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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7575831" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 266</p><p></p><p>Sometime in the recent past, a local calamity had toppled one of the ancient giants of the forest. The tree had sagged into the grasp of several of its neighbors, forming an awkward ramp slick with clinging vines and damp lichens.</p><p></p><p>The violent death of the tree had torn up its roots, leaving behind a muddy hollow. Fresh growth had already begun to reclaim that space, but it sufficed as a shelter for Bredan and his companions, both new and old.</p><p></p><p>The warrior kept shifting his gaze from the cats standing along the edge of the hollow and the scene at its center. Quellan was kneeling there, heedless of the mud that slicked his steel armor. His shield and mace were laid carefully at his side, within easy reach. Glori was crouched next to him, but the cleric seemed completely unaware of his surroundings, with his eyes closed and his lips moving slightly.</p><p></p><p>Bredan looked back over at the cats. Mrrik and Graaka, the cat they had recused from the trap at the root-tree, were paying close heed to the priest’s spell-ritual. The other four were spread out in the surrounding jungle, keeping watch. Bredan couldn’t help but crack a smile at the thought of them. They were the entirety of Mrrik’s force; the rustling that the companions had sensed back at the meeting along the stream had been a ruse to suggest a much larger group. It was a reminder that for all their apparently primitive nature, the cat-men should not be underestimated.</p><p></p><p>More evidence for that was visible in front of the cleric. There was a map there, sculpted in the mud of the hollow. It showed the camp of the dragon-men to a surprising level of detail, down to tiny huts fashioned out of leaves and twigs. The cats had created it in a matter of minutes.</p><p></p><p>The cat-men had also proven their worth in other ways. They had already led them past several traps, including a pair of deadfalls that would have created quite a bit of noise had they been triggered. They hadn’t seen any sentries yet, but Bredan had no doubt that the cats would have warned them if there had been any along their route of approach. Mrrik had taken them on a roundabout route to this point, gesturing to indicate that they were getting close when they stopped here to make their plans.</p><p></p><p>Quellan finally came out of his fugue and blinked. “Did you find them?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>The cleric nodded. “I found them.”</p><p></p><p>He described what he had seen through his <em>arcane eye</em>. As he spoke, Glori strummed her lyre, conjuring another <em>minor illusion</em> to place the features he mentioned on the map. Mrrik and Graaka had accepted the workings of the spell—the latter cat had earlier touched the figures, confirming that they were not real—and leaned in to get a better look as the blank canvas of the map took on added levels of detail. Bredan took a step closer so he could look over their shoulders.</p><p></p><p>What he saw was not encouraging.</p><p></p><p>“So, there’s an outer ring of four sentries, and then pairs stationed along the inner perimeter here, here, and here,” Kosk said. Quellan nodded in confirmation. “How many altogether in the camp, would you say?”</p><p></p><p>“A few hundred, at least,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“That’s not good,” Xeeta said.</p><p></p><p>“Not all of them appeared to be warriors,” the cleric amended. “But most carried at least something that could be used as a weapon.”</p><p></p><p>“Can’t blame them for being vigilant, not after what we’ve already seen in this place,” Kosk noted.</p><p></p><p>“And the sailors are being held there?” Bredan asked, pointing to a complex of pens that had materialized near the center of the settlement. Glori had crafted her illusion with such fealty that he could even make out tiny hands clutching the bars.</p><p></p><p>“I saw about a dozen being held there,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>Mrrik growled something. When they looked up, he pointed to his chest, and then the slave pens. “I think he’s asking if there are any of his people being held there,” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>Quellan nodded. “I only saw a few, but yes,” he said. “They were being kept separate from the humans.”</p><p></p><p>Glori modified the illusion, placing a handful of cats into one of the pens. The cat made a feral noise and drew back its lips to reveal pointed teeth.</p><p></p><p>“We’ll get them out,” Bredan said. He waved to get Mrrik’s attention, then made a gesture to the pens, snapping his hands together to simulate breaking bars. “We’ll get them out.”</p><p></p><p>“What about Sond?