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"Abadar's favor is with us, it seems," Ahto replies. "A winged beast attacking from above will certainly make great trouble for us. I need to bring this information to the others, as well as to Captain Garess. Thank you, and thanks be to Abadar for entrusting you with this knowledge."
When the sun rises, Ahto washes and dresses, then gathers the group together, along with Oleg, Svetlana, and Captain Garess.
"Last night, Abadar granted Barris a Vision; a Vision of dire warning. The approaching army of bandits will be bolstered by a winged beast, a reptilian creature with a razor-sharp tail. I do not know if it is truly a dragon, or one of their lesser kin. From what Barris has recounted of his Vision, he is not certain, either. What I am certain of, is that an assault from the sky above us will hinder our ability to defend against the approaching men below."
Addy awakens from a peaceful sleep, and says a prayer to Shelyn before donning the mask. As the Vixen, she continues praying, though the Vixen's goddess is Milani.
She listens to Ahto. The beast certainly sounds like a threat that won't fall easily. Nonetheless, it must fall. "If ye've a composite bow, I'll loose arrows upon any man or beast too far to be kicked. I ain't the best shot, but I'm no stranger to hunting."
Wonky immediately identifies the creature from the vision as a wyvern, which are known to stalk the Stolen Lands as near-apex predators. This conclusion is supported by Hexa, who immediately hisses about the return of "the winged death," the creature he had encountered some time back while out hunting elk.
"Fine," Oleg grunts. "Then the lordling, his men, and the indentured fodder will handle the bandits, while you'll slay the beast. Isn't that what adventurers are all about, anyhow?"
"I'm about protecting the innocent," the Vixen says with conviction. "No man or beast'll touch the mothers and children 'til they've stepped o'er me bloody corpse. I know nothing o' wyverns, but I trust they ain't arrow-proof.
"Are they fire-breathers? I assume those who can't fight'll be sheltered, and I don't want 'em hiding in a potential mass pyre."
The Vixen then looks around, in particular for the mothers and children she has yet to meet.
"How many mothers and children are we talking? I'd like to meet those I'm swearing to protect."
Wyverns are a race of smaller dragons (at least compared to true dragons) known for their aggressiveness and territoriality.
Wyverns average around 16 feet in length and normally weigh about 2,000 pounds. While wyverns resemble blue-coloured dragons, the most obvious difference is their lack of front arms, as they have only rear legs and wings. A wyvern's tail makes up half the length of its body and ends in a stinger that drips with murderously potent venom.
Wyverns favour warm and temperate areas, particularly hills, although they can dwell in many environments. They usually claim an area from 100 to 200 square miles as their exclusive hunting territory and fight other wyverns to the death over their domain.
While many wyverns model themselves after true dragons, they lack their intelligence and often behave more like exceptionally smart beasts. A wyvern is territorial and highly aggressive, and almost immediately attempts to use violence to solve any problem. Though capable of speech, most wyverns often do not bother using it before attacking other intelligent creatures. These violent tendencies and lack of sophistication results in most dragons seeing wyverns as hopelessly primitive savages.
Due to their aggressive tendencies, wyverns are normally solitary creatures, though they sometimes band together to hunt larger prey that a single wyvern cannot kill alone. Wyverns can sometimes control their violent urges long enough to ally with others, such as giants and tribes of violent monstrous humanoids. There have even been reports of tribes of lizardfolk and boggards that have bribed wyverns to serve them as mounts.
The Vixen listens intently, clearly appreciative of Wonky's vast knowledge.
"So... I guess the upside is the venom won't make a shelter into an oven. Good news for the innocents I'm to protect."
She turns to Ahto and says, "I don't profess to be a tactical genius. I need a bow in me hands, preferably a composite, so I can shoot. Up close, ye know I don't rely on me hands so let someone else carry that sweet falchion.
"I'd like to meet the ones who can't fight—introduce meself as yer deputy, and make it clear what we've deemed their best odds o' survival. I'm under the opinion that's any place indoors that can't be accessed by climbing in a window, and preferably through a single door that no bandit can get through without going through us."
Although the bandits have been beaten back from the northern half of the Greenbelt, the trading post still only remains a hub primarily for the hunters and trappers in the area. Although women are counted among these numbers, none of them are mothers. The only women currently at the trading post are Svetlana, Addy, Wonky, Kalima, and one of Garess's soldiers, Asham.
There are currently no children at the trading post or in the surrounding area.
