barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
Keep it up, Newbie. The orcs are great -- and I'm wondering about the story between Gorak and Shayla...?
Good stuff!
Good stuff!
Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
- Thread starter EternalNewbie
- Start date
EternalNewbie
Explorer
Okay, since I don't actually have time to write up an update I thought maybe I'd post a little background information about the characters, world, our gaming group.
First off, Khalid's accent isn't really, well an accent. It doesn't translate particularly well to text. If you want a better idea of what he sounds like, it's pretty close to Keifer Sutherland's character, the doctor, in Dark City. That wasn't intentional on my part, just the way it turned out.
Second, it may not be apparent from the story, but even though wizards can no longer memorize and cast spells, all types of stored magic (wands, staves, and scrolls) still function as normal and can be utilized by wizards of sufficient level. Suffice it to say that it's a good thing Shayla didn't try to put a bolt in one of them. We got an opportunity to find out what those wands Hazal and Belil carry actually do in a later adventure
As for Gorak and Shayla I believe their backstory goes something like this. Gorak's father, Magol, and his tribe of orcs scour the desert for wild and dangerous animals for use in the great arena of Gem-Sharad. Shayla's father is a prominent merchant and, well, fight promoter and thus has done extensive business with Magol's tribe. The two met during one of these numerous business deals. You probably have a reasonably good feel for Shayla's character from the story and can see why she would, as an impetous and spoiled teenager, have delighted in hanging out with Gorak, much to her father's annoyance. They remained close after her father disowned her (for various reasons). As for the rest of the details concerning Shayla and Gorak well, at this point in the story, Khalid doesn't know, and thus neither do you
Incidentally, Shayla is played by my girlfriend, and is a complete newbie to gaming which may serve to explain some of her actions during some of the encounters. The person that plays Gorak, myself and Galeman have been gaming for years together (so Gorak and I have no excuse for all the stupid things we do later on ), although this is the first time we've all lived in the same city for any period of time.
Okay, that's enough semi-relevant information from me. Sorry if anybody got fooled by this and came here looking for an update. Hopefully I'll have another part up early next week. Thank you for you continued patronage and please visit the gift shop on your way out.
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Eternal Newbie - because some things are forever...
First off, Khalid's accent isn't really, well an accent. It doesn't translate particularly well to text. If you want a better idea of what he sounds like, it's pretty close to Keifer Sutherland's character, the doctor, in Dark City. That wasn't intentional on my part, just the way it turned out.
Second, it may not be apparent from the story, but even though wizards can no longer memorize and cast spells, all types of stored magic (wands, staves, and scrolls) still function as normal and can be utilized by wizards of sufficient level. Suffice it to say that it's a good thing Shayla didn't try to put a bolt in one of them. We got an opportunity to find out what those wands Hazal and Belil carry actually do in a later adventure
As for Gorak and Shayla I believe their backstory goes something like this. Gorak's father, Magol, and his tribe of orcs scour the desert for wild and dangerous animals for use in the great arena of Gem-Sharad. Shayla's father is a prominent merchant and, well, fight promoter and thus has done extensive business with Magol's tribe. The two met during one of these numerous business deals. You probably have a reasonably good feel for Shayla's character from the story and can see why she would, as an impetous and spoiled teenager, have delighted in hanging out with Gorak, much to her father's annoyance. They remained close after her father disowned her (for various reasons). As for the rest of the details concerning Shayla and Gorak well, at this point in the story, Khalid doesn't know, and thus neither do you
Incidentally, Shayla is played by my girlfriend, and is a complete newbie to gaming which may serve to explain some of her actions during some of the encounters. The person that plays Gorak, myself and Galeman have been gaming for years together (so Gorak and I have no excuse for all the stupid things we do later on
), although this is the first time we've all lived in the same city for any period of time.Okay, that's enough semi-relevant information from me. Sorry if anybody got fooled by this and came here looking for an update. Hopefully I'll have another part up early next week. Thank you for you continued patronage and please visit the gift shop on your way out.
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Eternal Newbie - because some things are forever...
Last edited:
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
Yeah, we're all, like, indignant 'n' stuff! That's right!
*looks indignant*
How's that?
*looks indignant*
How's that?
Morgoth the Pure
First Post
If Morgoth wasn't busy in the East...
he'd stab Gorak. Right in the face.
he'd stab Gorak. Right in the face.
