Thelan sees Norry go down and hears the almost woman-like scream of pain and shock. Suddenly realizing the situation might be more dire than his original assessment, it occurs to Thelan that Refold and Churgus are nowhere to be seen.
"Gorum's balls!" he curses, and looks for Norry's attacker. Still obscured by the foliage somewhat, Thelan doesn't wait and selects a new target, the stumbling half-orc. Now that Wekel is out of combat range for the moment, Thelan can get a clear shot as long as he moves down some.
The arrow lodges itself in the side of Xulgag's boot, and he can feel the head pierce his skin. It feels fairly shallow and the head has not embedded itself in the muscle making a "pull through" unnecessary.
He had her left arm pinned fairly securely under his right arm, and she couldn't reach the little knife Corie had given her.
Sometime in the past...
"Now, Arie, I want you to hold onto this. I got it just for you." Corinne said, presenting a tiny sharpened knife to Arielle. The young orphan took the blade nervously, astonished to be holding such a dangerous thing in her young hands. "This is not a toy, you understand me? If someone ever tries to hurt you or harm you, you poke them with the pointy end, ok?"
Arielle could only nod her head, her eyes going wide with shock and wonder.
Corinne wished the world was different. She wished that she didn't live in a place where young girls had to carry knives. But she had carried a blade very similar to this when she was Arielle's age, and she had used it too.
"Ok, now it's time for bed. Here, take Bubbles and his sword and get some rest. I'll be back soon."
Corinne leaned over then, giving her young adopted sister a gentle kiss on the forehead.
He would kill all these men, help that girl. The girl who had caused a fire to stir in the Oracle's necklace. They was something of importance of these two girls and Ragnar would be damned if he lost them to these 'bandits!'
In the heat of battle Ragnar the Younger's mind was clear. His arm moving of its own accord, bringing the biting blade of his axe down into ne'er doers neck. The blade cleaved through collarbone, gashing into the heart and the man's body slumps down. Giving the axe a tug Ragnar pulls his weapon free, bringing an arterial spray of the fat man's last heartbeats.
This is the quality of these men? These were the people who had stolen the lands? They did not deserve to keep them. At the outset of the day Ragnar had been a novice, trained yes, but a novice none the less. He was a virgin to the killing blows of battle. And now, a mere few moments into his quest he had killed three men. There was a small, gentle voice in the back of his mind, pleading to be civilized, to allow these men be brought to justice. But it was ignored. Now the reptilian brain was in control, the base urges of primal man playing out through Ragnar's hand. He couldn't stop himself even if he had the mind to. This was where Ragnar belonged, on the battlefield!
With lightning speed Corinne hefts the abandoned crossbow she had reloaded moments ago, taking aim along the wooden shaft of the bolt that sat in its carriage. There was no slowing of time, or fragmental shard of reality this time, just the desperation of a young woman trying to save someone she loved.
TWAACK! The arrow shot from its resting place like a bolt of lightning, racing towards its inevitable destiny.
The crossbow is MUCH heavier than the one Corinne is used to wielding and it shows in her shot. The bolt veers dramatically left and down, sinking deep into the rich soil, vanishing into a rising patch of tall grass.
Corinne's eyes go wide with grief and pain and self loathing...
Xulgag saw the arrow approaching, he threw his hand up to deflect a fatal shot but wasn't quite fast enough. He saved his life but at the price of the arrow slicing his shoulder.
His mind raced, his blood boiled. What happened in mere seconds felt like days in the monks head. Do I seek vengeance on my wound? Or save the girl? Xulgag asked himself. The archer stood on top of his like a king, laughing at the fools before him, looking down at his moving targets. One by one he planned to shoot them down, his plan seemed to mock Xulgag's mind. On the other hand, he had the girl and her kidnapper. He too mocked Xulgag. He ignored Xulgag, not thinking him as the threat he was. He carried the girl like it was a trophy, so proud of his catch. All these men and their prize, a little girl? He'd heard these lands were wild, but to this degree Xulgag never expected.
Save the girl He thought to himself and ran to cut off the kidnapper. As he caught up to the man he yelled, "you will not take thish child!" He jumped in front of the man's path and threw a kick trying to focus any chi he might have into the kidnappers midsection.
