The bugbear frowns and draws his axe.
"Shoulda stayed put girly."
The ronin knew fighting on her back against a creature this strong was a losing proposition. Better to die on your feet. She risks the creature's axe and springs to her feet while driving her katana at the bugbear's eyes, hoping it blinks instead of burying the axe in her skull.
Jerukh also slows his pace as nothing seems to be happening.
The healer frowns, listens and eyes the treeline behind them before frowning again;
"Nothing follows us now. Perhaps we lost it? Perhaps Reiko sprung her trap? Most likely it saw what we planned... Fey are keen and cunning..."
The lanky half-orc sighs , then nods toward the track before them and the threatening clouds;
"Best we push on. Storm coming..."
Thinking about it, she's no longer sure she understands how the plan was supposed to work. We follow the track, Reiko waits for whatever is following us then follows it, and.....?
"Are you sure we're not being followed anymore? If whatever is following us isn't anymore, and Reiko is following it, then where is she going now?
"Fey are very tricky. They also have the home advantage here. If even I can follow their trail, they meant for us to. We're being lured. But we don't have a choice. If we wait for better weather, I might not be able to pick out the tracks anymore after rain."
Jerukh stops, eyes first the trail...
:
.. then the others;
"So do we forge ahead? Wait for Reiko... or backtrack and seek her out?"
The half orc's brow furrows;
"Ach. Shalelu is a good woman, but Reiko is my friend. I do not know what to do. What is right to do..."
The brute catches you in the side and opens a serious, though not mortal, wound. He sidesteps your counterattack and though his swing is clumsier, it still hits and opens another bleeding gash.
"Surrender an' I'll go easy on ya," the bugbear laughs.
"If you say so," Iona says after a moment.
Ameiko on the other hand, looks like she wants to protest, but after a moment, her shoulders slump.
"Fine, but we need to hurry," she grumbles.
Reiko grits her teeth and clamps a hand over the wound in her side, hoping the pain will drive away the fog that threatens to overcome her senses. She staggers around the bugbear warily, wracking her mind for any knowledge she gleaned of the species in her travels while she probes for an opening to strike. She glances at the necklace of ears, hoping not to see a fresh and familiar one. She shakes her head at the monster's offer. She wouldn't make it that easy for him. She catches her breath, summoning the dregs of her fighting spirit. Never surrender. Never.
"Before you die..." She wheezes, "...two questions: Is my elven ally still alive? And what is your name?" Before he can answer, Reiko's bloody hand slides from wound to hilt as she leaps and fires off a flurry of desperate sword strikes, trying to catch the monster unawares.
The bugbear staggers under the assault, but despite being bloodied, he grins as he attacks. The blow catches you in your uninjured shoulder and spins you around. Your arms go numb and the Whispering Shrike slips from your hands to fall to the mud. You vision narrows, and you feel oddly light, yet heavy and tired at the same time.
"Fadzmuthus is me name. The pointy-eared b%#$+ is still breathing. Want her to see all o' you dead 'fore we take her ears," the bugbear answers as he steps up to you. Through blurring vision you can see his sneer as he raises a fist.
Then there are stars, and everything goes black.
"Vigny's right about fey. They can be tricksy, and if the rain washes away the trail, then we won't be able to find them unless they want us to," Ameiko argues. "besides, we don't know if Reiko even needs our help. We know that Shalelu does. If she's been taken, then we need to hurry. I can't imagine many things that would keep her alive for long if they had her at their mercy."
Iona merely looks at the trail that Vigny was busy studying.
"I hate to say this, but she's right. Reiko may be in trouble, but we know for certain Shalelu is. If we have to choose, Shalelu is the one that needs us more," the blind woman adds.
In the heavens above, thunder rolls through the clouds that grow ever heavier with rain.
Reiko takes the blow and staggers sideways. It would be easy to let it overcome her, let it drive her into unconsciousness. That would be a balm for the pain of her wounds. But dishonorable as she is, Reiko is samurai... and her allies are depending on her.