EternalNewbie
Explorer
Morgoth the Pure said:
Yeah, well he'll never get the chance now will he? Because *somebody* had to move to the other side of the country and end the campaign. Now stop hijacking my story hour because you're all bitter you can't play
(For those who aren't privy to the inside joke, Morgoth was one of the original players when this world was created. He played a wizard called Zanzabar, who's name will probably come up at some point during this campaign.)
EternalNewbie
Explorer
Ask and ye shall receive. Sorry about the delay but I managed to come down with bronchitis, resulting in the delay of not only the long awaited story hour update, but also one of my finals too. Now I normally have my updates proofed by either Shayla or Gorak (both of whom are English majors) before posting, but since neither is around at the moment I'm going to put this up anyhow and have them edit it later, so there may be a few errors I haven't caught. The posts will come a little more frequently now, I promise, and as always comments and criticisms are welcome and encouraged. But that's enough from me, on to the story...
Khalid concentrated. Left foot, then the right foot. Always moving, always forward. He lifted his head slightly and peered out at the desolate wasteland around him. For three days they had marched through the desert, beneath the oppressive sun that fell upon them like a smith's hammer on the anvil. Slowly, the rolling waves of sand had turned to hardpan, cracked and bleached. The footing had improved, but little else. In every direction, as far as the eye could see, was barren desert featureless save for the pools of glittering water that danced and played at the edge of his vision always just beyond reach. Mirages. The very thought made Khalid reach for his waterskin. He took a long pull and marveled at its freshness. Out here, in this empty and forbidding place, Gorak had shown his true power. Khalid had originally decided that the half-orc was nothing more than his father was, a hunter and tracker. Gorak had proved to be much more than that however. He did not simply read the features of the land to learn its secrets. He spoke to it, and it spoke back. On the first morning, when they awoke still shivering from the cold night air, Khalid had almost entered a panic when he realized that his waterskin was dry. Gorak however, had remained calm and had said not to worry. Then he did something remarkable: he began to chant. Khalid did not understand the words, but he recognized their purpose quickly enough. Slowly, from Gorak's outstretched hand, a thin mist appeared which slowly thickened into a steady stream of water. They had quickly filled their skins as the stream faded to a trickle and then stopped altogether. Khalid couldn't begin to comprehend the formulae needed to draw water from the air in this parched and arid place.
Khalid prepared himself for surprises from the rest of his companions as well, after the shocks delivered by both Shayla and Gorak, but none were forthcoming. Yet at least. Gormo, Gorak's brother, had failed to reveal any startling powers, except perhaps for his capacity to be crude and annoy Khalid. The Easterner, Ronik, had proved a capable guide, if somewhat reserved, and had led them unerringly through the desert. He was following no tracks now however, simply leading them to where he had last glimpsed the hatori. Khalid scowled darkly at that thought. Gorak had let him believe that little half-truth for almost a day. They weren't going to be trying to capture a full grown hatori, a feat which required scores of armored men with nets, ropes and a strong lack of common sense, but instead were following the trail of a pregnant hatori in the hopes that it would lead them to a clutch of eggs. Although Khalid relished the prospect of facing a pregnant and cornered hatori even less, Gorak had assured him that by the time they picked up the trail, the hatori would have already given birth, and moved on. Khalid's brief reverie was interrupted by a terse comment from Ronik.
"There."
Khalid moved forward beside him and peered out at the desert in the direction he was pointing. "Ah, yes, more rock and sand, quite interesting. Yes, quite."
"Look closer Westman."
Khalid strained he eyes to see what the Easterner was so interested in. "Ah, yes, all I see is a brown smudge on the horizon."
Gorak rumbled as he shaded his eyes with his hand, and stared out into the wasteland, "That's the tor then?"
Ronik nodded, "Yes. It's further away than it looks. We should reach it tomorrow morning sometime, if we can keep up this pace." He glanced at Khalid and Shayla.
Khalid flushed slightly at the insinuation but really couldn't dispute it. He glanced at Shayla as well. If he was finding this trek harsh, he couldn't imagine how she was faring. She hadn't complained yet however and even after three days of wandering through the desert she still looked as beautiful as ever, albeit somewhat dustier.
The group pushed on into the early evening before setting up camp and started moving again just before dawn. Their destination was much clearer now: a huge jumble of rock that jutted up from the desert like the spine of some long dead behemoth buried deep beneath the desert floor. As they approached, Khalid moved up beside Gorak and asked, "Ah, yes, you have been here before? What can we expect?"