His kick missed, but what he lacked in his strike he gained in his position. The kidnapper had nowhere to go. "One of ush walksh away, shcum!" Xulgag said as he prepared himself. Still stumbling around he began to pose himself in the Serpent's Stance once more.
Wekel looked up in time to see the drunken half-orc brush by his arm and stumble into his path. If he hadn't been carrying the brat, he would have punched the fool right off of the edge of the path up the hill. Wekel threw a quick glance over his shoulder to look for Norry, but couldn't see past the foliage. Damn that fat fool As the result of his near involuntary look back, Wekel paused in his move forward and was not struck by Xulgag's sweeping kick.
Turning his attention back to the weaving figure before him, Wekel growls in frustration. They were so close! He couldn't let this man thing stop him. Wekel decides to take his chances and do his best to move around Xulgag.
As Xulgag stumbles into Wekel's path, Arielle seems to stop struggling as much. Anyone who can see her will notice that her big brown eyes are no longer visible as a sparkling opalescence has suddenly shrouded them, and the slightest wisp of some kind of energy seems to be leaking from their corners.
Xulgag sees his opportunity and takes it. Spinning on his heel, he delivers a blow to the kidnapper. "I said FACE ME!" Xulgag yelled, as he started to regain his composer.
Xulgag can hear a rib crack as his heavy hand drives hard into the kidnapper's flank under the arm he is using to pin the helpless girl.
Wekel lets out a gasp of pain. Tulie! Wekel's thoughts turn to his lady friend back in Restov. The baby!, he thinks and tries to keep moving from the pain. His feels his grip loosen on the girl and quickly tries to re-secure her.
Pitching forward slightly, Wekel feels the girl's weight slip through his grip! Arielle tumbles out his grasp and falls on her rump onto the grassy slope of the hill.
Somewhat dazedly, Arielle seems to look around as if she can't quite believe she's not being carried off any further. Thin wisps of white energy leaks from her eyes lazily like small tendrils of steam.
"Bubbles..." she mumbles softly. She begins to try and stand up.
Wekel realizes he can't let her get away and reaches to grab the small figure once again.
Pain blossoms in Wekel's side as the cracked rib reminds him he should have tried to use his other arm. Unable to use his full range of motion, his grab attempt only manages to catch hold of the ragged stuffed bear Arielle is clutching.
"Bubbles!" Arielle shrieks as Wekel wrenches her constant companion from her hands. Her eyes widen and sparkle even more furiously.
Angrily, Wekel looks at the toy in his hand and remembers all the blows he had taken from it. This is what was going to defeat him? This was what would end his dreams? With a roar, Wekel throws the stuffed bear up and over the hill. Being a stuffed animal it doesn't appear to have gone too far.
Arielle screams and rushes up and over the hill in pursuit of her lifelong companion.
Watching her go, Wekel snarls and shouts, "Thelan! The girl!" And he turns to face Xulgag.
"Good work Xul! Grab the girl!" Ragnar moves up the path and side steps the rocks into combat with Wekel. With her out of the way killing this man will be a good deal easier.
Wekel turns drawing a battered short sword. He is just in time to see a blond headed warrior swinging an axe bearing down on him. He has enough time to wonder where this man came from when the axe bites deep into his side. Pain blossoms from a flower to a towering oak, and Wekel realizes that he will soon be finished.
Wekel's knees start to give out, and he feels the short sword slip from his hand. Falling heavily to his knees, Wekel looks up at the two figures who have attacked him. Why were they doing this? Did they even know the girl?
His breath came in ragged gasps, and he clutched his bleeding side in desperation. All the while trying to work out in his mind where he went wrong.
Thelan watched the prowess with which the half orc delivered his strike to Wekel. The sound of bone snapping reached him even on the hill. As drunk as he appeared, there was real skill in the humanoid's movements.
Damn! He thought as he saw a blond warrior running out of the trees and up the hill just as Wekel threw what appeared to be a child's stuffed animal. He could see that the toy landed near the edge of gorge which seemed to go deep into the earth.