The steel core that is at the heart of her years of training takes over... and it refuses the blessed gift of unconsciousness. Her failing hands grabs the Shrike afresh and she drives the blade at the monster's chest - hilting the katana in it's sternum.
"We need either Shalelu or Reiko with us to find them both, and at least we have a route to Shalelu. If we hurry."
Jerukh listens to the conversations and debate, but says little, merely frowning in thought.
:
When the group begin to move off, the healer does not move.
"No. I will go back to find Reiko. My friend. If I augment myself I am a match for any fey or man."
The lanky healer pulls forth one of his alchemical tinctures, and the bottle containing his brutish serum.
His expression remains serious, and he tries not catch the eyes of those around him as he readies himself to depart.
"It was a bad idea for one of us to split off. Don't compound the mistake trying to correct it. And we don't have time to stand around bickering and scratching our asses over exactly who deserves what because of how we feel about them personally. The weather is going to break soon and then we're pretty much screwed. We keep moving and we do it right now."
Fadzmuthus' eyes grow wide with shock as your hands tighten around the hilt of the Whispering Shrike and drive it to the tsuba into his chest before he can strike you. His weight pulls you to your knees as he falls to the ground, dead.
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The snap of branches can be heard over the lashing rain. From the dark forest, a hunched and stumbling figure emerges. It appears to lean heavily on a cane and carries a globe in its other hand. The figure lunges forward as lightning brightens the sky, illuminating the strange creature... making it barely recognizable as Reiko, using her katana to keep her upright as she struggles forward.
The once-proud ronin is covered - head to foot - in reddish mud. Her silk robe has been dyed deep crimson with her own blood, which still flows freely from two sizeable axe gouges. One splits her shoulder, leaving an arm to hang nearly useless. The other leaves a long gash with a rib shining through below her breast. Around her wrists are the coarse remains of ropes that bound her and abraded her bloody arms. Pain is etched across her blood-smeared and sickly face. She breathes deeply and a body-wide wince racks her as the wound in her side makes her pay for every movement.
Barely perceiving her allies through the failing limits of her vision and consciousness, she stumbles forward three more steps with a sob. She drops the 'globe' - the bulbous, wire-haired, long-eared, snarling head of a bugbear. Suddenly relieved of the burden, Reiko stumbles forward and pitches into Jerukh's arms, still clinging to her sword. Her legs give out and she sobs in silent relief against the half-orc's chest for a moment before speaking. Her voice is barely a whisper, but the message is urgent.
"Shalelu is alive. They were to lure and kill us in front of her - then kill her. May have time to rescue her."
Jerukh's angry retort to Vigny dies on his lips as the wreck of Reiko shambles into their midst.
:
As she stumbles into his embrace, uttering words of hope for Shelelu's life, he realises it is by sheer will alone that the warrior conscious.
With an expression torn betwixt concern and joy the tall half orc gently lowers her to the forest floor.
Ai Mamă! She should not be standing!
Brushing away the soaking strands of hair, blood and mud from her delicate features he smiles and reaches for his pack;
"Ach... Reiko. I... We.. feared... this...
The healer's eyes glisten and he places a vial to her lips;
"Please drink. Tastes a little bitter, but will ease the pain and heal some of your wounds..."
"If they're waiting on us, then they shouldn't mind if we take the time to get Reiko back on her feet," Iona says as she places a hand over the wound in her side. There's a brief glow as divine energy knits Reiko's wounds, or rather tries to. Iona frowns and fishes out a potion to give to the injured swordswoman.
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Vigny stays back out of the way so the others will have room to help Reiko. She looks back and forth between Reiko and the bugbear head.
"That is friggin' amazing!"
