3: 50 Gold & 30 Feet
The early afternoon sun was high overhead, beating down on us with exhausting precision, as we rustled ourselves up from our short but satisfying respite. A gentle breeze nudged at our backs, urging us to move forward, to hunt these Ravens down and end this. We glanced at each other in understanding as we made our way south of this camp. Whatever - whomever was ahead of us would be ready. Johnny, if he had survived after he fled, would make damn sure of it.
We hit the trees on the south side of the now quiet camp and slowly trekked through dense forest, careful not to disturb the thick underbrush or snap any branches underfoot. Some of the brush in the nearby area was broken, bent and spattered with blood which had created a fresh trail for us to follow.
Thank you, Johnny...
The trail finally led us to another break in the trees. We all gathered around to gain some sort of vantage point and assess the situation. Peering out, I saw an encampment nestled atop a rock plateau that was centered in a clearing. Gauging the distance, it looked to be a couple hundred feet from the tree line to the encampment - a couple hundred feet of clear flat ground.
The encampment, itself, had large huts made of wood and stone and the roofs appeared to be covered with some sort of fur or canvas. The details were hard to make out from our position. One thing was evident, though. Given the size of this camp, the last one was nothing more than an outpost. This had to be the Ravens' headquarters.
All sides of the camp's border was a rock wall about 20 feet high. The only way in or out was a sloping path directly in front of us. There was no cover between us in the trees and the camp's entrance, or any other side of the camp for that matter. It was all short grass and sunshine in front of us. Lets also not forget the 30-foot watch tower that two guards had perched themselves on. If we were to charge the camp, we would be very visible and very vulnerable, two things that were quite unappealing to me. The rest of the group wordlessly concurred. I looked to Damaia.
"Can you scamper up one of those trees and get a better view of the camp?" I asked.
"Sure," she said as she nodded with a smile.
And away she went. She was up the nearest tree with little fanfare. There was a bit of slip-and-slide between branches until she finally settled into a good spot. A few moments later she came down and hurriedly relayed what she had seen: 5 or 6 other bandits in the camp. She couldn't be sure because they had all been scurrying about as if preparing for a battle. She also mentioned seeing a woman in full plate armor and a woman who seemed to be directing the camp.
That person, I surmised, had to be Dee Dee.
Damaia had confirmed what I and the rest of the group had already suspected. They knew we were coming. Johnny had obviously made it back to them in time to warn them. Though, I doubt he survived much longer than that. It was obvious that they knew the "where" but luckily we still had the "when."
We discussed our options. The best course of action was to hold up in the cover of the trees until dark. That would give us the cover we needed to approach; hopefully with some element of surprise still in tact. Points and counterpoints of a few different plans drifted about, finally settling on a plan that felt sound.
We would flank. Our plan was to have the ranged warriors of our group create a diversion by setting the guard tower on fire. This would draw the attack in their direction. Meanwhile, the group members not as well versed in ranged attacks would scale the 20-foot rock side and come in from behind. It was a pincer-style attack that was sure to create the perfect kill box.
Then I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. As my head turned in that direction, the clomping sound of hooves filled the air. The lady in full plate armor, now mounted on horseback, was speeding away from the camp. My heart sank.
I suspected that she was off to send a message or spread a warning of our approach to nearby outposts or gather additional forces to aid them in the coming battle. Whatever her purpose, she rode true and fast. Too fast to mount an attack of any substance, I wagered. And, honestly, doing so would have given away our position and thus our advantage.
We sat in stillness for two or three hours, waiting, watching the camp for any type of patterns, changing of the guards or specific weaknesses we might be able to exploit. My muscles began to stiffen and ache from the lack of movement. The air was hot and thick now. So thick I had to trade ale for water in order to keep the cramps at bay.
The last bit of twilight was finally swallowed by darkness. It was time. We looked to one another. Gave a nod. Started to move to our positions.
The plan died as soon as it began...
A couple of steps into our actions, we heard a rustling in the brush behind us. We turned toward the sound and were met by four undead, charging mindlessly at us. And they looked familiar. They were the four bandits we had killed on the riverbank. Had we thought about it then...about the Ravens' recruiting their dead...we might have taken more care to destroy the bodies. But that realization had come too late. We were killing them all over again.
This grand epiphany also brought forth another truth. We now understood the horse rider's purpose for leaving the camp. She was responsible for raising these undead and casting them off in our direction. A cleric, purpose built to restore life. And this one is using that gift to take life.
"Into the trees," I screamed.
I'd hoped we would be able to maintain our stealth and possibly use the undead to help create our diversion. It was a long shot but it seemed like our only option in the moment.
