech as two black forms swooped in from the shadows, as if they were made of the shadows themselves!
The first wraith swooped in under a crushing blow from Gnoll, its inky claws sinking into his right flank. As he roared in pain Charles charged in striking his own blow to the wraith, his sword slicing through its ephemeral form, shadows parting like a dark mist. He stumbled forward, the unexpected density of his opponent's form catching him off-balance. As he fell his elbow brushed through the wraith sending an icy shock through his body.
Meanwhile, the second wraith began its assault on Halimedes. Countering its claws with his sword the wraith leaned in, screeching in his face. The side of its head exploded and reformed as one of Naivara's well placed shots whistled by. Taking the moment of distraction Halimedes cut through its chest with his sword, which seemed to drink in the essence of the wraith. The final attack of the initial exchange came from Akash as he outstretched his hand, a faint frost running the length of his arm transferring to the wraith attacking Halimedes the ice coalescing in sharp crystals piercing the mist that made up its form.
Recovering from the claws in his side Gnoll swept his mace up through the wraith connecting with a small orb within its chest. Its form fazed for a moment before reforming, albeit diminished in intensity. Reacting to its temporary instability the wraith let out another screech and struck out again at Gnoll, as he managed to duck under its strike he caught a glimpse of a new wraith joining the fight.
The newcomer came in from shadows near the top of the cave descending upon Charles who failed to see it in time for its entire essence to pass through him like a winter wind, sapping his strength and stealing his breath. Fortunately years of working on the farm in unforgiving winter conditions allowed Charles to regain his breath and strike back as it left his reach, scoring a hit on its ephemeral cloak.
Pushing their advantage, Halimedes thrust his sword into the frozen wraith before him, his sword draining whatever dark vitality this creature possessed causing it to dissipate into nothingness. Seeing his primary target fall by Halimedes' blade Akash one more struck out with an icy blast causing frosty crystals to form around the newcomer. Not wanting to miss out on their newfound advantage, Naivara fired off another shot piercing through the wraith engaged with Gnoll. Gnoll then took a swing that just missed as the wraith pulled back to avoid the blow. Gnoll let out a grunt of frustration that caused Charles to steal a glance over his shoulder, noticing their dancing partners were both within reach Charles unleashed a sweeping blow that swung around catching both wraiths in the heart of their essences destroying the both of them with a final fell swing. As the final foes fell the wind died down to a mere whisper, and yet Akash could not help but still feel a deeper, more menacing presence deeper in the cave.
As they continued on Akash began to notice that his vision, which had been able to guide him through the darkest winter nights, began to fade, as the shadows of the cave stretched out, and almost seemed to reach out to him, tempting him to join their twisting mass. Even the light from the torches that they had recovered after the wraith ambush saw their flames wither and shrink when faced with the oppressive darkness before them. Soon the walls disappeared from sight, and by the delayed echo of their footsteps the party stopped in what they could only imagine was a greater cavern. The presence that Akash felt earlier was so thick in this chamber that mere breaths took effort to draw in. As they took in this new cavern a flash of steel struck out at them. The first blow caught Charles in the shoulder and the second cut into Halimedes. Quickly circling into a defensive formation the darkness failed to relent as a rasping cackle resonated around them. For the first time since he struck out on adventure, leaving his family Akash felt true fear. A third strike lept from the darkness, twisting his body out of the way to the blow Gnoll caught the sword on his mace, trapping it with his gauntlet he yelled out, "I think I got it! got for the hilt!" Naivara seized the opportunity and fired off a shot, a violent shriek ripped through the darkness as her round rang true. The muzzle flash briefly pushed back the darkness revealing an armored man, encased in the thick darkness, his eyes filled with terror. As quickly as he was revealed the man was once again swallowed in the darkness. Reeling from this new revelation Halimedes never saw the strike come from the shadows, raking across his chest. Clutching his wound, Halimedes fell to the ground. Time slowed for Akash as he flashed back to the night with the wolves, the first night that he used magic. Immediately dropping to a knee he placed a hand on Hal's chest while his companions fended off strikes from the shadows. The now familiar rush of magic flowed from Akash's palm into Halimedes, the cut sealing itself. Hal re-awakened and struggled back to his feet.
"Welcome back man! We could use a bit of help though!" Shouted Charles as he deflected a strike from the darkness. He countered, lashing back out into the darkness. landing another strike. Gathering what strength he had, Halimedes' sword glowed with a purple energy, his wrath taking physical form Halimedes struck into the darkness, his blade finding purchase. The darkness rapidly receded, absorbing back into the man in armor as he stumbled backwards, his joints twisting at abnormal angles. Finally he collapsed, breath wheezing from his broken body.
The final shadows disappeared, revealing the slumped form of three children, their chests slowly moved up and down with shallow breaths. "They're still alive!" Shouted Gnoll as he rushed to the children. Performing his own healing magic Gnoll brought them back from the brink. Meanwhile Akash made his way to their fallen assailant.
"Are they safe?" He asked, each word a pained struggle. Now that Akash could get a better look at the man, he could identify the tattered uniform of a Thundercliffe soldier.
"Yes, they're safe. Do you know what that was?" Asked Akash.
"No…I was just on patrol at the fort when I was attacked." He coughed, "that thing, it was using me like a puppet, it was so dark, so…painful." His eyes rolled into the back of his head and passed out.
"Guys, I think we should take him too, he's really hurt, but I think we might be able to save him."
Carrying the soldier and guiding the kids back to the well, they were lifted back to the surface with a rope. The children were reunited with their grandmother and the soldier was brought to the church for healing. Deciding they had enough adventuring for one day the party returned to the Golden Grain to get some rest. Before he turned in Akash sat in his window frame, carving a flat smooth stone. He held it up to the sky, the pinpoint holes lining up with the constellations that adorned the black expanse. With a final motion his star map was complete and he felt a great peace rush over him, he had found his adventure.