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Reiko wouldn't be able to resist their healing ministrations, even if she was wanted to. She drinks what is offered without a grimace at the taste. As her flesh knits and breathing doesn't hurt any longer, a wan smile crosses her mud and blood smeared face. The cessation of agony is almost ecstasy. She seems quite content to lay on the forest floor and get soaked by the rain. Eventually, with Jerukh's help, she sits up slowly. Even though her wounds are wondrously healed, it is clear the ronin is physically spent.
She looks back and forth between Reiko and the bugbear head. "That is friggin' amazing!"
The ronin gives her the ghost of a smile. "That was Fadzmuthus. Sorry about the head, I had a promise to keep." She thinks through what to say, looking at the others with deadly earnest. "I don't know if he was the strongest of the bugbears, or if there is only one left with the Forlarren... but don't underestimate them. They are sneaky, fast, and deadly. He caught me by surprise and I won only at great cost."
"I think he was following us possibly to provide a quick warning on our approach or as an assassin when the battle started. Either way, they planned on killing Shalelu last - maybe she killed their kinsmen in the past or they hate elves so much." She takes a breath, "Help me up. We can't delay any longer."
"Right. If we can use the rain that's coming, and the poor visibility it brings, to cover our arrival we might be able to get a look at what we're dealing with. Then when it breaks we can move in to get Shalelu back."
The ronin grunts, agreeing with their ideas. She offers Soli a sincere nod of thanks for the help and takes a moment to get her footing. When she feels steady on her feet, she cuts the remaining ropes from her wrists and slowly begins walking along the trail, looking for bugbear prints.
Jerukh rises, listening to Reiko's tale of heroism and near sacrifice in a degree of awe.
He subtly attempts to dab his dewey eyes, with his sleeve - passing it off as wiping his brow;
"Healing the heroes. Hard work..."
The lanky half orc smiles awkwardly as the group ready themselves to renew their quest.
As Jerukh trudges past Vigny he gives her a hard look and some hard words;
"Glad to see you stemmed that Riddleport temper. It does not befit you."
Not waiting to see or hear Vigny's answer he moves to Reiko's shoulder attempting to assist her tracking;
:
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"Glad you didn't have to actually decide not to do something foolish" Vigny says after Jerukh, loudly enough to make sure he hears.
Cayden's Balls, what is his problem?
Vigny resumes her place behind Reiko.
Another hour passes as you follow the trail. It curves back on itself in a wide arc which seems to have been deliberate. The rain holds off and only begins to fall as you find a cave lit by a fire in the side of a small hillock. You are about sixty feet away, but you can hear what sounds like arguing.
"Fadz is late," a rumbling voice says, "said he was only gonna tail 'em for a bit."
"It does not matter," another voice, this one clear and sweet with a sinister edge to it, says "he's probably just having a little fun is all."
"Yeah, fun, an' 'ere we are with the elf-b!$!% and can't do a thing to her," a third voice growls.
Ameiko and Iona both look to you for guidance, though it's clear they want to rush in there now to help Shalelu.
Reiko agrees with Ameiko and Iona. She whispers, "The Forlarren is malicious. If we have them trapped in that cave, they will either use Shalelu to escape or kill her to spite us. Our best chance is to attack them now and secure Shalelu at the same time before they can put a knife to her."
"Unfortunately I'm in the same boat as Soli with the whole being quiet thing. I can hit them from a distance with a bow, but if they use Shalelu as a shield, it might get ugly," Iona says, her expression mirroring Soliana's.
"I've had plenty of practice sneaking around. I could go with whoever leads the charge and help keep Shalelu safe," Ameiko adds.
Thunder rumbles in the distance and rain begins to fall again. So far, it's a drizzle, but the sky is dark and a cold north wind is blowing in.
Reiko nods to Ameiko, "You're with me then. We push into the cave and get to Shalelu. Make sure you have her sword, she may need it."