"Thelan! The girl!" He heard Wekel yell angrily. Thelan saw her scrambling after her stuffed bear. He hesitated, startled, when he saw the strange mist leaking from her eyes. What was this girl? Then he was moving. Dropping the bow and arrow in his hand, Thelan rushed to intercept the girl before she could get to her bear and escape. As he moved, he pulls a large kukri knife from a sheath strapped to his thigh.
"WEDGE! BIGGS! Company!!"
Amazingly Thelan is able to snatch the young girl's arm as he only just reaches her.
"NO!" she screams loudly. "Bubbles!!" Her voice takes on that ear-splitting quality once more. "COOOOOOOOORRRRRIEEEEEE!!!"
Thelan grits his teeth and tries to maintain his grip as the girl begins to writhe and pull trying to reach the stuffed bear only steps away. Her eyes sparkling in opalescence all the while. Thelan turns his attention to the two warriors who will be advancing over the crest. He hopes Wedge and Biggs have done the knock and come to help him. His back to the crevasse, Thelan realizes his situation is pretty desperate.
This plan isn't working! The girl wasn't supposed to be this well-protected. Shetan lied to us! Is my life really worth this trouble? Thoughts race through Thelan's mind, and panic begins to find a place in him.
Everything was moving so fast, all the possible fragments and shards of time and space and reality exploded like a kaleidoscope of colors around Corinne. In some of them, Arielle was safe and smiling as the two new companions stood near, slapping each other on the back, while in others the young orphan girl died a painful death, either falling to her death, or dying at the end of a murderous strike. Still, there was one other possible future. Corinne saw it, she had to try.
Racing through the maze like trees and tumbling brambles, Corinne charges as fast as she can towards Arielle, shouting the entire time.
"Arie, do it! Use your power!"
Corinne had seen her young sister do amazing things and she never understood it. The child would be an astonishing woman when she came of age; IF she lived that long.
"Save Bubbles! Make the bad men stop!"
"" Thelan yells at the advancing half-orc and human warriors. He threateningly waves the kukri knife. "Don't come any closer!"
As he yells this to the party, a large booming sound is heard as if from deep under the earth, and a tremor shakes the ground of the hill causing the heroes to pause briefly to get keep their footing . As Xulgag and Ragnar are now able to see, Thelan has Arielle by the arm who has her back to them reaching for her ragged Teddy bear which lies a couple of feet from the edge of a crevasse at the back of the hill. To their left, two odd looking men are standing before a what appears to be a wooden door in a large rock that is covered in glyphs and other symbols. These characters are glowing in ever-changing colors. Something is definitely happening there.
"Oh god!" the scrawny man to the right of the door says loudly, his voice cracking like a teenage boy's. "Look at the size of them, Wedge!" His face definitely shows fear as he sees Xulgag's towering height and imposing visage followed by Ragnar's well-toned and armored physique. He seems to be clutching a halberd tightly as if his life depends on it.
The squat man called Wedge looks up, pushing the visor of a helmet one size too big for him out the way. From inside the mouth guard the following can be barely be understood. "Bloody Urgathoa...did you see?......of the half-breed's fu--ng hands......his d- must be HUGE!"
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Xulgag turns his attention to the two at the door. "My hands are big, and with proper training I can crush human skulls." Xulgag warns them. His hand snaps in a lightning quick motion, pointing a finger at the two men. "If he causes ANY harm to that girl I will make sure you two are brought to justice for his actions. If you don't believe me just look at your friends' corpses we've left in our wake. I believe men such as yourselves don't want to die this day. Or do you?" The two men look at each other uneasily.
Xulgag's arm snaps again like lightning, pointy a massive figure at the man with the girl. His gaze still on the two men at the door. He says in a cold steely voice, "3 lives is what I'll take for the price of 1 girl. You give her to me and you can keep your lives. You take her from me, and I take your lives. I suggest you talk your man off that ledge if you ever want to feel a woman ever again!"
Arielle's arm hurt, but Bubbles needed her. Another big man was holding her, but she had to reach Bubbles!
Straining as hard she can, Arielle is still about a foot away from reaching her precious friend. Her eyes sparkled continuously, and the wisps of energy were leaking out at a much faster rate.