Gorak nodded, "Ya, a long time ago. It's a cluster of rocks, maybe five or six miles wide, maybe fifteen or twenty miles long the way we're hitting it, shot through with gullies and ravines. Shouldn't be too hard to track the hatori, there's only so many places it'll fit."
Ronik's estimate proved correct, and the troupe made it to the first rocky outcropping before the sun had risen more than halfway through the sky. Working together, it took the three trackers, Gorak, Gormo, and Ronik only a matter of minutes to find the remnants of the great beast's trail. Even the passage of a little more than a week had failed to completely erase the trail, although there was little left save for a few shallow indents in the sand.
"It's a good thing you marked where it entered, I don't think I woulda been able to find this," Gorak rumbled.
Ronik only nodded as he pointed out the indentation of the beast's foot. Khalid shuddered slightly as the thought of meeting the great creature within the confines of one of the ravines ahead rose unbidden in his mind. He fervently prayed that Gorak was right and that the Hatori would be long gone.
The group began to pick their way through the boulders and stones that rose up from the ground around them. To Khalid's mind the odd windswept formations resembled nothing more than squat little men hunched upon the ground. His musing was cut short however, by a piercing shriek that ripped through the still desert air. Khalid uttered a strangled yelp and practically took flight, so startled was he by the sound. "Ah, yes, what was that?"
"Quiet." Gorak rumbled. Gormo and Ronik both had arrows drawn on their bows, but Gorak was waving them back. Even Shayla had her crossbow loaded, Khalid noticed with some chagrin, although her knuckles were white upon the grip. Gorak slowly moved forward, staring intently at a rocky spire rising from the desert some fifty feet away. Perched upon its peak was the largest bird Khalid had ever seen. It had plumage similar to that of an eagle, but its wingspan was impossibly huge, more than twenty feet across. Its wings were outstretched now, beating slowly as the creature looked about to take flight. Incredibly, Gorak kept inching forward and then to Khalid's complete amazement, he began to croon just loudly enough for the giant bird to hear him. The bird let out another shrill cry and beat its wings faster, although it still did not take flight.
"Gorak," Ronik hissed, "whatever you're trying to do, I don't think it likes it."
Gorak stopped crooning and slowly moved back towards the party. "It's protecting young," he growled. "There's no way to get by it without killing it."
"Ah, yes, kill it? Do you think you could bring it down with, ah, your bows?" Khalid asked.
The three archers looked at one another. "Maybe," Gormo grunted. "It'll be damn fast though, once it gets up in the air."
"Maybe we can just go around it," Gorak grumbled. "No sense wasting the arrows if we don't hafta." He looked at Ronik.
The Easterner scratched that the stubble on his chin. "Probably, if we pick the right path. These fissures and cracks intersect each other all over the place."
That decided the group backtracked a little ways, then cut further east before entering the rock formation. As they moved deeper inwards, the jumbled rocks and small outcroppings soon became towering spires and sheer walls that rose up as high as twenty feet above them. The hours passed and the shadows slowly leaned from right to left as the sun passed overhead. Ronik and Gorak took the lead, stopping often to confirm their direction. At times the path was so narrow that they had to walk single file and at other times it branched out as the walls gave way to pillars of stone. Even then the party stayed close together, heeding Gorak's warnings about becoming separated in the twisting maze of passages. Although they spoke infrequently, Khalid could tell that Gorak and Ronik were becoming increasingly frustrated that they hadn't been able to cut far enough west thus far to rejoin the larger path through the rocks. Finally, Ronik called a halt.
"I think…" Ronik began but his words were cut short as a javelin clattered off the rocks beside his head. Four more fell in rapid succession, one scoring a line of blood on Gorak's arm.
"Rock goblins!" Gormo roared as he nocked an arrow to his bow and fired upwards.
Khalid glanced skyward and saw a twisted little face glaring down at him. It's skin was a dull brownish gray that almost perfectly matched the rock around them. Similar to others of its breed its face was fat and round, with tiny fangs that jutted from its lower jaw. Khalid realized that the columns around them were broad and flat at the top, and the little creatures were scurrying about, raining down javelins on them. He jumped slightly as one of the missiles narrowly missed his foot.
Ronik too had put an arrow to his bow and fired, with better result than Gormo. He caught one of the creatures just under the chin, and his longbow had punched the arrow straight through the top of its head. It fell from its rocky perch without even a sound. In return for his efforts however, one of the little devils threw true and sunk a javelin into Ronik's upper thigh. He gasped and staggered under the blow, but remained on his feet.
