Josh rubs his shoulders and replies "Well, I took some fencing classes when I was 16. I was pretty good at it, though not enough to beat a trained swordsman." Josh's eyes light up. "However, I would guess that when we touched the power well, our bodies weren't the only things to enhance. Our minds probably did as well-and with them, our expertise with weapons. I'm pretty sure that I know a LOT more than I did in the other world."
Turning to Phil, Josh says "As demonstrated by Adam's miraculous recovery, we have probably picked up some talents that we didn't even have to begin with."
Josh sits down and begins to think, and delves into the fantasy world that he escapes to when he needs to process things. Goblins. CR 1/3. 1 HD. BAB +1. AC 16. Ogre. CR 3. 4 HD. BAB +4. Dang. I guess reciting these roleplaying facts to myself to escape isn't good now. I'm in that world now. Only way to go is forward.
Looking up and smiling weakly, Josh turns to Robin and asks "Any of that wine left? I need a stiff drink right now."
"I can help fight the ogre." Lydia stands and hunches her shoulders forward, tucking her chin and raising her fists in a boxing stance. She looks comfortable, practiced, bobbing her head side to side minutely. Then she stands straigh and her easy athletic confidence drains away. "Then I want to find a way home. Robin has been great, this place is very nice but I don't want to stay here forever. I'll do whatever it takes, fight anyone I have to...I am going to see my family again."
As the group talks, Robin finally recalls where he put the key.
Carefully reaching under the stove, he come back with the desired object, and giving a hearty grin to all, unlocks the chest with a loud click.
A coppery smell immediately enters the room, quickly to fade, and within are a number of items. Robin takes them out carefully and places them side by side. First is a shortsword with a wide blade, having the appearance much like a gladius, the handle sports a wooden pommel carved into the likeness of a wolf's head. Secondly, we takes out a hand axe, the blade almost silver, but a thin layer of dust barely hiding the shine. Lastly he pulls out a chain shirt sown over a thin suit of leather armor, and a finely made light crossbow carved of black wood.
"These should help you I think, they're not as much use to me any more," he says holding up his fingers. You can see his knuckles have been broken several times, and although now healed, he shows the telltale signs of arthritis and a slight tremor.
"It'll be nice for them to be of use to someone, rather than sitting under the house for twenty more years." he chuckles.
Since Miya had weapons of her own (her twin swords), she believed it was only fair that her friends choose from the items Robin had taken from his secret chest.
"Luc, maybe the silver hand axe would best be suited to you...? I have my weapons and will not be taking any other at present."
Would Lydia take the crossbow? And Josh the sword? And, the person in their group most susceptible and more likely to fall if hit should wear the armor...Phillip could make a staff -- the forest had plenty of wood.
"Robin, you have been very generous with these weapons, here. But do you have any knives or daggers our group could use, please?"
It never hurt to have backup weapons, especially if they were going to take on an ogre.
Having heard Josh mention their newfound talents, Miya shrugged and informed him and the others, "I don't think I can heal like you Josh... Does anyone else have that ability?"
Phillip watches as Robin pulls out the weapons one by one. The reality of it hits him, staring at the blades. This is our life now. Fighting off monsters. Sleeping on the ground. No radios, no computers, no cars or planes or even a bike to get around. And no way to call anyone even if the phones were working.
Looking wistful, he gives Lydia a weak smile. "I'm sure we'll find a way back soon." He says, trying to convince himself as much as the others. Then his face seems to brighten a bit. "Besides, the Camaro's due for a tune up and I still owe you beer from last time."
Josh looks at the weapons laid out in a row.. Tentatively, he grabs the shortsword. As soon as he grabs it, Josh knows that the gladius was meant for him. Giving the blade a few experimental swings, the young aasimar quickly gets used to the weight of the blade.
Turning to Miya, Josh grins impishly. "Wanna spar? he asks with a bright white smile.
"I've never shot one of these before but I can try if no one else wants to use it. It looks pretty neat." Lydia picks up the crossbow and turns it over in her hands, inspecting the mechanisms thoroughly. She tests the weight of the thing and puts it up to a shoulder to peer down the sights before placing it back on the table. "I think I'd rather be up close, whacking things with a stick though. Playing hockey taught me some nasty tricks in the corners and I learned a few things from Graham too. Me and Phillip could both make staves."