Another slight tremor shakes the hill and the party can hear the beanpole Biggs' teeth chattering as he grips his halberd with the butt firmly planted in the ground. It was obviously the only thing holding the man up. He cast furtive glances between Xulgag's skull crushing hands and the plain wooden door covered in rapidly color changing glyphs.
The short squat Wedge on the other hand was having to turn his whole body in a jingle-jangle of mismatched heavy armor pieces, very ill-fitting armor pieces. What anyone can see of his eyes all shows a great deal of apprehension and concern as the glyphs begin to spark and spit little pieces of light.
Ragnar spits on Wekel.
"You're as poor a warrior as you are a kidnapper. I will not send you to the gods' great hall."
Ragnar steps away from the man, leaving him to bleed out in misery.
"As for you!" Ragnar shouts, as the tremors start.
"By the gods!? What is happening?" Ragnar lowers his body, to try and get stabler footing.
The earth quakes, the land shakes, trees creak and a young Ulfen warrior feels fear.
This is it then? Is this how I die? Not to a blade, a bolt, or a blast, but to an accident I have no control over? I have I angered the Gods so?
The world slows between quakes, Ragnar can hear far off a ramble of words, someone is yelling, it does not matter what. Adrenaline is being shot through Ragnar's heart, into his finger tips, his body is being pumped with energy, ready to take action at a moment's notice. He can bound out of danger, back to the road and away from this cliff's edge. But his mind, a deep, uncontrollable part of him is keeping his legs firmly rooted, his shield held up. It might give the appearance of bravery, but it is not. Ragnar waits, his mind in terror, for the Gods to make their move.
Ragnar feels trapped in his mind, all of the battle is before him, he knows each enemy placement, every where about of his allies, his objective. But he can do nothing. He is frozen. He wants to yell out in anger, warning, but mostly just to yell! But he has no mouth, and yet he must SCREAM!"
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A portal of light years open to Ragnar's right. The light blinding out everything else, all he sees is the rectangle of a door in a white, white emptiness.
A man steps out, a wizard of some sort wearing a long black leather cloak.
"Ragnar... Come." He holds out his hands, a blue and red potion in each.
"Drink the blue and this portal will seal, you will wake and believe whatever you want to believe. Drink the red, and see how deep he rabbit hole goes..."
"What wizardy..."
Ragnar awakens slowly, his eyes taking time to focus. The first thing he sees are the eyes of a young orphan girl peering into his.
"Look, Bubbles! The pretty man is awake!" She cries out.
Ragnar realizes the girl is sitting next to him on a somewhat lumpy bed in a small room with wooden walls. There isn't much furniture and only some inexpensive curtains crudely patterned with flowers next to the open window. The light of the summer sun and a warm breeze blows into the room. Ragnar can smell meat roasting and potatoes being cooked in the coals. The sound of people, horses, and work being done can be heard as well.
"Uhhhhh"
"What magic is this? I thought... I was on a steel ship in the sky... Just a dream."
Ragnar sees the girl, really sees her, comprehends what that means.
"Where is everyone girl? WHAT happened?! I feel like I've been asleep for weeks!"
The young girl looks at Ragnar with a forlorn expression and seems to automatically reach for something by his head. Her hand stops as if catching herself and limply falls onto the thin sheet covering the young warrior. Turning his head slightly, Ragnar sees the ragged teddy bear the girl was carrying lying on the pillow next to him.
"Corie..." she says softly, sadly. "Corie and your friend with the pointed teeth...they saved us." She turns away from Ragnar her head facing towards the window. She pulls her knees up and encircles them with her arms and begins to rock. "The Bad Man came, out of the door in the rock...Corie yelled at him and ran at him and when she touched him, they-they..." The girl seems at a loss for a second. "...they blinked and weren't there anymore. Corie blinks all the time...but she always comes back." She buries her face in her knees, and Ragnar can hear the tears in her voice. "She didn't come back this time..."
After a moment, the girl looks around at Ragnar again. "Your friend...scary looking but nice. He tackled the mean monster that came out of the door. They both fell in and the door closed and Bubbles couldn't open it again." She points to the bear with this statement. Her voice drops to a whisper. "And you...you're very dangerous."