Gorak turned and leapt at the cliff face beside him in an attempt to climb it, but the stone crumbled beneath his thick fingers and he slid back down to the ground. Shayla had fired her crossbow but the angle had caused her to misjudge her aim, and the bolt slammed into the cliff face below the goblin she'd been aiming at. Another volley of javelins sailed down from the cliff tops causing Shayla to cry out as one of them grazed the side of her face.
At last Khalid gained his composure and acted. He glanced about for the largest group of the creatures. Slightly to his right he saw three heads poking just over the lip of one of the columns. With a trembling hand he reached into the pouch at his belt and drew out a fistful of sand, far more than the spell required, and practically hurled it at the crouching figures. Even as the words left his lips however, and the flood of magic rushed through him, he felt the old doubts, the old fears settle in. As the last syllable left his lips he realized that he had only felled one of the creatures.
Again Gormo and Ronik returned fire, with Gormo dropping one. Ronik's aim however was hampered by his wound and flew wide. Gorak had finally gained the top of one of the columns and the little creatures began to flee before him. Shayla, still slightly dazed from the near miss backed away and began to chant. Once again a thick mist rose up to hide her from her enemies. The tiny assailants, with several of their number down, and realizing that they were facing opponents beyond their measure, broke and ran. Khalid took the opportunity to step within the protective embrace of Shayla's spell. He heard a sickening impact and, after he was sure it was safe, stepped out of the mist to see the broken body of a rock goblin at the base of the column below Gorak.
"They've all run off," Gorak growled. "Was another five of the little bastards up here." He climbed down from his perch. "Now what?"
Ronik cursed. "There could be a whole tribe of those things in here. They'll be dropping stuff on us from one end to the other, and it doesn't look like this path is going to take us anywhere near where we want to go. We have to turn back." He leaned heavily against the rock wall. "Now somebody pull this stick out of me."
Gormo moved towards him, but Gorak pushed him aside. "Let me do it," he growled. To his credit, Ronik didn't make a sound as Gorak pulled out the crude javelin. "Now brace yerself, this is really gonna hurt." This time, he did gasp and turn deathly pale as Gorak jammed his hand back into the wound, and began to chant. When Gorak withdrew his hand however, stained with gore and some sort of evil smelling black bile, the flesh closed behind it.
Ronik took a deep breath, then tested his weight upon the leg. As the colour slowly returned to his face, he nodded. "Thanks."
Somewhat downcast, the party spent the rest of the day heading back the way they came. After a brief deliberation, they decided to pitch their camp within the rock formation and move back towards the giant eagle from the other side. The hope was that in the morning it would either be gone, or that a way around could be found before encountering it.
As they made their way back north the next morning, Gorak dropped back to speak to Khalid. He rumbled, "So, that spell you cast. It knocks things out for what, hours?"
"Ah, yes, no, minutes actually, when it works," Khalid couldn't hide the bitterness that crept into his voice. "Unless of course, the subject is already ah, quite tired, yes quite," he continued. "It was a common prank for the apprentices to cast it on one another, yes, during a long night of studying. Most of the time, ah, you wouldn't wake up until morning. Ah, actually, they mainly just used to do that to me, yes, quite." Khalid frowned and fell silent.
Gorak rejoined Ronik in the lead as they neared the spot the great bird had made its perch. Luck wasn't with them this day however, and the great bird was still there. This time it didn't even hesitate to threaten them as Gorak stepped out from among the rocks. As the giant eagle launched itself into the air the party began setting arrows to bows. The creature reacted first and plummeted out of the sky towards Ronik. As it flew past one if its huge claws raked across his chest, lifting him off his feet and spinning him completely around. A thick spray of blood coated the rocks around him as he landed, but by some sheer effort of will he remained standing. As the bird raced past a volley of arrows followed, several striking true. Khalid steadied himself, preparing to cast a spell on the things next pass. As it wheeled about in the sky and dove down upon them again, the bird let out a tremendous shriek. Khalid steeled his nerve and once again drew a handful of sand from his component pouch. This time his spell was even less effective unfortunately, and Khalid was forced to dive to the ground to avoid the thing's grasping talons. Gorak too was forced to dodge aside as the bird narrowly missed him as it shot down the narrow gully. Again the twang of bowstrings filled the air followed by the heavier report of Shayla's crossbow and again several of the arrows landed true. The great bird was badly injured now, and slowly glided to the ground in front of them. As it hopped forward still intent on attack, Gormo finished it off with one final arrow.