I saw Damaia, Carric and Miresta shimmy up a pair of nearby trees as planned. But, before I could grab the nearest trunk, Bhodi lunged out and attacked the undead closest to him. With fierce resolve, he swung his staff, striking it, and followed up with a sharp elbow to its face. Satisfied, he moved away, but not before it recoiled and clawed him across the chest.
In the middle of the ensuing chaos, I caught a glimpse of the cleric, her horse in full-gallop, headed back into the camp. My eyes narrowed in anger. With that, I pulled a vial of my Shot of the Barbarian from a loop in my belt, popped the cork, slugged the liquid down my throat and let the rage take me over.
In an instant, I was on the undead. I swung my short-sword with all my might, felling the first of them. Gaping, bloodless wounds peeled away from its body. I then turned my rage to the next one and, with my offhand, cut a gash in its chest. This one looked like Nicholas.
All of a sudden, an arrow shot past my face and sunk deep into its gut. I peered over my should to see Miresta, high in the tree, loading another arrow in her bow. I nodded thankfully in her direction and she returned the gesture.
Carric yelled, "Eldritch Blast!" which snapped my head back to the battle. That familiar crackling sound filled the air as blue, sparkling energy shot into undead Nicholas. Its body siezed in the same manner as his friend before, stiff as a plank of wood. When the energy from Carric was spent, undead Nicholas dropped lifelessly to the ground.
2 down. 2 to go...
Bhodi moved to the third one and smashed it with his staff. Carrying through on his momentum, he twisted backwards and landed a roundhouse kick to its face. It fell back, almost losing its balance. A large gash on its cheek was now spilling grey sinewy tissue, squirming like earthworms, as it twisted its face and angrily growled at Bhodi.
By this time there was a scrambling in the camp at our backs. Our cover had been blown. Whether by the noise of battle, the light from Nora's Sacred Flame, or the effervescent glow of Carric's Eldritch Blast, the Ravens knew we were here.
The forest began to brighten as though it was daylight. When I turned to find the light source, I saw the nearby trees begin to go up in flames. Another flash in my eyes. A pair of arrows swiftly flew through the air, flickering flames at the tips. They made contact with the trees and set them ablaze. And another pair of arrows. The guards on the watchtower were wrapping oil-soaked rags on their arrows and shooting them into the trees.
Between the burning trees and the undead, we barely noticed the three bandits that had made their way out of the main entrance of the camp and were now headed in our direction. It wasn't until one of the three stepped forward and spoke that we realized their presence.
"So, these are the ones that killed Joey and Johnny," the bandit yelled. "These are the ones that attacked us on the trade road."
It was Dee Dee Raven.
None of us gave response to her words. We turned back to the two undead still in front of us. Damaia moved in silently and with steely precision. She thrusted her daggers into the third undead's rib cage, in and up. It let out a blood curdling scream into the night air. As it fell, she gave an extra shove of the dagger's hilt for good measure, burying the full length of the blade deep in its chest.
The cleric had been out of sight since her return. She'd retreated somewhere into the confines of the camp. Suddenly, I saw the full shimmer of her armor in the low fire light as she stepped from the shadows. She stood boldly at the camp entrance and surveyed the battlefield. Alas, I didn't have time to deal with her just then. There was still one more undead to dispatch of.
I shifted my weight and again willed my short-swords into action. My first swing glanced across the it, not finding any purchase. But, I quickly recoiled and backhanded the blade with my offhand. I felt the cold steel vibrate through my hands as it tore into the undead's meaty back. I dodged to my left as Nora moved in and swung her mace. I heard a loud crack as its skull split and white mucous began to flow throw the fleshy gap.
This last undead crumpled to the ground.
And then it stirred,
And then it stood back up,
And then it let out a ghastly snarl...
It lunged out at Norah, catching her squarely on the shoulder with a stinging bite. More surprised than hurt, she managed to shrug off most of the sting from the attack.
It's rising left an impression on me in that moment.
What sort of resilience did that magic have? To allow this foul thing to rise again. Unnatural.
Carric and Miresta had focused their attention on the tower guards, trusting that we had the undead situation well in hand.
"Exactly 30 feet," Carric said, after a few meticulous mathematical calculations. "We are in range to shoot them."
Miresta smiled back at him and they simultaneously fired at the tower guards, her with an arrow and him with his Eldritch Blast. She shot low, the arrow thudding into one of the tower legs, but his arcane streak of energy hit hard. The blue glow stretched across the bandit's body and lit up the top of the guard tower as though it was a beacon calling the forest to it. For a split second, I believe everyone stopped fighting to watch the display.