When everyone is ready, Reiko and Ameiko set out at a stealthy creep under the cover of the storm, closing to within 40' of the cave entrance. At a blast of thunder, Reiko lopes forward. It quickly develops into a sprint toward the cave. She doesn't have to worry about Ameiko keeping pace. The ronin's body is weary from the earlier battle but she doggedly presses on and races into the cave on the heels of the other Tien, blade ready to slash some hairy or hoofed enemy in passing.
-2 AC due to charge
Thud: 39/39
Spud: 6/39
Forlarren: 18/18
Ameiko nods before she and Reiko rush in to find a fire lighting the small chamber from the center. The forlarren seems too engrossed in watching a bloodied Shalelu breathing painfully to notice the rush, but the bugbears both turn, one just in time flinch as Iona's arrow strikes his armor and goes spinning off somewhere. That was the distraction that Ameiko and Reiko need. Lightning throws the scene into stark black and white as Ameiko threads her blade through the gap in the side of the brute's armor and Reiko almost rips the hairy monster open from shoulder to hip. As it begins to back away, the crack of thunder hits all of you.
Before the group starts forward, Vigny utters a quick prayer, and a white light begins to emanate from her sword. Vigny is slower, and decidedly not stealthy like Soli and Iona. She pounds through the mud as fast as she can alongside them.
Getting there at speed takes most all of her concentration, leaving her short on clever or inspiring things to call out. She contents herself with a whoop and a howl to follow up Soli's cry.
As the rest of the group run in, Jerukh follows suit- rushing forward
"Damn! Fadzmuthus was supposed to warn us when they drew close," the forlarren snaps as she points an accusing finger at the two Bugbears.
"Lazy ass probably got drunk," the severely injured one grunts as he and his brother scramble for their weapons.
The Forlarren snarls and moves towards where Shalelu sits unconscious.
Iona moves closer as she readies another arrow and sends it streaking for the forlarren's back.
The twisted fey lets out a disturbingly childlike scream as the arrow strikes true and the forlarren trips mid-stride to tumble to the ground.
Ameiko looks to finish off her opponent and tumbles around to flank the badly wounded brute.
The bugbear blinks at the wrong moment and before his eyes had finished widening in surprise, Ameiko's rapier tears through his throat and sends him to the ground to choke on his own blood.
Thud: 39/39
Spud: DEAD!
Forlarren: 4/18
Vigny figures the most important single thing is to keep any hostiles away from Shalelu. She also isn't sure if the forlarren might have some warding against normal weapons like she's heard of in stories. If so, the enchantment on her sword may overcome it.
She doesn't slow down, making only the vaguest gesture at dodging the remaining bugbear as she blows past him. Bearing straight down on the forlarren, she strikes down on her with a two-handed chop.
Vigny's reckless charge is unexpected enough that the remaining Bugbear doesn't get as good of a chunk as he could have of her and Vigny mortally wounds the forlarren. The lone bugbear sees that he's alone and looks ready to run for his miserable life.
Reiko holds position for a moment as Ameiko expertly finishes off the bugbear. She catches her breath while Vigny ends the Forlarren's tale. With Shalelu safe, she moves past the blonde and challenges the remaining bugbear.
"You'll be pleased to know Fadzmuthus isn't drunk. We met in the woods, and it cost him his life."
Thud: 30/39
Spud: DEAD!
Forlarren: DYING!
"You B~+~$! You'll pay for that! I'll make sure of it," Thudzmuthus bellows after Reiko gashes him. Whether he intends to make her pay for his brother's death or the injury is unclear.
Thud: 20/39
Spud: DEAD!
Forlarren: DYING!
Jerukh skirts around the bugbear's reach to get to Shalelu, pulling a vial from his pouch as he does so.
The bugbear turns to run, fleeing for its life.
Reiko delivers a shallow slash to the bugbear as it turns to run. She debates whether to give chase...
The bugbear might want to run, but Vigny's blood is up now and she rounds on him. "You're not just walking away from this villain!"
She swings her sword two-handed and high since he's large, putting her shoulders into it.