Lucian nods at Miya's suggestion, his military mindset taking over as he approaches the weapons, appraising their quality.
He picks up the handaxe, expecting a heavy cumbersome thing, but it feels extremely light in his hands - almost too light. He raises an eyebrow in consideration of what such a small weapon could do to something like what an ogre should probably be, but reminds himself of the hospitality offered by Robyn, and turns to thank him - "A fine weapon, and definitely an upgrade from my knife" - he smiles - "I will put it to good use, as a reminder of it being swung in your hand"
He then turns his attention to the chain shirt, rolling it over and recollecting what he had learned about body armour - "I think I could use this, but I do not know how it is supposed to be worn" - he turns again to Robyn with an apologetic nod - "Would you assist me?"
To Josh's request to spar, Miya grins back and replies, "A little later, Josh. Right now we need to sort a few things out. Okay?"
At Luc's request for the chain shirt, Miya tilts her head. "I have no objection to you wearing it, Luc, as you are probably the one who'll be readily in combat because of your army experience. I just thought that, maybe one of the others less handy with a weapon could wear it for protection. But if no one wants to claim it, then it is yours."
As you lift the armor to examine it, you seems much lighter than it should be. Almost like a heavy sweater, rather than the steel it seems to be made of, it seems almost as supple. Examine it further, Miya slides her arm into the sleeve to test it, and finds that rather subtly, the armor extends to cover her arm in full!
Robin nods to the group.
"Aye, those items have served me well in my day. I could tell you a story or two. Heh." He scratches his head absently. "But that's for another time. You folk have a look in your eyes. Like you are born to heroes' work. I was at the game in my youth, so I think I can say with confidence. Whatever you get into...it's bound to be something worth writing down."
Josh nods at Miya, and, with another blinding smile, turns to Robin. "And I'll be the one writing it! he says.
"My friends, unless you have any more questions to ask poor old Robin-his mind is almost certainty befuddled by our talk of interdimensional travel-we should probably be in our way. This ogre sounds like a nuisance that should be disposed of ASAP, and the sooner we go, the sooner we beat Grox and the sooner that we do that, the sooner we can find a way to get home.
Miya watched curiously as the light armour seemed to expand to encompass her form. So it seemed to fit people Robin's size and larger. She hazarded a guess that Robin was somewhere between 4 and 5 feet tall. If Luc did take the armour to wear, it would certainly fit him, too.
Turning her focus onto Josh, she replied, "Josh, slow down a little. We don't know where this ogre's lair is or how far away it is. We have no supplies, food or water to travel with, and both Phillip and Lydia need to make their staves, so they are not weaponless. Let's make some plans and get organised before we go trudging through a unfamiliar forest. Okay?"
She spoke patiently to Josh - He was always eager and raring to go and she found herself tempering the enthusiasm with her practicality.
Lucian looks amazed as the armor seems to stretch to fit Miya's size - "Spandex armor?" - he jests - "Wow, that is incredible..."
He nods in agreement with her words - "In fact, while we finish our preparations, I would not mind scouting the area around us - those... Creatures... Are bound to return, correct Robyn?" - he adds to their host - "If they do so, and we are prepared, we can perhaps start by dwindling their numbers using the terrain to our advantage"
"It should fit you, if you are going to wear the armour, Luc."
Listening to Luc discuss plans to scout ahead and waiting out the goblins' next sheep heist, Miya added, "They saw us, Luc. I suspect more goblins will come calling next time. But you're right -- we need to start evening the odds in our favour. Maybe set some traps around the farm..."
"And Luc, I can help with the scouting, if you want some company."
Phillip takes a deep breath, steeling himself, "Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be too hard to make a staff. And I wouldn't mind some sparring myself. If we're really going to go up against an ogre then I want to know how to take a few hits."
He smiles to Lydia, "But take it easy on me, eh?"
"It should fit you, if you are going to wear the armour, Luc."
Listening to Luc discuss plans to scout ahead and waiting out the goblins' next sheep heist, Miya added, "They saw us, Luc. I suspect more goblins will come calling next time. But you're right -- we need to start evening the odds in our favour. Maybe set some traps around the farm..."