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“I didn’t see her,” Quellan said. He pointed to one of the huts off to the side of the main cluster. “But that hut there is being guarded. She could be inside.”</p><p></p><p>Glori strummed, and a sentry shimmered into being in front of the hut.</p><p></p><p>“What about this place,” Kosk said, pointing with his staff toward the large hut in the center. Mrrik had clearly given the spot emphasis in the design of his map, and his model showed it to be at least twice the size of the surrounding structures.</p><p></p><p>The cat leader matched Kosk’s gesture, pointing at it with his spear-thrower. “Natak,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“Natak?” Kosk asked. “That some kind of dragon boss?”</p><p></p><p>The cat man spread his arms and puffed up his shoulders. “Natak.” He twisted his face into a harsh and obviously hostile expression. He feigned swinging his thrower down in a violent arc. “Natak.”</p><p></p><p>“Okay, obviously someone we’d prefer not to meet,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“We may not have a choice,” Xeeta said. “There’s no way we’re going to get in there unobserved, let alone get the sailors and Mrrik’s people out.”</p><p></p><p>“We’ll need to split up,” Kosk said. “It’s the only way. One force to cause a distraction, while the other sneaks in to break our guys out.”</p><p></p><p>“Risky,” Glori said. “These dragon-men are clearly bad news. With hundreds of them in there, either force could get overwhelmed before the other could come to help.”</p><p></p><p>“It’s a good plan,” Rodan said. “Given a big enough distraction, I could probably get to those cages unseen.”</p><p></p><p>“The cats can go with you,” Glori said. “They are obviously good at stealth.”</p><p></p><p>“Xeeta, you should go with the sneak force as well,” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>“I think my spells can be of more use to the distraction group,” Xeeta said.</p><p></p><p>“Glori can fulfill that role,” the dwarf said. “Obviously Bredan and Quellan won’t be sneaking in, and Rodan might need some firepower to cover the escape.”</p><p></p><p>“You can use your necklace to look like one of them,” Quellan suggested. “Might help you get in, maybe cause some confusion.”</p><p></p><p>“I can use my magic to help cover our escape,” Glori said. “Assuming a <em>wall of fire</em> gives them pause.”</p><p></p><p>“Okay, we hit them hard, draw them off, then circle back around the rejoin the others,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“Lot of things that could go wrong,” Kalasien said.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, there always are,” Kosk said. “But I’ve planned a few raids in my day. This may be our best chance.”</p><p></p><p>“Glori, show the cats the plan,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>Glori conjured up another illusion, this time showing the two-pronged attack on the dragon-men’s camp. Mrrik watched intently as the scenario played out. To Bredan it was like some kind of game, with the illusory figures representing pieces moving back and forth acros the board. But he knew only too well that those pieces represented his friends, and fragile flesh and blood.</p><p></p><p>The cat absorbed the scene, then pointed to Glori and growled a command.</p><p></p><p>“I think he wants you to do it again, Glori,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>Glori repeated the illusion. This time the cat suggested a change; he pointed to his chest, and then at the distraction force. Graaka said something, a query, but the larger cat shook his head and pointed again at the tiny figures approaching the side of the camp opposite the slave pens.</p><p></p><p>“What’s that about, do you think?” Xeeta whispered to Bredan.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know, but I agree that we should have at least one of the cats with us,” he said. “They know this jungle a heck of a lot better than we do.”</p><p></p><p>Glori made the change, and Mrrik hissed in approval. He gestured with his spear thrower, plotting two courses out from the sides of the dragon-man camp that met up at an exposed root a few feet away.</p><p></p><p>“A rendezvous point,” Kosk noted.</p><p></p><p>“We’d better do everything we can to keep at least some of them alive,” Rodan said. “We’ll have a lot harder time linking up again without their guidance.”</p><p></p><p>“I’d like to focus on keeping all of us alive,” Xeeta said.</p><p></p><p>“All right,” Bredan said. “It sounds like we have plan. Let’s do it while we still have daylight.”</p><p></p><p>“Be careful,” Xeeta said to Bredan. “All of you.”</p><p></p><p>“You too.”</p><p></p><p>“We’ll keep them busy,” Glori said. “Just get our people out of there.”</p><p></p><p>The two groups separated, with Rodan and Xeeta heading over to join the cats. Mrrik and Graaka engaged in a quiet discussion next to the trunk of the tree.