Khalid moved forward to study the majestic bird. Its great plumage was now streaked with dust and gore. After tending to the Ronik's wound, Gorak too moved over to the bird. He stood there silently for a moment, then grunted, "It's the way of things." Then he drew out his long hunting knife and set to work hacking the bird up. "No sense letting all this meat go to waste," he grumbled. "Somebody get a fire going."
The entire next day, the party kept moving through the rocks, shadowing the trail of the great hatori. The passage was larger here, and travel easier but still they moved cautiously after the events of the last two days. As the walls rose up higher around the ravine, a decision was made to try and follow it from the top, rather than remain down below. The footing became more treacherous and long detours were necessary when the trail above became impassable. Khalid was just on the verge of complaining when the wisdom of their plan was revealed to him. Ronik hurriedly motioned for silence from his scouting position, and then waved the rest forward. Khalid dropped to his stomach and crawled to the lip of the gully. When he reached the edge he was greeted by the sight of a creature the likes of which he had never seen before. Crouched down, twenty feet below them before a shallow cave in the ravine wall, was a strange lizard-like creature. It had a long sinuous body covered with mottled brown scales, and tiny forelegs that it was using to dig out what Khalid could only assume were hatori eggs. Its long snout was filled with dagger sized teeth that were covered with the thick albumen of the hatori eggs. Its tiny, beady eyes were intent on its task, and the ruins of half a dozen eggs lay scattered around it. It's long whip-like tail twitched slowly back and forth, whipping up little puffs of sand. As Khalid leaned forward to get a better look at its size, it seemed to be about six feet long and about the same height at the shoulder, he thought to himself, "The teeth on that thing…it could probably bite my face off."
Suddenly, the edge of the ravine crumbled beneath Khalid's hand and a shower of stones rolled down into the gully. The raptor's head came up immediately at the sound, and it whipped around staring straight up at the sound of the noise. Khalid's thoughts changed immediately as the creature moved incredibly, impossibly fast, "BY THE LOST GODS THAT THING IS GOING TO BITE MY FACE OFF!" With two quick steps the raptor bunched itself up and leapt the twenty feet from the ravine floor to the plateau on top landing beside Ronik. As Ronik feebly tried to protect his vitals, the raptor became a whirling dervish of claws and teeth. For the third time in as many days, more of Ronik's blood lay outside his body than in, as the creature savaged him again and again. Khalid frantically scrabbled backwards, away from the raptor as it continued its deadly assault on Ronik. Once again the words of magic came unbidden to his mind in a time of stress, and a blanket of calm settled on Khalid as he began to chant. This time he didn't even reach for his spell components, he simply picked up a handful of sand from the ground beneath him and flung it towards the creature.
As the last of his words echoed through the cavern, the beast raised its head and stared directly at Khalid. Ronik's blood mingled with the ruins of the hatori eggs, and a thick drool of gore dripped down from the things massive fangs. Slowly, it bunched itself up, its great muscles trembling beneath its scaly hide as it prepared to pounce. Then the raptor blinked. Once, then twice. Then the creature slowly pitched forward onto its nose, and fell soundly asleep.
"So you'll remind him?" Gorak grumbled.
"Ya, ya, for all the good it'll do," Gormo growled. "The only money Da spends faster than his own is somebody else's. But I'll remind him he owes you fifty gold for the egg."
"See that you do. I'll be back to collect as soon as I'm finished in Shalazar."
Gormo grunted in response as he slowly wrapped a hatori egg up in a thick blanket. Despite the depredations of the raptor, the party had managed to uncover one intact hatori egg from the cache.
"We ready to move out?" Ronik asked. He was still moving slowly in the chill morning air, despite or perhaps because of Gorak's healing magic. All that remained of the raptor's fearsome assault was a few pink scars, a slight limp and a few new holes in his leather armor. He and Gormo were turning back now, heading back to the tribe with the egg, while Gorak, Shayla and Khalid pushed on to Shalazar.
"You got enough water?" Gorak rumbled.
"We should, if we're careful with it," Ronik replied, as he shifted his pack into a more comfortable position. "Been fun," was his only parting remark as he turned back north.