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Wonky considers the new information amidst the new day. Thinking aloud, Wonky puts her considerable musings to words for the gathered adventurers.
"Wyverns fly like dragons but unlike dragons, they do not have arms so they are reliant on staying aloft. I could work on a solution," here Wonky winks, pleased at her own wordplay if no one else is, "to get the beast out of the air if we think that I have time to do so!"
Sprocket, happily trailing behind the gnome, offers a supportive WOOF!
"It is a mighty positive sign that Abadar is granting Barris visions now that he has pledged to amend his errant ways," Wonky suggests to Ahto when they have a moment.
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"There aren't any children here at the moment," Ahto replies to VV, "Although there are some merchant families that come through from time that have children. As for women, apart from yourself and Miss Prong, there is Mistress Svetlana, the Lady Kalima, and one of Captain Garess's soldiers, Asham. You are welcome to introduce yourself to the last two."
"I said the same thing when he approached me about his Vision," Ahto replies to Wonky. "I am glad that he was willing to seek repetance, and it appears that Abadar is showing his favor, as well."
To Wonky, VV says, "If this concoction can be affixed to an arrow, I can put it to use... though I've already seen what ye can do with fire and a crossbow bolt, so no offense taken if ye prefer to do the shooting yerself."
She nods at Ahto's words, and acts as if she's not searching the crowd for the one female soldier. She finally spots her in the general direction Ahto was facing when mentioning the woman's name.
She smiles pleasantly at her, and walks toward the woman with the poise and confidence of a fashion model, not because the Vixen is being exceptionally flirtatious, but simply because it's the most confident gait she knows.
"Asham. I believe ye were present when I was introduced as deputy. I'm known as the Vermilion Vixen, but Miss Vixen, VV or Vix'll do for brevity's sake." Her emerald eyes fall and rise, taking in the sister-in-arms' appearance. "Any chance ye can escort me to Lady Kalima? I've yet to meet her, and I'm guessing by the term 'Lady,' she holds some kind o' rank o'er most."
If Asham agrees to lead the Vixen to the Lady, VV continues her conversation in-transit.
"But enough about me. Why'd ye decide to join an army o' men, Asham?"
She also guesses that Lady Kalima has led a rather privileged life, but she doesn't ask about her so much as pays attention to Asham's expression. Does the soldier find the prospect of a meeting with Kalima fascinating or dreadful? And would VV's untrained eye know one way or the other?
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Hexa returns from patrolling the plains. The lizardman, despite his budding reputation as the greatest hunter in the Greenbelt, has always chafed under the labor required around the trading post. Rather than insult his hosts, Oleg and Svetlana, or disappoint his warchief, Ahto, he volunteered to keep watch for the enemy.
He spotted them several miles away, setting up camp between two hills. Based on his report, Paval judges that the bandit army will likely strike at dawn's first light. This means you have roughly ten hours until the attack.
Asham eyes you curiously, although she seems relieved that this conversation gives her a break from her labors.
"Lady Kalima, eh?" she asks. "I never thought I'd find myself getting along with a noblewoman, but I've got to respect her for telling her family to stuff it when they tried to marry her off to some simpering fop."
The soldier woman waves you along, escorting you to meet Kalima.
"Can't say I have the gift for gab that you do," she says with a wincing chuckle. "I sort of fell into soldiering. I didn't like the idea of spending my life either pushing a plow or pushing out babies, so it seemed like a good idea. It also meant that if some lordling ever tried to claim me, I'd have recourse to leave him lying in a muddy gutter with a lump on his head. Hasn't happened yet, but I'm still hoping."
She laughs again, in a hoarse, chortling way.
The Vixen's lips curl into a smile. "Ye mean to tell me, o' the five women living here, four of us ain't into men? A girl could have some real fun times 'round here, if not for the bandits and wyverns.
"Speaking of, care to join me at the target range for a bit, assuming there is one? We looted a composite bow off an assassin's corpse, and I'd prefer to test it on a paper target o'er one that'll piss acid on me."
The Vixen of course means she'll head to the range after meeting Kalima. From what Asham said of her so far, the Vixen has a good impression.
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Wonky hmphs to herself at the news of the pending battle.
"Yes, Sams," she says as she springs into activity, moving back towards her seemingly-ever-bubbling cauldron in her makeshift lab, "I do have a means to fight this dragon. I am simply hopeful at this point that I will be able to complete the brewing in time!"
She stops for a moment and looks up at Sams with a frown.