</p><p></p><p>Kalasien came to Bredan as he watched the exchange. “You know that they’re just using us to get their own people out of that camp,” the agent said.</p><p></p><p>Bredan looked at him and shrugged. “What does it matter?” he asked. “We need their help.” He let out a tired sigh. “I understand what you’re saying. We’ve only just met these creatures, and we’ve already had one armed clash with them. But thus far, they seem a heck of a lot better than those dragon-men. So for now, we have no choice but to trust them.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7575831, member: 143"] Chapter 266 Sometime in the recent past, a local calamity had toppled one of the ancient giants of the forest. The tree had sagged into the grasp of several of its neighbors, forming an awkward ramp slick with clinging vines and damp lichens. The violent death of the tree had torn up its roots, leaving behind a muddy hollow. Fresh growth had already begun to reclaim that space, but it sufficed as a shelter for Bredan and his companions, both new and old. The warrior kept shifting his gaze from the cats standing along the edge of the hollow and the scene at its center. Quellan was kneeling there, heedless of the mud that slicked his steel armor. His shield and mace were laid carefully at his side, within easy reach. Glori was crouched next to him, but the cleric seemed completely unaware of his surroundings, with his eyes closed and his lips moving slightly. Bredan looked back over at the cats. Mrrik and Graaka, the cat they had recused from the trap at the root-tree, were paying close heed to the priest’s spell-ritual. The other four were spread out in the surrounding jungle, keeping watch. Bredan couldn’t help but crack a smile at the thought of them. They were the entirety of Mrrik’s force; the rustling that the companions had sensed back at the meeting along the stream had been a ruse to suggest a much larger group. It was a reminder that for all their apparently primitive nature, the cat-men should not be underestimated. More evidence for that was visible in front of the cleric. There was a map there, sculpted in the mud of the hollow. It showed the camp of the dragon-men to a surprising level of detail, down to tiny huts fashioned out of leaves and twigs. The cats had created it in a matter of minutes. The cat-men had also proven their worth in other ways. They had already led them past several traps, including a pair of deadfalls that would have created quite a bit of noise had they been triggered. They hadn’t seen any sentries yet, but Bredan had no doubt that the cats would have warned them if there had been any along their route of approach. Mrrik had taken them on a roundabout route to this point, gesturing to indicate that they were getting close when they stopped here to make their plans. Quellan finally came out of his fugue and blinked. “Did you find them?” Glori asked. The cleric nodded. “I found them.” He described what he had seen through his [i]arcane eye[/i]. As he spoke, Glori strummed her lyre, conjuring another [i]minor illusion[/i] to place the features he mentioned on the map. Mrrik and Graaka had accepted the workings of the spell—the latter cat had earlier touched the figures, confirming that they were not real—and leaned in to get a better look as the blank canvas of the map took on added levels of detail. Bredan took a step closer so he could look over their shoulders. What he saw was not encouraging. “So, there’s an outer ring of four sentries, and then pairs stationed along the inner perimeter here, here, and here,” Kosk said. Quellan nodded in confirmation. “How many altogether in the camp, would you say?” “A few hundred, at least,” Quellan said. “That’s not good,” Xeeta said. “Not all of them appeared to be warriors,” the cleric amended. “But most carried at least something that could be used as a weapon.” “Can’t blame them for being vigilant, not after what we’ve already seen in this place,” Kosk noted. “And the sailors are being held there?” Bredan asked, pointing to a complex of pens that had materialized near the center of the settlement. Glori had crafted her illusion with such fealty that he could even make out tiny hands clutching the bars. “I saw about a dozen being held there,” Quellan said. Mrrik growled something. When they looked up, he pointed to his chest, and then the slave pens. “I think he’s asking if there are any of his people being held there,” Glori asked. Quellan nodded. “I only saw a few, but yes,” he said. “They were being kept separate from the humans.” Glori modified the illusion, placing a handful of cats into one of the pens. The cat made a feral noise and drew back its lips to reveal pointed teeth. “We’ll get them out,” Bredan said. He waved to get Mrrik’s attention, then made a gesture to the pens, snapping