"And Luc, I can help with the scouting, if you want some company."
"That would be great Miya" - Lucian nods at his friend - "I have the feeling teamwork will get us through this. We have to lean on and support each other at every chance" - his tone has grown more serious as he speaks, perhaps considering further the path ahead of them - "Let me see if I can get into this" - he adds, picking up the chain shirt - "And perhaps we can start by trying to track down, at least a ways, where those goblins came from?"
Miya nodded at Lucian.
"Phillip, if Josh can spar with you and Lydia while we make an initial search of the forest, that would be good. Adam?" Miya looked to her friend sitting at the table. "If your ankle is fully healed now, will you aid Luc and I? You've always been good in, and around, nature."
Miya took a few steps to Luc's side and attempted to help him with the one-size-fits-all armour. "We all need weapons and armour", Miya muttered under her breath. "Wish we had some long range binoculars, but somehow I don't think this place has the kind I mean. We could then watch the goblins and ogre from range." Miya sighed softly but out aloud. How could she protect her friends if they had the barest of resources in some strange universe ...
"Robin, do you have anything which will aid us to see over long distances? In our wo...town, they're called binoculars. They have glass/mirrors and can be adjusted to see over distance." Miya gestured with her hands hoping the shepherd would understand what she was seeking.
Josh nods at Miya's suggestion. "Good idea, Miya. You and Luc had some fighting prowess before the event, though me, Lydia, and Philip had none. Sparring would help out a ton."
Turning to Philip, Josh takes out a penknife from his vest. "Here. This ought to help you trim a branch. While you guys are making your staves, I'll practice some of my own skills outside."
Giving a friendly wave to everyone, Josh heads just outside the cabin, leaving the door open. Taking a deep breath, Josh starts tumbling around, doing cartwheels and midair antics.
Unfortunately, he falls flat on his face. Swearing, he tries again.
A bit better, but not much. "Let's try this again," Josh mutters, and tries yet again.
This time, Josh successfully performs midair tumbles and cartwheels. Smiling at his success, he goes back inside.
"Before we can spar, we need to make our weapons." Lydia unshoulders her backpack and rummages through it, producing the roll of athletic tape. "I use this for my hockey sticks. I bet it's be good for a quarterstaff too."
She considers her bag, a light but sturdy army-style backpack made of thick canvas and olive drab in colour. The straps are generously padded and can be joined with a buckle at her chest for extra support. As well as the two main compartments, there are a number of smaller pockets and pouches and several strategically located D-rings to provide additional storage.
Picking up the crossbow a second time, she tries to decide on a way to carry it on the bag somehow. After trying a few positions, some too tenuous, some too restrictive and others too uncomfortable she finally settles on slinging it through the bottom of her left shourlder strap so the bow of it rests on against the side of her midriff, supported by the bag at one side and the strap at the other. Then she speaks to their host.
"Is there a good place in the forest nearby that me and Philip can get wood to make staves, Robin?"
Adam nods to Miya.
"Yes, whatever Josh did, I do feel much better...though..." and his voice trails off. "Nevermind. I think I'm just still a bit shocked by all of this. I mean, really? Are we all really here? It's still alot to take in." he sighs, "But I suppose we should make the best of it. The plantlife and few animals I've seen seem normal enough. I think I could probably help."
"I just can't seem to shake this feeling..." he shakes his head. "It's probably just shock. We should get going."
Robin seems puzzled when Miya mentions the binoculars.
"Well, sailors use something similar, though I've heard em call it a spyglass. But no, I don't have one of those. You might find a merchant that deals in that type of thing, but your best bet is in town."
He turns to Lydia.
"As for where you can get good bits of wood, just off in the forest is full of it." He says with a smile. "Every bit of wood I used on this stead came from the lumber I cut down with my own hands, and from that very forest." the last be he said with more than a bit of pride.
"I don't go to far into the woods these days though, on account of them goblins. Not to bad if you catch one of them, but in a group the can get pretty brazen...leastways when it's just an old man and his dog." he sighs.
He catches a bit of Josh's antics trough the open door, and a smile comes over his face, as well as a wistful look. Remembering the days of his own youth, no doubt, when he was more fit for adventures.