"Tell me, Sams, do you still have a potion of 'Make Bigger'?"
Surprisingly, the Alchemist's Fire proves to be a simpler matter to create, compared to the Tanglefoot Bag. Wonky's prowess at alchemy is successful, but in the limited time available she still manages to create one Tanglefoot Bag.
"It's not that I ain't into men," Asham corrects you. "It's just that I ain't into the ones I've met so far."
Asham is also excited by the prospect of getting a finer bow than the one she was equipped with before she and the other soldiers marched down from Restov.
You find Kalima meeting with a few of the other more exceptional residents of the trading post. You recognize the swordsman, Paval, who was there when you first joined this group of adventurers. Two others whom you have not met are introduced as Aurelius and Aris.
The Vixen introduces herself both by name and as Ahto's deputy. She then says to Kalima, "If ye ain't heard, the bandits got 'emselves a wyvern. We got about ten hours until they come to pillage and—ye can guess what awaits us if they win.
"Surrender ain't an option. I told Ahto I'd see to it any innocents're protected. I'm aware we've no mothers and children about, and I wasn't sure whether ye'd want protection. Seems me soldier friend genuinely respects ye, which leads me to think ye prefer to take charge o' yer destiny—rather than hole up and figure out who won the fight based on the tone o' the footfalls coming to yer door.
"If ye've the ability to fight the enemy along me side, that's yer best odds. But if ye're not willing and able to help us fend for our lives, that don't change me intent. No matter which side o' the door ye're on, ye've me protection."
The Vixen remembers Sams thinking her a sorceress.
"Sorcery," she says with a knowing* grin.
The Vixen explains her hunch: "Before he saw me talents in battle, Sams asked me if I knew sorcery, and I'm thinking he took one look at me and thought o' you. Which leads me to believe ye can take on a wyvern—likely more effectively than I can, least while it's flying out o' me reach.
"If me feminine intuition's correct," and it's apparent from the Vixen's expression she is quite eager to know! "—then me follow-up question's whether ye know a spell that can take a wyvern down—"
The Vixen lays a hand on Asham's shoulder.
"—or whether yer magic's best suited for fending off an army o' bandits. Seeing how this lovely soldier won't be me girl, we need to keep her and the men alive so she can pick her Mister Right."
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Wonky swiftly packages her brewed tanglefoot bag and moves to find her companions. She then explains her plans to all.
"This is a tanglefoot bag," the gnome says, showing off the still-steaming cloth package. "If you are familiar with it, you will know that when it is exposed to the air, it quickly stiffens and expands into a viscous substance that impedes movement!"
She looks around at the blank expressions on Sams and Hexa's faces.
"Yes, in other words, when I fire this and successfully strike the flying wyvern, it will be unable to stay aloft. It will plummet to the ground. Additionally, because wyverns don't have forearms, it will be relatively helpless on the ground!"
She looks around for further confirmation from her colleagues that they understand her plan.
"I will need the power of elevation in order to bring my plan to fruition," Wonky continues. "I was hypothesising the outcomes of attending one of the watchtowers where the catapults rest." A sly look crosses her face. "I would have a vested interest in seeing those catapults up close and in action - or perhaps in using them myself?"
She looks at Ahto for agreement.
Your former adventuring companions - Kalima, Aurelius, Aris, Paval, and Hexa - all remain adamant in their resolve to stand alongside you and defend the post. They will work in concert with the indentures and Garess' squad to stave off the bandits and mercenaries, leaving the wyvern to you.
They also explain their plan to depart and return to Restov after the battle. At Kalima's suggestion, they have decided to appeal to the swordlords to have Baroness Althea Thrune's charter revoked on the grounds of her interference and supporting banditry.
The Vixen genuinely respects the noblewoman, and it shows as she thanks the group and expresses her confidence in them, though her concern for the women does come up in the form of a rhetorical question: "I trust ye'll all look out for each other out there, right?"
She then invites the soldier to escort her to the range to try out the composite bow with her.
Her first shot hits the outer edge of the target.
"Heh... been a few years since these hands felt the touch of a bow."
The second shot hits the outer circle.
"I s'pose I'd hit the broad side of a wyvern—if I hold fire 'tail I see the whites of his eyes."
The third hits the dot in the middle, though not quite dead-center.
"Bull's eye...brow? Well, why don't ye give it a shot or three, Asham?"