Your memory is a little cloudy, but the girls words seem to trigger something. You recall the tremors, and the door spitting off magical energy before finally blowing open with a force that knocked the two incompetent men standing by it off of their feet. Your next memory is that of a man in fine clothing of a dark colors grinning a mouth full of sharp teeth at the young woman who Ragnar and Xulgag had found in the road. She had screamed something...was it Arielle? Then she had begun charging towards the wicked man in the hat.
The memories following are somewhat scattered for a moment as Ragnar recalls that the man had not been alone. Foul beasts of strange origin had begun piling out of the door and with lightning speed begun attacking everyone. Blood and teeth and loud roars had ensued. Ragnar had lost sight of Xulgag and when it was all over, the half-orc had been nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, Ragnar remembered something which made him shake his head to clear his thoughts. The image in his mind did not change. Ragnar finds himself slowly turning his head to look at the stuffed bear beside him. It has only one glass bead eye still attached and a number of stitched thread "scars". Ragnar recalled the toy being as tall as Xulgag tearing one of the monsters in half with claws as long as short swords and teeth like daggers; the young girl standing next to it with her eyes sparkling like opals and trails of energy leaking from them. Magic power had been pouring of her with such intensity, Ragnar swears he remembers being able to smell it.
Peering at her, the girl's words from a second ago come back to Ragnar with a stark irony.
"And you...you're very dangerous."
"Ah.... Well, only to those I meet in battle! Tell me little one, do you mean me harm?" Ragnar laughs deep from his gut, a stitch of pain crosses his torso. "No, I think not. Nothing to fear from me little girl. Where... Where are we?"
The young girl looks at Ragnar with a curious expression. "Why would I fear you? You came to save me. Just like Corie did!"
Ragnar sees the girl's eyes show utter trust, and she smiles at him. She looks like she's about to say something else, but then...
...the door to the small room opens pushed by a middle-aged woman who is carrying a tray containing a flagon and plate piled with slices of meat, cheese, and bread. There is also a small bowl of berries in one corner.
"I thought I heard someone actually talking back to the little miss for a change and knew you must finally have come around," The woman says a smile in her face causing lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth to be evident. Pleasantly plump, the older woman is wearing plain clothes along with an apron stained from cooking. "I am Svetlana Leveton, wife of Oleg the proprietor of Wilderness Trade."
She brings the tray to Ragnar and holds it out to him. Arielle scrambles over Ragnar and grabs up Bubbles, sitting down right next to Ragnar in the bed so she is between Ragnar and the wall. She hugs Bubbles tightly and watches the woman intently.
"Your daughter has been a bit skittish," Svetlana says while giving the girl a comforting look. "But I suppose I can understand what with her daddy being asleep for so long. I am sure you have lots of questions, but right now you should eat and drink. I will let your two friends downstairs know you're here." Svetlana pauses for a moment and then sighs. "I suppose this means I will have to tell Grub as well. He said you arranged for him to meet you so he could be your guide."
Svetlana's face brightens again and she says, "I just can't tell you how much it means to Oleg and me, you all coming here to take care of the outlaws that have been plaguing us for so long. Well, I best get back to my kitchen and your friends!"
After a stunned Ragnar accepts the tray, Svetlana leaves the room quickly, closing the door behind her.
Ragnar waits for the door to close and the sound of footsteps down the hall.
"Daughter huh. You tell em that? Let's keep that little lie going for a bit. You'll safer that way I think. Now, what were you about to say before the woman came in here?"
The girl impulsively reaches out and grabs a lock of blond hair that sticks out over Ragnar's face. She tugs at it slightly and smiles shyly. Then she lets go, presses her back to the wall while hugging Bubbles to her chest and hides her face behind its head. All except her eyes which look at Ragnar intently.
"I didn't tell the nice lady any lies. She just thinks what she thinks." Scrawny shoulders shrug at this. "Always better to let people think what they think. They prefer it. That's what Corie says."
A nimble little hand reaches out and snags a berry. Popping it into her mouth, the girl chews noisily. Quite obviously she has never had any training in eating etiquette, and when berry juice runs down her chin, she wipes her mouth with her fingers and proceeds to lick them.
