The Sojourning Six

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Burkey raced at the brigand but since it had fallen to the ground a head butt just wouldn't work. He stomped his sharp hoof across the brigand's neck. Blood poured out but the creature rose to its' knees swiping a claw towards Burkey. Burkey barely managed to leap back out of reach.

 

Zed picked up a stout stick from the forest floor and started hitting the creature in the back of the head always moving so that he stayed behind the creature. "You hurt the nice lady that's not nice, you mustn't hurt the lady" could be heard over the sound of Zed's stick hitting the creature on the head and neck.

 

As the creature with the arrows in its back writhed and flailed in its confusion, the other struggled to break free fo the confining vines that were wrapped around its body. It was finally able, though the vines held the bow tight. Giving up on that, it pulled a dagger from its belt and rushed screaming at those who were beating its mate.

But it did not anticipate Keimal's recovery, as he swept his good left arm, holding one of his gigantic maces, at the creature. It tried to adjust and succeeded in plunging the dagger into Keimal's shoulder, but the momentum of the mace sent the creature flying into a tree with the impact. It staggered to its feet, yelping and grabbing at its now-crushed right arm.

"An eye for an eye, and an arm for an arm!" Keimal bellowed as he rushed at the creature. It ducked away just in time as Keimal's mace crashed into the tree where its head had been just a moment before, the bark splintering and blinding both opponents with the spray. Both Keimal and the creature backed away to rub the sawdust from their watering eyes.

 

Burkey races at the thing attacking Keimal, head-butting it. It crashed back into the tree. He head-butts it again and it falls to the ground but manages to slash Burkey across the thigh. He staggers back, limping a little.

Pulling out his pipes he begins to play "Fear".

 

Avril's hand glowed and the gash in her skin closed. She just barely touched the wood giant, imbuing her healing power into his wounds. With her spells gone now, she tried to kill the thing by stabbing it with her dagger. She missed, tripping over her feet and landing in the brambles.

 

Zed was fluttering round the head of the thing still hitting it with the stick and crying out about not hurting the pretty lady, he was quite shocked when it fell to the floor seemingly unconscious, he hit it a few more times with at stick and then looking around asked "I-i-i-is i-i-it dead? Di-di-di-did I kill it?"

 

With the sawdust settling down, Foxlen back-stabbed the brigand that was attacking Keimal, the pixie's sword went completly inside his body. When Foxlen removed the blade, the lifeless body of the brigand fall to the ground.

"Hey, you okay" Folxen ask to Keimal while looking around for the other bandit.

[ April 27, 2006, 18:22: Message edited by: Maurolava ]

 

"Not quite, Zed, not quite. But that's a good thing; I want some answers. Thouls aren't exactly common around these parts." Keimal stalks over to the creature with the arrows in its back and picks it up by the back of its neck, ignoring it as it flails in the wrong direction. He finally catches Foxlen's inquiry.

"I'm fine. And thank you for that, Avril. Here, you can have this dagger the other one stabbed me with. It stings like the dickens, and I can only imagine there's somthing special about it." Keimal nods to the dagger in his shoulder and suppresses a wince as Avril gently tugs it out. Then he addresses Foxlen again. "Now if you wouldn't mind reversing whatever it is you did to ... say, I don't think I've caught your name. What are you called, little pixie?"

[ April 27, 2006, 21:15: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Avril sought each in turn, checking and treating any wounds with her medical skills as her god-granted spells were cast. She listened politely as Keimal questioned an invisible spot where the pixie used to be.

 

Foxlen become visible again, he approach Keimal
"Foxlen is my name, as per this poor soul, just give me a sec"
Foxlen touch the head of the foe, Foxlen eyes glow for a second just to have the brigand scream "Let me go, Let me go", trying to reach the hands of the giant and kicking without any result.
Foxlen irritated after the confrontation smack the back of the head of the brigand and reply "OOH, SHUT UP!!!... just answer my giant friend before you get him mad"

Foxlen then smile while looking a Keimal "There you go"

 

Zed flew over to Avril and asked her "Are you alright pretty lady? They didn't hurt you too much did they? I'm sorry I didn't help so quickly but they scared me a little." He admitted the last sheepishly and then settled to the ground by Avril as he watched the Giant try to get some answers.

 

"I'm fine now, Zed, thank you," she replied with a smile to ease his fears. She plopped down beside him in the grass, plucking a blade to nibble on during the interrogation.

 

"Thank you...Foxlen." Keimal smiled at the pixie and then turned his attention back to the creature in his grasp. "Alright, you freak of magic. Tell me what this is all about, or I'll snap your neck."

"You'll kill me anyway. Why should I tell you?"