Bhodi then swooped in and dropped the remaining undead with a swift whack from his staff. It went down and, as before, it began to rise again. Seeing this, Bhodi leaped into the air a came down on it with a stomping kick to the chest. It staggered backwards from the impact, recovered and began ambling back toward Bhodi. Unlike the others, this one wasn't willing to die a second time.
Meanwhile, the two bandits outside the camp's entrance returned a volley to Miresta, still nestled in the trees. She shifted to another branch as the crossbow bolts sailed in her direction. One slipped past the side of her head and buried itself in the branches behind her. The other found the flesh of her shoulder. She wrenched in pain and drips of blood began to pool in the cloth covering her shoulder but she managed to steady herself and refocus on the battlefield, scanning for her next objective.
At this point, I was trying to slow the battle in my mind. Plan my next move. I looked Dee Dee square in the eyes and scowled at her. She returned my gaze, if only for a moment. Then, with a wry smile and a shift of her hands, her form disappeared from view. Vanished. No hint of her. My eyes widened with surprise, then anger, then fear.
My trance was broken by another volley of fire-laden arrows bursting into the treetops. The stench of oil burning smoke from the rags had now perfumed the air. The trees seemed to be an ever-burning flare, lighting up the night sky for all to see. Fire and smoke was now all around us, making it hard to breath and even harder to see.
Damaia noticed Bhodi and Norah working feverishly on the undead that wouldn't die. She moved in to swiftly to assist. Her crossbow bolts sung through the air but managed to find no contact. Frustrated she gathered herself and reloaded, determined to overpower any foe in her path.
As I steadily scanned the area in which Dee Dee had been, the cleric made her move. She sprinted into the fray, behind the two bandits who were quickly closing the gap between us and them. She eyed Carric with malice as plumes of black fog began swirling around her hands. Her eyes turned to an ashen grey as her lips moved. It was as if she were speaking in tongues. Her hands instinctively raised as she opened her mouth, let out a scream and sent the black fog darting in Carric's direction.
The dark swarm smashed into Carric with thunderous force, almost knocking him from the tree he was in. It swarmed his body for several seconds as if consuming him whole. Bits of his flesh began to swirl and turn to ash in the whirlwind. He swatted at it like it was a swarm of angry bees but it didn't seem to let up. Finally, it dissipated into the air. Carric locked eyes with the cleric, visibly hurt but bent on revenge.
I sheathed my short-swords, drew my crossbow and aimed at one of the remaining bandits making haste in our direction. It was them or the cleric and I was in no position to engage such a magic wielder at that moment. The least I could do is help clear a path for Carric to duel with her. So, with two breaths, a steady aim and a light tap of the crossbow trigger, I sent the bolt whirring towards the bandit. It sunk deep into his thigh. A vigorous spray of blood shot forth, wetting the grass beneath him. He wrenched in pain, cursed and slowed his pace to an impotent limp.
Norah was still working on the undying undead. As she brought her mace overhead and slung it down, cracking bones echoed like thunder through the trees. The left side of its face was caved in, eye dangling from the socket and jaw shifted to the right. It went down. Again. And it got back up. Again. Snarling, drooling and dripping bits of bone and flesh at Norah's feet.
Miresta loosed another arrow from the treetop into the bandits' direction, which tagged the ground in front of them, splitting the middle between the two. One of the two bandits looked down at the arrow and back up towards Miresta. His eyes went wide only moments before realizing that, while he had looked away, Carric had dropped from the tree and thrown an Eldritch blast at him. Before he could react the arcane energy passed through his body and dropped him, twitching and flailing.
As Carric leaned himself against a tree trunk to catch his breath, Bhodi twirled his staff above his head to gain as much momentum as possible. He brought it down with all of the frustration, strength, precision and speed he needed to connect with the undead's neck. The thick, wooden staff bellowed as it struck powerfully between the cheek and shoulder of the undead. We all heard a clean snap, though we hoped it was from bone breaking and not staff. The confirmation came as the undead made a eerily high-pitched squeal and slumped to the ground. Bhodi, not trusting it was finally dead, held his breath and waited for several moments. He let out a sigh of relief as it lay still.
The relief was short-lived.
Seemingly in sync, the two tower guards and the last bandit heading toward us fired into the tree that Miresta was still in. She immediately noticed and scurried up a few branches, dodging the arrows completely. She wiped her sweaty brow, thankful for her agility and keen senses.
