Caine looked incredulously at Artegal. "You ever met a hobgoblin before?"
"Everything I've ever heard about Hobgoblins before does not speak well of them. I can't speak from personal experience but if they aren't outright cruel, they tend toward selfish ends and wouldn't think twice about sacrificing others." He looked down at the unconscious form. "This one got what he deserved."
"Remember what I said, let's get a branch to hold the jaws open, if you try to pry them open with your hands and slip...that's your hand right there."
Ruhk begins to look for a suitable branch for the task.
Zirren, you're right, but at the same time, I prefer not to judge an individual on the stories that are told about his kind, and for the evidence, just look. Nathaniel points at the blind and then the trap, That is a common hunter's blind, there is a trapped animal here, it's dark, and this hunter was alone, not part of any war band, or raiding party, as I too have heard such stories, so I feel we should give him, or her, I really don't know anything about them, the benefit of doubt, until we know otherwise, to me, it's a hunter, and possibly a hunter who made a mistake. Now let's see if we can free that animal and hope it has a chance at life, assuming the injuries aren't too severe. Thank you Belladonna. Your kindness is much appreciated
"You are not from these parts Nat, so you can't be blamed for not knowing, but people around here have a VERY dim view of hobgoblins due to repeated attacks on Oldfen."
"As for this one, you could be right of course, but you see, if he was just hunting, why let the animal suffer?
Can't help but wonder if he left it here, crying in pain in hope of drawing someone in to kill them too."
"But maybe I'm just seeing the dark side of things here.
A drink would fix that right up, but I didn't pack any, and I can't very well begin to sing either, might draw worse things.
Heck, I'm not even sure we should have a fire, and if we don't have that, I can't cook the bird.
Raw hawk? Yech..."
Caine passed Ruhk a wine skin and talked to Artigal. "So we tie it up? Then what? Ask it why it attacked us? It set a bait trap and we either sprung it, or messed up its hunt. It ain't complicated. Then what? We let it go? Bad idea. It's a hunter. It can track us. Hobgoblin arrows interrupting our meeting with the witch doesn't seem helpful. Or we leave it? Death sentence in these woods, unless it manages to free itself, in which case, more arrows in the dark for us. Maybe we pass it off to the sherriff? That trial will go: "a hobgoblin shot at people in the woods? Hang it." Meanwhile, we've lost a day dragging it back to town and a couple more people die of Blackscour."
"Time is a currency the sick can't afford. Right now, you're paying their time to question a hobgoblin who attacked us for trying to be kind to a fox."
"The only option that makes any sense is to kill it."
That is an option, but it doesn't make sense to me. We talk to the hunter, as soon as we can. Maybe he or she will be willing to go along away from us, with the warning that there will be no second chance, we can call the one shot fired a mistake, but the next will be taken as an act of hostility and met with force, and arrest, and turn over to the authorities. I don't have a problem killing anything, or anyone that is trying to kill me, or someone I am sworn to defend, but killing a helpless being, it won't be my choice. It is not an option I will endorse.
"Guys, we got a wounded firefoot over here. It's like super rare. Can we get bandage him up or heal him?"
Uh, I'm so sorry Miss Goodbarrel. Let me help you Zilka
When Zilka manages to pry the trap open, Nathaniel carefull tries to remove the animal from the jaws,
Caine leaned on the tree within arm's reach of the hobgoblin while the two halflings helped the fox. "So when we get back and hear that someone else died, and if we'd been a little quicker we could have saved them, you want to tell the family about the plight of the hobgoblin, or should I?"
"It is willing to attack people. That shot wasn't a mistake. It was hidden, elevated and can see in the dark. It had plenty of time to take a look at us and make a choice. We let it go and it won't be us that will get the next arrow. It'll be someone who can't fight back so well."
"And it will be our fault."
"Letting it go ain't an option. You get to pick letting the sherriff killing it, or doing it ourselves."
"Go ahead and mull it over. Taking our time won't kill us."