"Because if you don't I'll snap your neck. Weren't you listening? But if you do tell me and what you say is helpful, I might let you go. ...Without a broken neck."

"Ah, I see." The thoul was silent for a moment as it mulled its options. "It was Solok. He sent us after your druid friend. If I'd known she'd have help, I would've asked for more backup than just my mate. Where is she, by th - grrrrgk!"

Keimal stepped back and let the now-dead thoul fall to the earth. Seeing the glances from his companions, he explained. "Thouls mate for life. He would have gone berserk if he'd seen her body. Though I have no idea why a magical combination of hobgoblin, troll, and ghoul would have such strong ties. It's not like any of those care for their mates. Eh, it's probably the magic..."

He turned to Avril. "Have you had any visions about who this 'Solok' is or why he would have it in for you? I can only imagine it has something to do with this quest of yours." Keimal stared at Avril and awaited an answer.

 

"I knew a Soluk once, during my brief stay in a gnomish enclave. But - it - died long ago." The others noted the pause and continued to stare, waiting. "Soluk was an abomination to the natural order. - It - revived a long-dead druid of my order. I killed her, then killed - it -. I have seen nothing that can recall itself from a cleansing fire."

 

She felt their stares as she bandaged Keimal's wound. With a hint of anger, she growled, "I'm not telling you anymore about it, so quit gawking. We should find a safe place to rest up. I also need more medicines if we get ambush like this again."

 

Zed patted the pretty lady's arm "Just tell me where to go and what you want me to do pretty lady and I'll try and not get too scared or mess it up, I know I'm not the bravest but I'll try for you" his voice was thick with emotion as he spoke.

 

"I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...I was just..." Keimal sounded repentant for the first time since any of them had met him. "Ah...we can...camp in the woods alongside the road. I'd suggest everyone who can fly...er, or climb up into a tree do so. Burkey and I can take first watch. Until then, we can...help you look for your herbs."

The sun was setting when the five returned, successful in their attempt to find the plants Avril needed. Keimal helped boost Avril up to where she could climb a high tree, and Foxlen and Zed flitted up to settle in beside her. Soon the three were fast asleep, Zed in his favorite position upon Avril's buxom, and Foxlen only noticeable by the sound of his squeaking snore.

Keimal spoke at last when he was sure that they were asleep, "Burkey, what do you think of Avril?" Burkey's off-the-cuff remark went unheard by the giant, lost in his own thoughts. Snapping back to reality, Keimal bluffed, "Aye, she's an impressive woman. And far more than you know..." and lapsed into silence once again.

 

With Foxlen buzzing in her ear and Zed snuggled warmly in her cleavage, Avril dreamed of Soluk.

"You have seen me, little one," the dead thing rasped as it cupped her chin and forced her to gaze into its face. "I am your nightmare come real. You'll join my side as my consort. I will teach you to use your seeing ability very well."

"No," Avril cried out, tears on her face. "I won't!" Soluk did not have the strength of flesh to hold her and she broke free, running away. She stumbled and fell, scraping her gangling limbs on the rocky underground. None of the undead army were quick enough to stop her.

Avril redeiscovered the hiding place of she and her druid guardian, Viesha. Viesha lay on the ground, dying from the unholy magicks Soluk used to spirit the girl away. "Avril...you escaped," the old woman croaked and coughed. "Take this...my ring. It will...protect you. Let the...change happen, child." Viesha shuddered, then lay silent and still.

The girl cautiously removed the ring and put it on her thumb. She took time to make a cairn over the corpse and prayed when the deed was done.

An hour later, Soluk heard the call of a creature from his past. He looked toward the sound, his undead eyes unbelieving as a glittering white swan dove upon him. The heavy bird plowed into his thin chest, forcing him backwards and his papery skull smashed against a predictable outcroppping. The swan sang its anger and attacked the fallen necromancer with vengeful glee. Soluk's decaying form flew into satisfying pieces. As he fell, so did his undead army and the bird trumpeted for joy as it launched back into the air.

 

Burkey heard Keimal's question but didn't know what to say.

Finally after a bit, "Ah, Keimal, I'm a satyr. She might be the finest woman in the world in her soul and mind but if she were ugly I wouldn't be here."

He rummaged aground in his backpack a bit and then said wistfully, "I hope we get to a town soon. One with some decent wine."

He eyed the sleeping Avril and muttered, "Lucky Zed."

 

Awaking early, Avril yawned and stretched out the kinks in her back. Zed popped out of his psuedo bed, but she caught him with her hands.

She climbed down the tree, receiving scratches for her effort and started making warm food to break the group's morning fast.