The girl grabs a piece of cheese, and her and Bubbles flop down next to Ragnar. Her scrawny body presses up against his blanket covered form. She stuffs the cheese in her mouth and says, "Youf gointa safe me fwom da Whisswer - da baf man. He wans me ta do sumfink bad...(gulp), and I...don't...wannaaa..." The last few words comes out softly as her eyes start to flicker. Within a few more seconds, the small girl is fast asleep.
Ragnar eats of the food presented. His mind thinks over what the girl has told him. Xulgag and the other woman, Corie? They've gone... Could they be dead? That will be the first stop when they leave he decides. Investigate that hillside. Xul wouldn't leave him behind, not like that. Obviously some magic is afoot. Maybe they could open the door again? Maybe there's another entrance?
"Well, before any of that I guess I should find out where here is." Ragnar says aloud.
Ragnar straps on his dagger and pulls his boots on. He heads downstairs to get a better idea of where he is.
Coming down the stairs, Ragnar sees to the right is just a hallway of single bed cells. Obviously Ragnar and the young girl had been given a slightly larger room upstairs. Immediately next to the stairs is an open door and the warm noon sun is shining brightly. Outside in the courtyard is a couple of tables and bench seats with a waxed cloth tarp covering them to provide a little shade. Spring is getting into gear and there is barely any chill at all. However, there do appear to be thick fluffy clouds on the horizon and the occasional strata dot the sky overhead.
"Well, Norri," a turbaned man seated at one of the table says quietly, "Our Linnorm King has awakened." He holds a mug and addresses a dwarf in a traveler's tunic.
The dwarf turns around and gives Ragnar a critical eye. "Aye, and so 'e is!"
At the other table another figure is seated who watches this exchange with a wary expression.
Ragnars youthful face lights up at the turbaned man's comment.
"Aye a Linnorm King! That I shall be, but first The Stolen Lands! Hahaha!" Damn... That was dumb Ragnar! You don't know these men, shouldn't mouth off your goal, Uncle would never have done that.
He gathers his composure and moves towars the bar.
Ragnar Ragnarson is young warrior. Breaking the six foot mark, he has a plain face, not overtly handsome, not hideous either, but his personality is what wins his friends. His long blond hair matches his short stubble and falls unkempt from his head. He wears it as a mark of his Ulfen ancestry, to strike fear in Riverland enemies! His build is strong and the muscles flex against the light jerkin he wears as he sits at the bar facing towards the barkeep.
"Are you Oleg? I would have some questions for you. Do you have an accurate map of the nearby area? Where am I exactly?"
The man looks at Ragnar sharply.
"I do be Oleg, but...are you sure your feeling okay, sonny?"
After a couple of seconds being slightly dazzled by the sun, Ragnar realizes there is no "barkeep". He addresses a thin man with a dour yet inquisitive expression. He stands holding a small handless bucket which contains what is probably some kind of sauce that he has been slathering on the roasting flesh of a small wild pig which he has been turning on a spit.
The "bar" is merely a plank of wood atop some wooden horses that has some cooking implements placed atop.
Ragnar shakes his head as his eyes adjust.
"huh... I coulda swore I was inside... Ah---Yes I am feeling quite fine. Back to my questions..."
Ragnar rubs his hand over the back of his skull...
No bumps, huh, must be
Ciri nearly chokes on her drink at the pronouncement of the "king", turning the laugh into a cough as she surveys the men around her.
King? Of what? Dirt? Sticks? This place has a long way to go before it's a worthy kingdom for anybody. Ciri thinks, stretching her long, booted legs out under the plank table.
Long, lean, and light-boned, the young woman has black hair pulled back into a heavy tail. Her pack rests against the table leg along with a longbow and quiver, but the short sword remains at her side, belted over worn studded leather armor. Keen gold eyes watch the men around her warily. She stabs a piece of meat on her plate with a clawed finger and nibbles on it delicately, watching... always watching.
Hmm... Blondie's not well. Injured? These folks seem to treat him decently enough.
