Rashemen Book 2

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Jex heard the twang of the bows, and dove headlong into a bush. He felt the air of the arrows zip over his body and felt a glancing blow as one of the arrows grazed across his back failing to penetrate his armour. He laid in the bush for a second, silently curseing. There were others he had not seen and they knew his position now, it would be hard for him to move with makeing noise now that he was tangled in a bush.

 

Three assassins closed around the bush that Jex was in. They nodded at each other and set a trap on each side. The drow would have a problem here. They turned towards where the brothers had been.

Delinos and Kelvados swung from the trees, feet first, into the backs of the assassins. Two were down, and the last one was gone before they could get up. "Jex? Jex..!" Kelvados hissed into the bush while Delinos attempted to disarm the traps.

 

"Thanks." Whispered the half drow as he untangled himself. "These guys are good. Who are they." he signed to Kelvados knowing that the drow from Menzo would know how to communicate in the same way.

 

Kelvados signed back, "No idea. Have not gotten good look yet. We will know when we are done."

Kelvados sprinted off into the darkness, and Delinos went towards a tree and ran up it.

 

Jex shrugged and slipped into the shadows. He wanted to find Del and find out what she knew. He remembered where she had been resting, but things had changed since Nakia had broke his reverie. He didn't know where Sepp, Atten, Maron and Alexi, were, but he knew Nakia was in trouble, the drow brothers were fighting much like he and Del were.

 

An arrow quivered in a tree next to Jex. He looked for the source and quickly found it; Delphinae put her finger to her lips, and then motioned for Jex to rejoin the group in the clearing.

After more than an hour, Del returned from her 'hunt'. Unceremoniusly dumping the body of the last assassin on the ground, she grumbled, "Tight-lipped bastard."

Looking around the group, she challenged, "Alright, who wants to explain this?"

 

Delinos and Kelvados knelt on either side of one of the bodies. They signed to each other, 'Do you think these are from' -- 'No, they're not, at least I hope not.'

"I don't know," Kelvados shrugged, "but they smell like they havent bathed in too long." Delinos made a sour face.

 

Jex standing back understood the sign language perfectly. His eyes flashed at the brothers willingness to hide the identities of who had just attacked the camp. "There is no point in signing the drow language when I'm watching. Who do you hope that these assassins are not in league with?"

 

"Well, " said Delinos, fuming at Kelvados for sigining in the forst place, " we think they may be in line with Huiy'Trej, our *former* employer who sent us to assassinate that wizard.. he's an illithid."

Kelvados and Delinos braced for the impact.

 

"A Mindflayer. That makes things more interesting. So it means that he's obviously not happy to have the two of you running free. And he knows where we are." Jex said looking around, as if the Mindflayer would jump out of the trees surrounding the camp. "Perhaps we should get back on the move then, keep him chaseing instead of letting him catch us standing still."

 

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!" Sepp said. "Now that we've eaten and rested, let's get out of here. Maybe Atten will stop grumbling for awhile."
He gathered up his stuff and was ready to go. Nakia came out of the woods and was all set too.

 

"Ok then.." Delinos said, amazed that this group would still stick with them after learning that a powerful mind flayer was after them.

Kelvados grabbed his stuff, and was ready to go. Delinos replaced his finger-blades with new ones and was ready also.

 

Maron appeared behing Sepp, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"You know, I have a spell prepared that might help if the flayer does arrive. It stops the target from being affected by psionics. Just ask if you want it, I'm happy to help."

Having said this, she slung her pack over a shoulder, wincing slightly when it bounced off a wing.
Growling, she adjusted the pack to avoid the wings, and stretched them.

"Okay, now I really am ready to go"

 

"Oh, that's good," Sepp said. He felt a little out of sorts after the recent action, but good that he had such wise and powerful friends.

"Umm, just a little question. What's a mind flayer?"

 

"A very powerful, and frightening monster. Few have survived encounters with Mind Flayers and they do exactly that flay the mind. They attack through psionics. They fear one thing and we happen to have three of them. Drow, more so drow clerics, but they have problems with drow fighters and there skill." Jex said as he shouldered on his pack flashing a quick smile at Maron after seeing her problems. "We should go now."

 

"At last, let's keep moving"

 

Maron smiled back at Jex.
"I know why they fear Drow. My friend Raven could tear the head of a giant with her tongue. Still, Daie finds her cuddly enough, so maybe the drow aren't that scary after all. I bet you have a softer side too, right? A fondness for kittens, perhaps?"

Stepping over to him, she began to poke his biceps, frowning slightly.
"C'mon, I bet you do. Do you have a teddy bear? Or a teddy spider?"

 

Leaning in close, Jex whispered in Marons ear. "I do have a fondness for kittens and I did have a stuffed teddy bear, no spiders though. I'm not one of those drow." Pulling back, he flashed a quick grin and said "Don't tell the others though, I have a reputation to uphold."

 

Nakia readied her pack then walked over to Sepp. "Thank you for waking me. Those guys were good. It's lucky we have so many different talents here. A good team, strange but good. Now to get the Earth's Heart to its home. "

 

Maron beamed at Jex. "I knew it! There is such thing as a cuddly drow! Ha! Raven owes me money! Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret."

Emminently pleased with herself, she stepped back too, and waited for the decision to be off.