Zirran took a moment to look around where the hunter had been and tried to recall the circumstances they had been in as well as anything else he could about Hobgoblins. After a few moments he let out a low sigh and turned to walk back to Nathaniel discussing things.
"Look, Nathaniel, while I admire your sense of compassion, in this case I feel it is unwarranted. From what I remember, all Goblins have the ability to see clearly in the dark to a degree. If that weren't enough we also had a lit lantern which we were all walking around. We had no idea the hunter was there until he shot at us. The evidence speaks for itself. I know the Goblin language, so I can almost certainly speak with it but I'm not very good at perceiving the truth. If it lies about it's intentions there's a good chance I'll miss it."
"I don't like the way Caine puts it, but he's right. Every hour we take is another hour someone else doesn't have."
While helping Miss Goodbarrel, Nathaniel listens to Caine, and when the animal is safely out of the trap, the Halfling loses his temper
Yes, I will explain it to them! I will accept the full responsibility for my actions and my choices. People are dying, they are dying right now, is that your fault, my fault? How much time will we need to make a difference, will we even make a difference at all? If one person dies in the next day, because we weren't successful in the first few hours, is that on all our heads? No, you make too many assumptions. If I must chose between taking the wounded hunter back to the logging camp by myself, or allowing him or her to simply be murdered, then my choice is clear. If the trial the hunter gets isn't fair, if they hang him or her or not, it will be by the hand of the proper authorities, and not because I have decided who should live and who should die based upon your assumptions.
Nathaniel sighs and places his hand to his forehead.
I, I simply cannot allow this hunter to be murdered. My choice is clear, go on with the quest, and may you be swift and sure in finding everything you are searching for. I will tend the hunter's wounds, and in the morning return the way we came. This hunter might hang for what was done, but I chose to believe that if there is any justice in this world, whoever he or she is, there will be an opportunity for him or her to plead innocence, and ask for leniency. That is the future I will propose, and not the bleak one you seem to want to cling to. It was a pleasure travelling with all of you, and I hope to see you all again soon. Thank you.
Caine shrugs and starts getting ready to move on.
While Nathaniel and Caine argue, Belladonna will scoop the fox into her lap, and try to clean it's wounds. She keeps to the side of the group for fear of a shouting match.
She quietly hums a small tune she uses when she wants her baby sister Kyla to fall asleep.
Ruhk smiles in gratitude to Greyson and takes a sip of the wine before handing the wineskin back.
"That hit the spot, normally I'd have more, but out here in the woods it's best to keep a mostly clear head.
So what? We're arguing about what to do with the hunter? Well, we can't take him with us obviously, he'd slow us down.
If we take him back, Kreed will make sure he is hanged, nobody knows I quit, so that means he attacked a lumberjack, and that is not allowed, even by mistake.
If his wounds are not too bad we could just disarm him and leave him here, something might take him in the night, and if not, in the morning he can be on his merry way, unarmed and humiliated.
Either way, it seems a shame to let him first attack us and then divide us."
"Letting Boote take him back seems fine to me. We keep moving. He gets what he wants. We regroup later. Getting back to town with a broken ankle should take about a day. Maybe two. We should all be getting back at the same time if things go well."
Zilka is successful in removing the firefoot from the trap while the men argue about how to deal with the unconscious hobgoblin. Belladonna scoops up the wounded fennec and, using some bandanas or rags at hand, staunches the wound. The little fox licks at her hands while she works, ignoring the bickering about the fate of the hobgoblin. Once bandaged, the little firefoot curls up in her lap and lays its head on her hand while she hums...
"Then that's what your decision will be." Zirren then pulls out some rope from his bag as he walked over to the tree where the Hobgoblin had been. He threw the rope up and over a branch and then started to climb up.
Once he got to the top he pulled off his cloak and threw it over the still unconscious bird, wrapping it up and then grabbing the Hobgoblins discarded bow before hopping back down.
Caine looked the hobgoblin over and sighed. "leg's not broken. Just hit his head. He'll be fine."