his hands together to simulate breaking bars. “We’ll get them out.” “What about Sond?” Glori asked. “I didn’t see her,” Quellan said. He pointed to one of the huts off to the side of the main cluster. “But that hut there is being guarded. She could be inside.” Glori strummed, and a sentry shimmered into being in front of the hut. “What about this place,” Kosk said, pointing with his staff toward the large hut in the center. Mrrik had clearly given the spot emphasis in the design of his map, and his model showed it to be at least twice the size of the surrounding structures. The cat leader matched Kosk’s gesture, pointing at it with his spear-thrower. “Natak,” he said. “Natak?” Kosk asked. “That some kind of dragon boss?” The cat man spread his arms and puffed up his shoulders. “Natak.” He twisted his face into a harsh and obviously hostile expression. He feigned swinging his thrower down in a violent arc. “Natak.” “Okay, obviously someone we’d prefer not to meet,” Glori said. “We may not have a choice,” Xeeta said. “There’s no way we’re going to get in there unobserved, let alone get the sailors and Mrrik’s people out.” “We’ll need to split up,” Kosk said. “It’s the only way. One force to cause a distraction, while the other sneaks in to break our guys out.” “Risky,” Glori said. “These dragon-men are clearly bad news. With hundreds of them in there, either force could get overwhelmed before the other could come to help.” “It’s a good plan,” Rodan said. “Given a big enough distraction, I could probably get to those cages unseen.” “The cats can go with you,” Glori said. “They are obviously good at stealth.” “Xeeta, you should go with the sneak force as well,” Kosk said. “I think my spells can be of more use to the distraction group,” Xeeta said. “Glori can fulfill that role,” the dwarf said. “Obviously Bredan and Quellan won’t be sneaking in, and Rodan might need some firepower to cover the escape.” “You can use your necklace to look like one of them,” Quellan suggested. “Might help you get in, maybe cause some confusion.” “I can use my magic to help cover our escape,” Glori said. “Assuming a [i]wall of fire[/i] gives them pause.” “Okay, we hit them hard, draw them off, then circle back around the rejoin the others,” Bredan said. “Lot of things that could go wrong,” Kalasien said. “Yeah, there always are,” Kosk said. “But I’ve planned a few raids in my day. This may be our best chance.” “Glori, show the cats the plan,” Bredan said. Glori conjured up another illusion, this time showing the two-pronged attack on the dragon-men’s camp. Mrrik watched intently as the scenario played out. To Bredan it was like some kind of game, with the illusory figures representing pieces moving back and forth acros the board. But he knew only too well that those pieces represented his friends, and fragile flesh and blood. The cat absorbed the scene, then pointed to Glori and growled a command. “I think he wants you to do it again, Glori,” Quellan said. Glori repeated the illusion. This time the cat suggested a change; he pointed to his chest, and then at the distraction force. Graaka said something, a query, but the larger cat shook his head and pointed again at the tiny figures approaching the side of the camp opposite the slave pens. “What’s that about, do you think?” Xeeta whispered to Bredan. “I don’t know, but I agree that we should have at least one of the cats with us,” he said. “They know this jungle a heck of a lot better than we do.” Glori made the change, and Mrrik hissed in approval. He gestured with his spear thrower, plotting two courses out from the sides of the dragon-man camp that met up at an exposed root a few feet away. “A rendezvous point,” Kosk noted. “We’d better do everything we can to keep at least some of them alive,” Rodan said. “We’ll have a lot harder time linking up again without their guidance.” “I’d like to focus on keeping all of us alive,” Xeeta said. “All right,” Bredan said. “It sounds like we have plan. Let’s do it while we still have daylight.” “Be careful,” Xeeta said to Bredan. “All of you.” “You too.” “We’ll keep them busy,” Glori said. “Just get our people out of there.” The two groups separated, with Rodan and Xeeta heading over to join the cats. Mrrik and Graaka engaged in a quiet discussion next to the trunk of the tree. Kalasien came to Bredan as he watched the exchange. “You know that they’re just using us to get their own people out of that camp,” the agent said. Bredan looked at him and shrugged. “What does it matter?” he asked. “We need their help.” He let out a tired sigh. “I understand what you’re saying. We’ve only just met these creatures, and we’ve already had one armed clash with them. But thus far, they seem a heck of a lot better than those dragon-men. So for now, we have no choice but to trust them.” [/QUOTE]
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