Oleg seems to consider Ragnar a moment, then grunts and says, "We know a little of the surround, but Svetlana and I - that's ma wife - we mostly keep to the post. Lots of danger around out here."
Ragnar feels a tug on his sleeve. The dwarf he had seen before is standing next to him. He smiles at Ragnar broadly and offers his thick hand.
"Ma name's Norri Gunderson! Me and Subota' der," he gestures to the turbaned man, "Wee found ya, and the wee lass out in the wilderness. Bettin' ya haf ull kina questions."
He holds out his arm to indicate Ragnar should come and sit with the pair.
As he does so, a short figure in a ratty cloak and silly straw hat is being pushed out of a building across from the boarding rooms. The middle-aged woman Svetlana is bustling a rather rumpled looking halfling out the door.
"Out, Grub. Out! No more stew! That's meant to be for dinner," she says loudly.
"Here now! It's only me foorth bool! There's still moor than half left!" the figure cries indignantly. Having successfully deposited the rumpled guide outside, Svetlana puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head. Then she retreats inside. Looking around with a put-upon expression, Grub spies Ciri and his nose twitches funnily. He puts a spoon into the bowl of what must be Svetlana's stew and makes as if to approach her when he sees Ragnar.
"Oh!" he squawks and seems unsure what to do. He blinks several times, then makes a decision. With a silly looking smile he sort of waddle/strides over to Ciri.
"Why hullo! I'm Grub, guide extradonarry. Need someone to take you into the wild?" His waggling eyebrows make it obvious he thinks he's as smooth as butter.
Ciri cocks her head at the funny little man, pinning him with her golden gaze. "Maybe. I bet you would be handy if a bear attacked."
She grins at Grub in the event he understood. "I might at that. Have you perchance heard anything about a colony of tieflings 'round these parts?" Her Chelaxian accent is anything but folksy. She raises her voice slightly so it carries to the other table. "What about you gentlemen? Hear of any colonies of the damned nearby?"
Ragnar moves to sit with the dwarf and human, his 'saviors' as it were.
"Might I get a drink?"
He eyes the dwarf and man. They look capable enough, and they saved me? They might be of some help then.
Looking to the dwarf and man, "And you friends, I suppose I owe you. A great deal. I have some questions however. Can you take me back to the mountainside where you came across me and th- my girl. I lost a friend there and I mean to do my damnedest to find him. Afterwards there may be work for a couple of sellswords such as yourselves"
Hearing the dark woman from the other table, "Colony of the damned? Aye the men I sent to their infernal rest! Haha!" Ragnar takes a deep drink from a mug.
"So friends? What do you think?"
Ciri rolls her eyes at Ragnar's braggadocio. She nibbles another chunk of meat from her plate, then shoves it across the table to the odd little man.
"You look hungry and I eat like a bird. Feel free to help yourself if you'll tell me something about this place."
"Might I get a drink?"
Subotai stands a and picks up a mug from a small rack next to the the tables. A small "tenner" sits on the table next to Norri and Subotai, and he fills the mug and hands it to Ragnar.
"Can you take me back to the mountainside where you came across me and th- my girl. I lost a friend there and I mean to do my damnedest to find him. Afterwards there may be work for a couple of sellswords such as yourselves."
Norri and Subotai look at one another their expressions grave. Someewhat hesitantly, Norri says, "Ah...o' coorse you wood. Woodn't be an Ulfen warrior if ya didna want dat." Norri looks uncomfortable. "See, ah...we cood hare the fightin' and the yellin'...we two got der and well, yore friend...well, he obviously loved ya like a brother...there was a beast..and, uh.."
Subotai raises his hand as Norri stutters. Looking at Ragnar with all seriousness, he says quietly, "Your half-orc friend saved your life. A great monstrosity with several mouths made to leap at your back, and your friend tackled it. They both rolled into an opening in the hill. Two men dressed as soldiers closed some kind of...door?..behind them and ran off. We saw you were beset by more if less fearsome creatures including..." Subotai looks slightly uncomfortable. He turns and glances over his shoulder to confirm that Ciri and Grub were involved.