The big man took a long look at Artigan and tossed the Hobgoblin over his shoulder. "Make camp. We'll be back by morning." Caine said grouchily.
"Come on, Boote. If I have to skip sleep to haul this jackass back, you're coming with me."
|
"You two will be exhausted in the morning if you do that, and it's dangerous to walk through the wood at night. I think we should tie him up and see where we're at in the morning. It wasn't that bad a trip from here to the camp, if we hustle we can make it there and back if we feel it necessary to bring him back. Of course you realize, they'll probably just use his neck to test the sharpness of their axe blades, and wonder why we didn't do the same. Forest bandits don't get trials, even in Andoran. Especially not ones without a drop of of civilized blood in them."
"There isn't time!" Caine snapped. We ain't gonna make anymore headway into the wood tonight, but I'll be damned if we're gonna waste any part of tomorrow on dealing with this. Artegal can't stomach killing him, and I can't stomach wasting time rhe town ain't got dealing with him. If I gotta be tired, so be it. I ain't much for sleep anyway.
"Keep double watch. Use the hunt stand as a look out. Keep the fire low and get some rest. We'll be back by the end of mid watch."
Pissed, Caine stomped off back the way they'd come muttering to himself.
Feels like training rookies again. Everything's a f&&@ing debate.
Zirren looks at the hides with mild interest. "Yes, I suppose they are. But that's not what I'm here for. Catch!" he tossed the backpack to her.
"Caine, if you're going then you ought to take this with you." he said, offering the bow and quiver to the far more experienced man."I suspect you'll make better use of it than I would."
Caine hefts his crossbow. "I prefer this."
Without any further argument, Nathaniel will follow Cain when they are ready to take the Hobgoblin back to the logging camp
Greyson and Nathaniel set off into the pitch dark forest (I'm assuming Nathaniel lights one of his torches...) with the minimal light of the halfling's torch to light their way. About an hour into the journey, even Greyson's exceptional strength needs a brief rest, which gives Nathaniel time to remove another torch from his backpack before his current one sputters out... After a few minutes of rest and their light refreshed, the two continued on their journey back towards the lumbercamp.
Another hour later, another torch flickering down into oblivion when Greyson and Nathaniel hear the sounds of axes and before they realize it they can see the orange glow of a fire or torches at the end of the woodsmen path. Suddenly they hear a voice call out to them from the tree line to their right side. "Stop right there and identify yourselves!" And then there was the rush of movement and four lumberjacks were standing at the end of the path with axes in their hands...
Back at the Droskmere
Zirren, Zilka, Ruhk, and Belladonna climb up to the hunter's stand and arrange themselves as comfortable as they can. Thankfully the rain seems to have finally subsided and Zilka uses her magic to help dry everyone's clothes out just as Zirren's magic finally wears off completely from the hawk. Immediately it begins to flail about from inside the cloak while it tries to free itself, filling the air with its piercing cries. After a few moments of futile effort and only succeeding at further entrapping itself, the predatory bird relents...
As the hawk quiets the sounds of the forest begin to prevail once more. The sounds of frogs and other nocturnal lake wildlife fill the air all around, occasionally a loud splash of a fish breaking the surface of the nearby lake.
"Caine." the big man said loudly. "Got a special delivery for Baleson."
"Caine? Don't know no, 'Caine.'" One of the lumberjacks near the end of the trail calls out.
"Yeah, ya do, idiot! He's that drunk who works at The Duck."
"Oh... What you doin' out in The Woods in the middle of the night and who you carryin' over your shoulder? And who's that little fellah with ya?!"
"I'll keep the first watch. The rest of you should get some rest while you can." He wasn't confident about using the bow, but he supposed it would be better than nothing.
"That's Artigal Boot. This is a hobgoblin. We done playin' twenty questions yet?"