VV invites the soldier to try, though the bow isn't a gift as it isn't VV's to give. Ahto and Wonky probably decide how to divvy up these things. The Vixen only intends to borrow the ranged weapon to handle the wyvern in its flight.
Asham accepts the bow with a bit of curious trepidation. She obviously knows her way around such a weapon, but she's conscious of making a fool of herself. She nocks an arrow and tries to draw the string, but she is immediately thrown off by the amount of resistance that meets her arm.
Putting more of her strength into the draw, she pulls back the string, takes aim and looses the arrow.
The arrow lands on the target, but on one of the lower corners. Asham mutters a curse in Hallit before snatching another arrow and preparing her next shot.
This time, her aim is dead on, and the arrow lands near the dead center of the target. Asham smiles proudly and looks to the Vixen with a satisfied gleam in her eye.
The afternoon light begins to fade, and nerves around the outpost begin to heighten as the shadows lengthen. Indenture and professional soldier alike try to mask their unease with bravado for the coming battle. The wee hours press on with few able to get any rest.
As they leave the range, VV tells Asham, "A true Huntress possesses both strength and grace, so Mother trained the Child in me with a bow that demanded a strong arm. Good that she did. If I had to rely on me grace, I'd be f#~+ed."
VV escorts the soldier back to Garris. She addresses him as "Captain," and says to him, "I bring ye good news. Lady Kalima and her men're planning to leave—but—only after helping yer men fend off the bandits. I recommend Asham be among yer soldiers thatstay close to the noblewoman. Asham respects Lady Kalima, and me impression's that the feeling's mutual. I believe Asham'd help keep the bandits from rushing Kalima as she casts, and it's clear to me she recognizes Kalima's prowess as a magic user."
What the Vixen doesn't say aloud is: Asham's best odds o' survival're sticking with Kalima's group.
If the Captain agrees to what the Vixen has in mind, she will approach Kalima, saying that Asham will stick with her group to help keep the enemy from rushing her as she casts magic. "Assuming I guessed right ye're a sorceress."
If Kalima agrees to Asham being her bodyguard, the Vixen bids all good night, and says to Asham, "Ye'll be in me prayers tonight. Take care o' yerself out there."
Once the Vixen and Asham part for the night, VV approaches Wonky, Ahto and Sams. She mentions that Kalima and her men will fight alongside the soldiers.
As for fighting the wyvern, VV says, "All I can do is loose arrows until the beast's in kicking range.
"I'm willing to be bait. Or if any o' the men'll fight as giants, one o' them can be bait and I can shoot.
"I'd suggest shooting a vile o' Make-Bigger Juice at the rider, but I'd hate to botch the shot and make the wyvern bigger."
The Vixen considers Sams' words versus the odds that a wyvern would not be weighed down by an enlarged rider.
"Yeah... I prefer ye being the biggest." Sizing Sams up, she adds, "Enlarged, ye'll bigger than the f#**ing wyvern!"
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Ahto sees that the Indentures are fed and bedded down for a good night's rest before the battle.
He takes the time to make sure his own weapons are properly cleaned and sharpened, and does the same with his armor.
Before he retires to his bed, he whispers a soft prayer to Abadar:
"Lord of the First Vault, grant us the will to win against the rabble of lawless brigands and their pet beast. Let the souls of those who fall in defense of civilization and commerce be greeted by your emissaries at the foot of the Gray Lady's Throne. Let them find peace in your of eternal law and justice. Should I fall in battle tomorrow, it is my hope that with my dying breath I have struck a telling blow against the barbarous, rapacious anarchy that feasts like a glutton upon these lands. This I humbly ask, in your service and in your name."
Satisfied that he has made his peace, Ahto drifts off to sleep, taking only a moment to remind himself to wake before dawn, and be ready.
The Vixen removes her mask and changes into her sleepwear. She sleeps close to Wonky or Asham—
—asking either of the women (or Ahto or Sams) to wake her before the enemy comes.
As the Vixen's persona fades, she prays to her goddess: Milani, I have thwarted the assassination attempt on the lovely fey, Wonky, only to find meself with more people to protect. The men here'll bring justice to the perps, and protection to innocents across the Greenbelt. I pray I'm worthy to handle what's coming, and that me advice' keep that cute lady soldier alive.
Addy is now in control. She prays to Shelyn, though her thoughts are on the future—particularly Wonky's quest to find a cure for her father. She creates. The irrigation plans that'll surely be brilliant, the science stuff she mixes in that cauldron... people like her make the world more beautiful. Those coming're only out to destroy.