"We found no trace of the hill. It's all normal looking prairie now. I don't think there will be any reason to go back there, and it is at least a two day ride from this place. Unless, you think you can get the little one to undo what she did."
Norri smacks his lips froma swig he just had and eyes Ragnar's reaction. "O' coorse we always be lookin' fer good coin...and jobs come fast and quick from da residents of dese parts as hard as dat be to believe. If ya be as handy with yore ax as it seemed ya to be, I be guessin' we cood support yore questin'."
Ciri gazes into the distance, lost in thought.
As Subotai relates the tale, the light in Ragnar's eyes dim.
She brought down the hill... Why would she... How could she do such a thing.
"I understand... If she can undo what she has done... Well, that doesn't seem likely but we may find ourselves back there. As it is, I will hire you on for the time being. You see, I aim to reclaim these Stolen Lands from the brigands and monsters within. It is my goal, and my right to rule them. "
"Without my battle brother I will be at a loss. I'll need strong arms and men of your talents I'm sure. I can offer you a share of any loot we find as we clear our land. But I'm....well I'm not sure where to start. I'm not entirely sure where HERE is. Does this trade post have a nearby town I may be familiar with? Are either of you a guide in these lands?"
At the mention of 'guide' Ragnar remembers Svetlanna's mention of Grub the Guide.
Had I arranged to meet him? That blow to the head must've shook loose more than I thought... And when did I even get hit! My axe and shield were in amazing form...
Turning to the table with Grub and the dark woman.
"You there, little one. Are you... Grub?"
"Maybe. I bet you would be handy if a bear attacked."
Grub smiles broadly and spoons up a mouthful of stew.
"Ah, but the trick is to not even let the bear know you're there. I know how to gets around attacking bears, heh heh." This time when Grub grins, there's a bit of herb stuck in between his front to teeth.
"I might at that. Have you perchance heard anything about a colony of tieflings 'round these parts?"
For a second, the halfling blinks then too casually gives Ciri a much more thorough once over with his eyes. He mutters to himself for a second and then shrugs. His final words are slightly more audible than the rest. "...still be worth it..."
"I have heard...some rumors of rumors. Not too much more than whispers in the wind around these parts. Some of the more...wild living hermits I have come across said something about some "devil-spawn" taking over somewhere. I always be thinking it meant some devils or demons about...but possible it meant the children of such."
"You look hungry and I eat like a bird. Feel free to help yourself if you'll tell me something about this place."
With no hesitation, Grub grabs a hunk of bread and tears off a piece, secures a small piece of meat and dips both right into the stew before stuffing into his his mouth. Cheeks bulging, he nods excitedly, and says, "Eye nofe evweytink wiffin thurdee mowf!"
Then he glances at Ragnar when the blond warrior calls out to him, and a dejected look appears on his face. Swallowing, he then mumbles, "But...uh, I kinda am hired by him already..."
Ciri gives a moue of disappointment. "I'd try to hire you away, were it not for a slight problem. That problem being I've nothing to hire you with. You're probably in a better position to hire me." She glares at poor Grub, realizing what she just said. "And I don't mean I'm for hire for that"
" You're probably in a better position to hire me."
Grub's eyes light up and his herb-toothed smile reappears.
"And I don't mean I'm for hire for that."
The smile wilts under Ciri's glare. He casts a somewhat rueful glance towards Ragnar.
Ciri unfolds herself from the bench and steps clear of the table, stretching. Grabbing her mug and abandoning her meal to Grub, she saunters to the other table and plops down on the nearest open foot of bench.
"So, you've had the foresight to hire the only guide around. Good for you!" She raises her mug and sips a little toast to Ragnar. "What do you plan to do with him? Where are you headed? I'm looking for some potential allies who may or may not be around here - and may or may not be allies. It could be that our paths lie together for a while." She nods towards Grub. "Even with that ferocious tiger as a guide, I'd welcome more aid in this godsforsaken wildnerness."
Ragnar looks startled as the woman speaks to him.
"Oh? Well, I'm not sure you'll be of use... You may just slow us down. Grub the Guide come join us over here please. You, miss, what is your name? And what, talents do you have?"
At the mention of talents Ragnar's gaze sweeps over Ciri's form.