Greyson and Nathaniel hear a rustling of underbrush from the same area they heard the voice that had commanded them. Another Jack appears into the corona of the torchlight with a crossbow in hand, but aimed towards the ground. "No, we ain't done playin', Caine." Greyson recognizes the man as one of the regulars at the Duck, Jeremiah. "But let's ask the rest of the questions back at the camp. Bring the hob."
Jeremiah begins walking alongside Nathaniel and Greyson. "What are you doing out here after sundown with a dead hobgoblin? And what would Baleson want with it? I wasn't aware he took out a bounty on hobs."
"I'm just a pack mule. It's still alive. You want to know why, ask him. I still ain't figured it out myself."
Jeremiah recoils slightly when Caine says the hobgoblin is still alive. "Alive?! The hell, Caine? Can't bring no live hob into this camp!" A few of the other lumberjacks turn their heads at the statement as well, a dark look in their eyes...
The hobgoblin,Nathaniel tries to explain in a quiet voicewas found, alone, in the forest, in a hunter's blind and he took a shot at us, he missed, which may or may not have been deliberate, but as we were never able to question his motives, we don't really know. I am not aware of this particular hobgoblin being guilty of committing any crimes, nor was I ever informed that it is automatically a death sentence to simple exist as a hobgoblin. I am not a murderer. I wanted to bring the hobgoblin here, it was my decision, Mister Caine agreed to help me in the task. If we have violated some rule, it should fall on me to suffer the consequences for the act.
"Thanks Zirren, uhm I could take a second watch if you'd like." says Belladonna as she carries her new fox friend in her arms.
Ruhk leans back against one of the support beams, slowly beginning to pluck the dead hawk, hoping that the slow and monotonous work will allow him to relax from the adrenaline rush of combat.
After a while he begins to muse out loud, not really directed at any one person.
"You know, they make quite a pair those two...
Nat's very disciplined, law abiding and idealistic, one could say to the point of naivety...
Grey on the other hand, he is practical, pragmatic and quite cynical...
So they balance each other out pretty well.
When people like that end up together, they either end up rubbing off on each other, or they kill each other in the end.
Might be fun to watch.
I'd say if all goes well, they'll be good for each other."
"Hehehe maybe a love story! Hahaha!"
Ruhk chuckles, vastly amused by the reception to his musing.
"Might be both, they might pull the stick out, THEN beat each other with them.
As for love story, they'd make an odd couple eh? But who knows, might be completely adorable too."
"Well if they do pull out the sticks and fight, I don't wanna be around that. It would be S%&&ty"
"Hah! I could have done without THAT mental image thank you very much.
but hey, maybe they will be considerate of the rest of us and wash the sticks first?"
Looking down at the plucked hawk, Ruhk chuckles.
"Speaking of sticks, the hawk is done, guess we are getting a hot breakfast in the morning.
...
No, I don't have a good line to explain why sticks would remind me of that.
But I DO know the story of the last Katakan king, unless you are feeling sleepy?"
"Nope! I'm feeling *yawwwwwwwwwwwwn* uhm perfectly fine"
"Hahaha, sure you are, consider it a bedtime story if you like."
"Anyway, if you were to ask most people where you can find the best swordmen of this age, they would say it was the swordlords of Brevoy, but what most people don't know is that there was another kingdom there before, a long looooong time ago."
"That land was called Katakan, and it had a very simple governing system, the best swordsman would be crowned king of the Katakan, and would rule until challenged by a better one.
To make sure that the king wasn't busy fighting duels all year long, it was ritualized so only one such challenge could be issued each month, and to be allowed to make the issue, you had to beat one of the kings lieutenants.
That was a difficult task, but an attractive one, since even if you failed to beat the king, you would become one of his lieutenants if you won against one of the old ones."
"Nothing remarkable so far, but the Katakan were special, because their style of combat focused on becoming so good with a blade you no longer needed steel.
According to legends, a truly skilled Katakan could cut you with the very idea of a blade, in effect creating a sword by imagining it, by channelling the essence of sharpness.
And because of that, a duel between two Katakans would be a sight to see, since they would seemingly cut at each other with invisible blades made out of mental strength and wind."