Zoisa barely manages to get out of the way of Kardswann's second swing, but looks up at him with a pained smile.
"You're dreaming, big man! Time to wake up!" she says as she strikes again.
"Nothing but sand beneath my boot!" Kardswann yells, both attacks parried by one great swing of the axe he carried.
As if to emphasize the point, he one-handed swings his axe at Arian, twice.
Another chance at an opening, Haleen goes for another strike Kardswann.
But the tip of her blade catches on Kardswann's old armor, skittering off point.
Arian grunts and adjusts back to double-striking, since Kardswann has moved inside of her reach.
"AHA! But sand can BLIND YOU IF IT GETS IN YOUR EYES!" Zoisa retorts as she strikes again.
Moving forward Faffnyr attacks with Arian.
"Gods, I suck at swordfight!" Zoisa shouts in frustration.
With a grunt of pain, a spatter of blood, Kardswann does something no one under his thumb would have ever predicted. He takes a step back. As Zoisa and Faffnyr tear at him, it leaves enough of a window that Arian is able to slip the haft of her weapon through his defenses, drawing blood, and forcing him back.
Noticably hurt, he roars in anger as he swipes at the pests assailing him from the sides.
Haleen dashes back into the fray, hoping to land a blow against the injured enemy.
Damage Taken: 46
Arian lets out a scream and pushes in to keep the pressure on Kardswann, swinging wildly with her pole arm, slamming both ends repeatedly into the huge foe.
Faffnyr presses the attack fainting high and slashing low.
Zoisa swings at Kardswann's ankles with her sword, hoping to bring him down once and for all!
Faffnyr bullrushes forward as if to push Kardswann over. He notices this and rushes to bullrush back confident his size and power would overpower her. But she quickly backsteps out of the feint and swings her weapon high and fast right near his eyes. Partially blinded, he stumbles back and that's when Zoisa slips out of his sight and appears behind him, her small body's weight behind the edge of her weapon's blade and carves through part of his ankles. Another cry of anguish from Kardswann as his legs give out and he falls forward. Arian delivers two powerful blows as her weapon windmills about her body as she delivers a strike to his neck, eliciting a crack of breaking bone and the edge cuts through his chest, spraying blood across the sands.
But still he yells, he hefts his blade into the stand tries to pull himself to his feet, but all of you descend upon him. He gets one foot under him before stopping. Red runs down his body as you all stare down the now former master of this town.
And he smiles....
In barely more than a whisper, he utters "Thank you..."
As his eyes glimmer with a soul that seems to have not had control in many, many years. His head falls forward, silent unmoving.
There is yelling from the entrance of the battle market, and it seems that your benefactor has brought the rest of the group, guards clearing out the allies of the once former master, making way for the new conquerors.
"Come on! there's work to be done!" she calls out, the caravan's alchemist moving forward and handing out healing potions left and right.
Arian takes one of the healing potions, pulls out the cork with her teeth, drinks the fluid in one swallow and tosses the vial aside to shatter on the rocks.
"What else, Haleen?" says Arian. "With Kardswann thrown down, what could possibly be left?"
As Kardswann falls, Zoisa raises her sword and gives a victory cry!
"YEAH!"
Then she drops her sword and runs over to Haleen.
"I MISSED YOU SO FLIPPING MUHUHUHUUUUCH!" she cries as she grabs her in a big hug and starts inelegantly blubbering.
Faffnyr channels one last time before falling to her knees, utterly exhausted.
The following months after the defeat of Kardswann seems to move by relatively fast. The town of Katapesh is cleared out of the more tribal elements, though an uneasy ceasefire is established with the nearby gnoll tribes. However, even a ceasefire is riddled with small raids and "unauthorized" skirmishes.
Faffnyr has earned her freedom, her receipts are the scars she bears. Far from the city where she was beaten to obedience, far from the whips of service and lashes of cruelty. She stands in simple, but fine garments on the roof of the once battle market, collecting her thoughts. The warm winds of the desert cause waves of sand to cascade in the distance. How many dunes were between the slave from before and the free half-orc up here, looking over the city she now protected with her own convictions.
"Master Faffnyr! Your supper is ready!"
Her green eyes look downward at the small serving girl, barely 10 seasons. She wasn't a slave anymore, now that Katapesh had been liberated, but to let her loose and have the desert swallow her up as it almost did herself...
She would teach her, until she could be strong enough to stand on her own. Dawnflower willing, she would find peace in the sands as Faffnyr had...
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It's amazing how even after a long time of separation, two companions can return to the way things were. As two of the instrumental people who helped free Katapesh, securing a roomy estate and connected plot of land was easy enough to arrange. Haleen had to pry your much stronger fingers off of her in the early days, but she understood how unfair she had been to you. To her credit, she had distanced herself to avoid the trouble that was searching for her from finding you, but one acts stupidly when it comes to the ones they care for.
Hard work was coming, that no one was mistaken of. And to pass the hot days and cool evenings, it would take someone very skilled in handling the local drug in order to capitalize on the need. Thus, Zoisa establishes the first herbal store, supplying potion makers and medicinal makers, but more importantly, getting a strong foothold in the local drug market. The smugglers who stayed out of the fight are eager to find consistent employment, and through their resources and connections, Zoisa is able to take Pesh to sensations never thought possible. And when the Pesh begins to flow, so does the magic for Zoisa. Still untread ground, reigning in her powers (and addiction) would become hard work indeed, but with Haleen at her side, what more could a gnome ask for?
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The strong and demanding voice of Arian is heard quite often in the early days of reconstruction. Not satisfied to be one of the forefront retakers, Arian also plies herself to rebuilding the city. It left her busy, but not too busy to set a few plans she had been working on into motion.
A few weeks later, and three familiar faces show up as Arian's siblings had recieved word of the reclamation of Katapesh and had gathered enough resources to join her with their families. A quick word to Almah, and it isn't long before they begin to move into one of the newly constructed homes, a quite large one able of houseing multiple families. The look on their faces, wet with tears as they see the jeweled sitar of their family resting above the mantle, is enough to bring part of your hear to rest.
But not all of it.
Your father had passed in prison. His body uncerimoniously buried in a mass grave during a plague that broke out some time ago. Your mother, however, had survived and was currently in the "employ" of a well to do clothing merchant, plying her knowledge of the family business to bolster the merchant's sales. He did comply with the request to release her, though it took several "accidents" with his caravans until he caved in.
The sun is dipping in the east, as you wipe your brow of sweat. Your sparring opponent, a young patrolman who joined recently lies heavily panting, his quarterstaff broken in two.
Your mother's calls interrupt. It seems that Faffnyr and Zoisa had both arrived for the evening meal. She wanted to know what to do with the pesh-salad.
The patrolman thanks you for the sparring session, and hobbles off back to his own family, leaving you to walk back to your home. The destroyed buildings have been repaired, the city's taint has been cleansed, and this broken family has been made whole.