Before leaving with Lucian and Adam to scout the forest, Miya asked the shepherd one last question,
"Robin, do you know how many goblins are with Grox? And does the ogre have some traps set in the woods? I'd rather we didn't walk into one while searching for him and the goblins."
Phillip nods to Josh and slides the knife into his pocket. "Thanks, that will definitely help. Though..."
He turns to Robin. "Do you happen to have an axe we can use? Maybe we could get you some firewood to return the favor?"
Robin nods knowingly to Miya.
"Aye...although I can't say for sure, I'd say he's got about a dozen of em, though he sends em off on all manner of tasks I'd imagine. From what I've heard from their chatter, they're holed up in the ruins of an old temple. Grox himself sleeps away the day in the basement most days, drunk on whatever spirits the little buggers pilfer for him."
he scratches his chin.
"As for traps, don't think them gobs got enough brains in em to make anything more complicated than a snare."
Standing up and stretching, he responds to Phillips question about the axe.
"Fraid the only axe I've got was the one your strong friend over there is holding. For cutting down branches and whatnot, I do use this here sling, though." He points to a rather crude looking and worn machete leaning against the head of his bed.
"You're welcome to borrow it, by all means."
"That would be great, thanks. I wouldn't want to damage the axe on cutting trees." Phillip picks up the machete and heads for the front door. "Guess we'll meet back here before sunset?"
"I guess that plan is as good as any other" - Lucian adds - "Ready to go Miya?" - he asks, moving to the door.
Miya checked her weapons -- both the katana and wakizashi. She lifted the smaller backpack and put it across her back. The other bag she left with Lydia in the cottage.
Facing Luc and Adam, she responded, "I'm ready. A dozen goblins, we should be very quiet out there. This is just a scouting mission."
"Moving about silently is not my thing" - Lucian shrugs apologetically at his companion as they roam around the area.
A smile played across her lips and Miya nodded at Lucian. "Hopefully when we've drawn closer, you might not be heard."
Following for a few moments, Adam picks up his pace and begins to walk ahead.
As the three companions enter the forest, he pauses and looks up at the trees.
They are tall and broad,, with a light whitish color of wood. The leaves are broad and several shades of green all swirled together. The bark itself has spiraling patterns.
"Strange. Like it's a hybrid of a few different species. Never seen anything like this back home." he comments.
Although he is apparently trying to conceal it, Adam shakes slightly as you all walk. Perhaps he is nervous? He slaps the back of his neck reflexively.
"Mosquito." he says to noone in particular.
After what seems like about a half an hour of walking deeper into the forest, as the trees get thicker. Adam finally seems to see some sort of tracks.
"Look here", he says almost too quietly. Pointing just a few feet ahead of him, there are a number of shuffled marks in the ground. He stares at them for a few moments.
"How tall do you think they were? About three, three and a half feet?" Not really waiting for an answer, he walks to the nearest tree, nodding to himself.
"Yeah. I don't know if Robin is right or not about them not being smart enough for traps, but they seem to be marking their path for some reason." He points to the tree, and just about two feet up from the ground is a palm sized "X" carved into the bark.
"Dammnit!" He says, slapping his arm and scratching at it vigorously.
Miya's eyes followed Adam's directions and she listened to his words. He was the most knowledgeable about trees and alike -- she did not have any further knowledge to share on the matter. She had some skill in locating tracks, however.
In lowered voice, she asked, "Is it common for goblins to mark territory in this way? How many trees have been marked?" The question seemed absurd for goblins weren't supposed to exist -- but she had to ask since apparently they did exist in this place. But her voice seemed to carry more than she cared for.
Miya's eyes scanned the surrounding trees, hoping to spot more of the X's or something other. But again, she wasn't able to discern much from her place on the ground.
Josh heads outside again, looking for likely branches for Phil and Lyd to use as staves. Casually, he starts jumping and tumbling over to the forest.
Landing at the edge of the trees, he searches for any likely branches.
Lydia follows Phillip out the door.
"We need to find a couple of good saplings, not just branches off the ground. And we should look for hardwood, like ash or oak. That's what they make hockey sticks out of. We shouldn't go too far into the forest with the, uh, goblins running around so let's see what's close, I guess."