Damaia noticed that Miresta was becoming the main intent of their focus. With their attention diverted, she took the opportunity to launch a bolt of her own at the bandit on the ground. It ate its way into the flesh of his hip, causing him to crow in pain. He faltered, unsure of what to do next.
I looked over and gave Damaia an approving nod. She smiled back but her face quickly faded into a grimace. As I gave her a questioning look, a familiar black fog began to writhe around my body. It felt like a hundred pokers searing my flesh and ripping it away from the muscle. I staggered momentarily, severely hurt from the clerics necrotic blast, but regained my focus quickly. The rage overtook me once more and I rushed forward, raised my crossbow and fired at her. However, in my lack of true focus, I miscalculated my aim and the bolt fired wide. A complete miss.
Carric, now on the ground, moved toward the tower and let loose another Eldritch blast. It arced high and sailed over the tower guards' heads, careening off into the night sky as if meant for the clouds. Bhodi followed the blast, dashing towards the tower, in the hopes of getting a little more up close and personal with the last bandit and the two nuisances that sat atop it.
As Bhodi ran past, I felt a cold chill up my spine. I couldn't make out where it was coming from. It felt like a breeze blowing just across the back of my neck. The hairs on my arms began to raise. I frantically glanced around, that feeling growing stronger. Before I could pinpoint the source, Dee Dee appeared directly behind me and slammed a dagger into my back.
My eyes blurred and I felt my knees buckle under the weight of my gear. She whispered something softly into my ear that I couldn't quite make out before yanking the dagger out and letting go of me. I slumped forward and my vision went dark...
But the battle raged on. Bhodi quickly closed the distance between him and the last bandit but was met by the arcing swing of his short-sword. The blade cleaved into the side of his thigh as he tried to dodge out of the way. Luckily, his quick dodge allowed an arrow from one of the tower guards to sail between him and the bandit that had just hit him.
Through my mostly unconscious mind, I heard the faint echo of Damaia's voice. "Not on my watch," she screamed in anger as she turned in Dee Dee's direction and notched a bolt in her crossbow.
I heard the snap of the crossbow. I heard a hissing sound as the bolt whizzed through the air. I heard a grunt and a string of expletives spill from Dee Dee's mouth. I heard the cracking of a rib as the bolt had pierced into her chest. And I could swear that I also heard Damaia smile wickedly.
The cleric, having seen this, swiftly made for the camp and unleashed a flurry of black fog toward Bhodi. In her haste, she aimed left, sending it off into the steadily burning treetops where it seemed to be consumed by the smoke and fire.
I was beginning to feel a little better. Though, my vision and hearing seemed to be going in and out and my body seemed to weigh as much as a sack of boulders.
Norah rushed to Dee Dee and swung her mace with all of her momentum. It smashed against her body with a force that almost shook the ground. Dee Dee looked up with pure rage in her eyes as she clutched the left side of her body, the side where Damaia's arrow had burrowed in. Norah had pushed the bolt to its feathers and visibly broken a couple more of her ribs.
Suddenly, an arrow dug into the ground at Dee Dee's feet. She looked up into the trees to find the sniper it belonged to. But before she could get a bead on Miresta, Carric unleashed an Eldritch Blast, almost knocking her to her knees.
Meanwhile, Bhodi, still engaged with the bandit in the field, flung the end of his staff into the bandit's stomach. The thrusting jab seemed to have so much force that it almost punctured through his stomach. The bandit groaned and fell to the ground as his eyes closed. Bhodi then caught the wind with his feet and seemingly coasted to the guard tower with ease; the guards shooting but unable to hit him.
Dee Dee gathered her strength and lunged toward Norah, extending her dagger outward. It slid just underneath a weak spot in her armor, piercing her side just above her hip bone. There was a faint chirp of pain and she began to wobble as her eyes slid closed. As she collapsed, a blast of radiant light cascaded from her body smashing Dee Dee with a deafening boom.
Damaia gasped in horror at the sight and then quickly regained her composure. She realized she had one remaining healing potion that she'd brewed and used on Erdrich when he was hurt. There was little time. She knew she had to act fast. So she set her feet and sprung toward Norah. About three feet away, she dropped to her knees and slid the rest of the way, scooping Norah up in her right arm and cradling her head. She immediately popped the cork on her healing potion and aggressively poured it into Norah's mouth. Seconds later, her eyes popped open. She gave a slight cough and a nod of thanks.
"She's getting away," Miresta said as she pointed to the cleric, now on horseback and making her escape.