Me creation, the Vixen... she ain't strong enough to spare the enemy as Sams does. I'm working on that. For now, I pray she's enough to protect the good people here.
Her thoughts then turn to Vikki as they always do.
I'm out to slay a dragon, Vikki! Ain't it grand?
Those wimpy assassins failed to send me to ye. I didn't turn tail when I could've, and the dogs couldn't tear into me faster than me Vixen could kick the crap out o' their master. Thus, I survived. Thus, our relationship remains long distance. But that dragon... oh, I mean to beat him and live to tell the tale. I made me vows to protect, and I mean to keep me new lady friends alive—and the men, too. But if me Vixen ain't strong enough, I'll be with ye in just a few hours, me Love!
So either way, I win.
Addy closes her eyes and sleeps, smiling peacefully.
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Wonky spends part of the evening continuing to tweak her stonebow.
She then snuggles up to Sprocket, and before falling asleep, whispers into the canine's ears:
"You stay close to me tomorrow, little Sprocket. Whatever fate befalls us will come to us both at the same time. I will not see you in a wyvern's jaws unless I am there with you."
She then falls asleep.
In the morning, Wonky prepares a stiff brew from her own infusions as the sky pales in the wake of the coming dawn.
She nods to Ahto, VV, Sams, and the rest as she makes her way through the camp.
"I will hasten us to victory! Just be sure to get the beast once it is on the ground!" she tells Sams specifically.
Wonky then climbs to the tower with the best-repaired catapult followed by the yawning Sprocket. She fingers a second extract in her pocket nervously as she places the recently-brewed tanglefoot bag onto the top of the catapult tower. She then pulls a thin wand out of her pocket, prepared to use it on Sprocket and then herself at a moment's notice.
The Vixen brushes her hair straight, looking like her lost friend—the one she will see should she fall in battle. She does not fear death. Not her own.
Thoughts of Vikki allow her to feign a complete lack of fear, but that facial expression is a second mask. The Vixen is weighed heavily by her burden to protect and by the thought that, inevitably, some soldiers and indentured will fall. Of the two groups, each has one person the Vixen truly cares about. These are the lives she fears for most, in addition to Wonky, Ahto, Sams and Svetlana.
If VV can see Asham before the fight, she gives the soldier girl a pat on the shoulder and a peck on the cheek, if permitted. She tells Asham in a confident tone, "We'll exchange war stories o'er lunch." If she can see Barris, she expresses her confidence in the priest: "I know ye'll do yer best to keep our people alive."
As she steps out into what will soon become a battlefield, she surveys the area—Wonky's position on the catapult, the place the wyvern is most likely to crash-land, and the quickest route to the soldiers. She intends to assist them once the wyvern is dead.
Trusting Wonky's calculations more than her own intuition, the Vixen asks the gnome, "Where would ye like me to position meself? I mean to shoot while the enemy's in flight, and get right in his face once he's on the ground."
Thick clouds shroud the pre-dawn sky, portending wind and rain to come.
Wonky finishes the modifications to her stonebow, and Sams dons his new, finely woven cloak.
The gathering clouds fill the Vixen a sense of impending doom. She readies her composite bow, and listens for an order to come from one of her more perceptive friends...
Only Ahto sees the dark shadow moving unnaturally fast among the thick, gray clouds. He sees the winged beast streak down from the sky, aiming its tail and talons for one of Garess' men, Darvin, standing on the western rampart.
Holy s@&%!
The Vixen takes a shot at the flying beast—
—and sure is glad Wonky's mysterious concoction wasn't wasted on that arrow!
She nocks another.
Ahto's shout alerts Darvin to the pending danger, and the soldier drops to the planks of the parapet, barely avoiding the jaws of the descending wyvern. The creature shrieks to frighten the fort's defenders. It seizes Darvin in its talons, the hapless guard's sword only grazing the beast's scales, and it tosses the man atop the roof of the stable - sending his weight crashing through the thatched roof.
The Vixen's arrow overshoots her mark, sailing between the flapping wings of the beast. Wonky downs her extract and prepares her next surprise for the wyvern. The other defenders turn to face the wyvern, preparing to loose a volley of bolts and arrows on the scaly creature.
The Vixen glances at pieces of straw fluttering down through the dusty hole in the broken roof. "Big winged dick," she mutters as she pulls an arrow from the quiver.
And speaking o' big...
Sams shouts out the name his favorite beverage, which gets the Vixen thinking...