Lucian stares at the marking on the tree - "They seemed half feral when we encountered them, but they were no animals - I found them smart enough to be more than capable of marking their territory, or at least mark a path for when and if they want to return here?" - he comments with his companions - "If that is the case, they are also leaving markings for us to follow them. Without knowing our strength, that is a stupid mistake"
He thinks on it a tad more - "If, as Robys said, they keep pestering him, this may simply be a way to know where their preys are - follow the X to get back to his farm whenever they so wish"
At Miya's suggestion, he starts looking around for more such markings.
Saplings are easy enough to find, and sticking together, the party finds a small group of the young trees several feet inside the forest.
As they take turns with the borrowed machete, Lydia notices a large black bird above them. It caws once, and cocks its head to the side.
Both Josh and Phillip can feel the hair on the backs of their necks when the creature crows, but Lydia feels no such discomfort.
Back at the cottage, outside where they begin to work the wood in to staves, the bird is seen again circling the area. Finally, it lands on the fence, caws once again, and then is silent.
Apparently hearing the bird outside, Derrick rushes out the door, barking, but as he sees the bird, he stops and simply sits next to Lydia. He licks her hand once, and returns inside to Robin.
"Lucian is on to something I think," Adam remarks, rubbing his arm.
About twenty feet or so further into the forest, Lucian does indeed spot another mark, this one a bit lighter and besides that, he also spots what appears to be a dropped waterskin, smaller than he would expect, but perhaps just the right size for one of the goblins.
Looking up, he catches a glimpse of something even more peculiar. At the top of this particular tree, he see what could only be a fairy. No bigger than the palm of his hand, dressed in a leaf pulled about it with a blade of grass, it looks down at him, swinging its feet. It then looks over to the others and waves its hand in an overexcited greeting.
Making the quarterstaff takes Lydia's mind off of her family and how lost she feels. She's not fretting about anything while she's busy stripping the little sapling of its bark, trimming the branches and smoothing the length of wood into a nicely uniform cylinder about an inch in diameter. When she dries it over a low fire, it will harden and shrink to the perfect girth for her hands.
She looks up at the crow, brushing back her dark bangs at the same time, when it squawks at her, Phillip and Josh. Squinting in the brightness of the sunny day, she sits up straight and still for a moment. She grins at the bird.
"You look like a Neville. Neville the Crow." she says to it before returning her attention to the weapon she is crafting.
Miya, craning her head, looked up to the top part of the tree. She managed to catch a glimpse of a very small creature; what could only be described as a fairy from the old faerytales she was read as a child, excitedly waving down at them.
Miya cautiously called out to the fairy, ensuring her voice wasn't too loud to draw unwanted attention, "Hello, up there. We mean you no harm. We are looking for the goblins who may have passed through, here. Can you help us, please?"
Phillip glances up uneasily at the crow as he hacks at his own length of branch trying to follow Lydia's lead. He holds up his makeshift staff for inspection.
"Well I'm not going to win any prizes, but I think it will work well enough to beat back some goblins."
Once the saplings are stripped and shaped, they need to be dried. The best thing would be to allow them to dry on their own but that would take far too long. The next best thing would be a oven or kiln set to a low temperature, the kind that are used back in the "normal" world but Lydia doubts Robyn has such a thing available so she and Phillip will have to take turns over treating their wood over an open fire.
"There's not much else we can do out here in the forest so let's head back to Robyn's place." she says to her friends. "I wonder how Miya and Luc are doing. Those goblins seem like they wouldn't be so tough one on one but a whole gang of them together could be trouble. Like a bunch of grade school bullies too scared to step up when they are alone but all kinds of badass when two or three of them are together." She rolls her eyes at this last sentence.
The fairy stands up quickly, shaking herself. She nods down at Miya.
With a kick off of the branch, she is in the air, twirling around, wings beating almost too fast to see.
"Goblins? Goblins goblins goblins... nasty ones, them." she says in a singsong voice.
"Goblins been by here, not too long ago, they have. You followin' em, eh?"
She flutters down next to Lucian and Adam, pausing for a moment in front of the latter, and lingers for a moment, cocking her head to the side.