Norah only halfway processed what was said as she rolled to her knees and crawled over to me. Her hands, warm to the touch, landed on my arm. I felt a surge of heat coarse through my body and my eyes regained focus. The heaviness in my limbs disappeared and energy again filled my body. I reached out and grasped her hand, giving it a tender squeeze. I was thankful. Truly thankful.
As Norah and I began struggling to our feet, Miresta shot at arrow at Dee Dee. The arrow sunk deep into her calf. She scowled back at Miresta and then began screaming in pain. As I looked down at the arrow, thick thorny vines began sprouting from the wooden shaft. They sprung out as if they were alive and wrapped around her in a tangled mass, the thorns digging into every part of visible flesh she had. The more she struggled the tighter the vines seemed to wrap.
Carric nodded to Miresta and launched an Eldritch blast at Dee Dee, locking her body into a momentary siezure.
Bhodi, by this time, had managed to crawl under the guard tower. We could all see him huddled under the tower, sparks flying from what we could only assume was a tinder box. He was holding the box close to one of the tower legs, striking at it feverishly to get any spark of fire to catch to the wood.
The guards, seemingly uninterested in Bhodi, took aim for Miresta after seeing the vines crawling up Dee Dee's body. They loosed their arrows in tandem. Miresta danced to avoid one but the other caught her in the arm. She winced angrily and snapped the shaft clean.
Dee Dee struggled against the vines, shrieking in pain and anger. She managed to free a hand with a dagger in it and swiped at Norah, who was closest her. The first swipe missed, as Norah dodged backwards. But as she rocked forward, Dee Dee's back swing caught her hard. As the wound opened, Norah fell again. An arc of lighting sprung from her body and electrified Dee Dee.
Seeing Norah on the ground, we all descended on Dee Dee like the angry horde we were becoming. Damaia quickened and let loose a crossbow bolt at Dee Dee that scraped past her head. Her face grew taut with frustration at the miss. Seeing this, I pushed myself to my feet and lunged forward. My short sword hungrily gashed into Dee Dee's ribs causing her to bend awkwardly and wince. At nearly the same time, Miresta shot another arrow in Dee Dee and Carric slammed her with an Eldritch blast.
Bloody, broken and gashed by thorny vines, Dee Dee went down. She lay stiff and convulsing from the remnant arcane energy heaving through her. She had finally fallen. While Damaia ran to Norah and stabilized her wounds, I walked to the dead leader of the Ravens. With two swift swings from my short-swords, her head rolled from her neck. In the sack it went, right next to Joey's.
The tower guards watched this entire scene unfold. They quickly realized that the tide had now turned to our favor. With that, they climbed out of the tower, escape on their minds. Bhodi was still under the tower, striking away at his tinderbox in futility . The guards, startled to find him still there, attempted to attack him. Too frazzled to make sense of the situation, they both missed. Miresta and Carric, however, took the opportunity to execute a couple of precision shots to finish off the two tower guards.
Silence fell over the battlefield as a cool breeze brushed across our faces. We all took a moment to imbibe in the serenity inaction before setting about our post-conflict activities. I heaved my shoulders back, pulled out my corn cob pipe, lit it and let the smoke roll in. All I could do in that moment was smile.
"I'm checking the bodies," I said and moved off into the fields.
I didn't find much in the way of valuables: a couple of trinkets, some armor and weaponry. It was obvious that this group had little of real value. It dawned on me that their fight was not so much over treasure as it was for survival. Or maybe the fight was to stay alive in order to not become undead.
Damaia followed behind me into the field and then split off and made her way into the encampment. Once inside, she moved from tent to tent, meticulously searching every inch of each one. The first two were rather bare, with only a few bedrolls and tattered clothing. The third was larger than the other two and had furniture and makeshift beds. She had just finished the search of the third tent and was coming out as we gathered at its entrance.
"Look!" she said excitedly as she held out a small wooden chest with the latch unlocked and the lid flipped back.
Carric's eyes went wide as he silently calculated the coin inside.
"I finally got my 50 gold," he said a few moments later.
"And some gems for Lhodis," I replied.
Not to repeat our mistake again, we set to the hard work of gathered the bodies from the field and stacking them in the fire pit at the heart of the encampment. A couple of strikes from a tinderbox and the flames went wild, devouring the bodies and jumping onto the tents. Within an hour, the site was a hovel of scorched earth and ash.
As the Ravens' stronghold burned, we wandered back out to the treeline from whence we came and made camp for the evening. There was a cool breeze and a chilly silence that washed over us as fatigue set in. As I lay back on my bedroll, I stared up into the night sky and sunk deep into thought as I drifted off.
Coin and Calculations. Reward riddled consequence. It all boiled down to 50 gold and 30 feet...
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