"Hm..."
Then over to Lucian,
"You're a big one," she says with a giggle. "You lookin' for the goblins too?"
Darting back over to Miya,
"I could take you to em...I coooould. But Not For Free." She turns upsidedown mid-air and hovers that way for several seconds.
"Whadda ya got ta trade?"
As Lydia and Phillip work on preparing their staves and Josh get himself more amped and familiar with his weapon, the crow "Neville" as Lydia has named it, seems to hang around. Never too far away, it always seems to be looking at Lydia, though strangely enough it has a coyness about it, and quickly "pretends" to be involved with something else should he be looked in the eye.
At the same time, Robin and Derrick move back and forth from the house, the old man talking as you goes through some of his daily chores. He moves to the back of the house, where you later find he has a small garden, growing carrots, onions and herbs of several kinds noone seems to recognize. He tells anyone who will listen about his adventuring days; it seems he was an "expert trapsmith" in his own group, with a keen eye for danger and a quick hand. He tells of a time he went with his group following an underground river, and the eyeless creatures they fought off to retrieve an enchanted key for the daughter of a neighboring lord. He tells the story with equal parts nostalgia, and frustration, the secon]seemingly directed a the archer he traveled with, , a "Blue Elf".
Darting back over to Miya,
"I could take you to em...I coooould. But Not For Free." She turns upsidedown mid-air and hovers that way for several seconds.
"Whadda ya got ta trade?"
Since they had only just arrived in this strange world, Miya had no clue what would constitute a fair trade by a faery.
She pulled the backpack from her shoulder and rummaged within it. She spied something red and shiny and drew it out. "Miss Faery... err sorry, I don't know your name. I have this sweet, red apple I can trade you for showing us where the goblin camp is?"
With a final flourish, Josh whacks off an imaginary goblin's head. "Kyah!" he screams, and then turns around and tosses his blade in the air, deftly catching it. "I like it, Robin. Maybe you can show me how to use it a bit better?" Josh says, turning to Robin.
Lucian's eyes dart from one side to the other, following the small, fluttering creature with attentive eyes.
In spite of its non-threatening looks, he moves ovr closer to Miya as she offers the apple to the creature - "Trading is good" - he offers - "Would you be trading information with us, or are there any additional wares we could talk about?" - he begins, then notices the apple - "Fine looking piece of fruit that one" - he adds with a smile.
Phillip smiles at Lydia's comment, feeling a bit more confident now that he had a weapon. "Yeah, those goblins seemed to cut and run pretty quickly. Now they're going to face six armed warriors."
He gathers up some kindling and stray wood for the fire, following the others back to the house. Periodically he turns back to keep tabs on the crow.
"I think that bird is watching us. It's unnerving." His eyes suddenly go wide. "Do you think some evil witch is watching us through it's eyes?"
He shakes off the thought and chuckles, trying to play it off as a joke, but keeps close watch on the crow.
The fairy hovers over the apple for a moment, looking at her reflection in its bright red skin.
"Tis a fine looking apple indeed, big one. But apples we can get on our own. We wants something new, we does."
She giggles,
"And if its really nice, maybe we throw in something extra? Maybe we give you some Shot to help against the gobbos?"
Adam frowns at the creature, but he can't suppress the curiosity he has about the creature. He watches it carefully, watching its wings, noting how fast they beat, taking note of each movement, as if analyzing an slide of a cadaver.
He flexes his fingers, and holds his left wrist with his hand, squeezing it slightly and holding back a slight twinge of pain. Then for no apparent reason, closes one eye and looks at Miya and Lucian.
"Can we spare anything for the... fairy? Sheesh. Fairy." He sighs.
"Are you sure I'm not still back at the hospital?"
"Oh s@+%! I never even thought of that!" Lydia exclaims with a gasp, causing both Robyn and Derrick to quickly look in her direction. She smiles and gives a small wave of assurance to their host, then continues in a lower voice to Phillip. "There's goblins and ogres so why not evil witches too, right? Anything could be possible. Still though...I kind of like him. He doesn't seem malicious, he's just curious. And he's got a certain, hmmm...dignity.' She laughs a little at the notion but it feels like the right description for the crow.