Gormo said even less, pausing only to slap Gorak on the shoulder as he followed Ronik. Gorak picked up his pack, and slung it over his shoulder alongside the wicker basket that held Sousee, his pet snake. The three were quiet as they marched east out of the ravine and once again into the rolling dunes of the desert.
At about midmorning, Khalid finally broke the silence, "Ah, so, we should hit the road in what, two or three days, yes?"
Gorak grunted, "Ya. I'm gonna keep us moving more east than south. The river bends due east and if we head too far south before we turn, we'll end up runnin' along side it instead of into the road. If we're lucky we'll come out of the desert near one of the half dozen or so villages that line the road from Gem-Sharad to Shalazar. We can maybe get some fresh food and find a place to lay up for the night."
Khalid nodded in response and took a deep breath of the desert air. He felt that he was finally getting used to this whole outdoors thing. Even the strange sounds and animal cries no longer kept him up at night. That being said, he decided that he'd still feel a lot better when they'd reached Shalazar.
Shayla, who had been unusually quiet over during the tense hunt of the last few days, now kept them occupied with a seemingly never-ending stream of conversation as they journeyed on throughout the day. As siesta came and went however, Khalid noticed Gorak becoming more sullen and withdrawn than usual. During a pause in Shayla's description of one of her many suitors, a long low howl echoed from a distant dune top. Khalid took the opportunity to engage Gorak in conversation in an attempt to draw him out. "Ah, yes, that animal howl, I've heard it a few times now, what do you suppose it is? A hyena, perhaps coyote, yes?" he asked.
"It's a dog," Gorak growled.
"Ah, dog? Yes, what would a dog being doing out here in the deep desert…" Khalid stopped dead in his tracks as the realization slowly dawned on him.
"Following us." Gorak muttered. "It gets worse. I count three of them from the howls." He slowly turned and looked at both Shayla and Khalid. "And they're getting closer."
* * * * * * * * * *
Khalid concentrated. Left foot, then the right foot. Always moving, always forward. He lifted his head slightly and peered out at the desolate wasteland around him. For three days they had marched through the desert, beneath the oppressive sun that fell upon them like a smith's hammer on the anvil. Slowly, the rolling waves of sand had turned to hardpan, cracked and bleached. The footing had improved, but little else. In every direction, as far as the eye could see, was barren desert featureless save for the pools of glittering water that danced and played at the edge of his vision always just beyond reach. Mirages. The very thought made Khalid reach for his waterskin. He took a long pull and marveled at its freshness. Out here, in this empty and forbidding place, Gorak had shown his true power. Khalid had originally decided that the half-orc was nothing more than his father was, a hunter and tracker. Gorak had proved to be much more than that however. He did not simply read the features of the land to learn its secrets. He spoke to it, and it spoke back. On the first morning, when they awoke still shivering from the cold night air, Khalid had almost entered a panic when he realized that his waterskin was dry. Gorak however, had remained calm and had said not to worry. Then he did something remarkable: he began to chant. Khalid did not understand the words, but he recognized their purpose quickly enough. Slowly, from Gorak's outstretched hand, a thin mist appeared which slowly thickened into a steady stream of water. They had quickly filled their skins as the stream faded to a trickle and then stopped altogether. Khalid couldn't begin to comprehend the formulae needed to draw water from the air in this parched and arid place.
Khalid prepared himself for surprises from the rest of his companions as well, after the shocks delivered by both Shayla and Gorak, but none were forthcoming. Yet at least. Gormo, Gorak's brother, had failed to reveal any startling powers, except perhaps for his capacity to be crude and annoy Khalid. The Easterner, Ronik, had proved a capable guide, if somewhat reserved, and had led them unerringly through the desert. He was following no tracks now however, simply leading them to where he had last glimpsed the hatori. Khalid scowled darkly at that thought. Gorak had let him believe that little half-truth for almost a day. They weren't going to be trying to capture a full grown hatori, a feat which required scores of armored men with nets, ropes and a strong lack of common sense, but instead were following the trail of a pregnant hatori in the hopes that it would lead them to a clutch of eggs. Although Khalid relished the prospect of facing a pregnant and cornered hatori even less, Gorak had assured him that by the time they picked up the trail, the hatori would have already given birth, and moved on. Khalid's brief reverie was interrupted by a terse comment from Ronik.
"There."
Khalid moved forward beside him and peered out at the desert in the direction he was pointing. "Ah, yes, more rock and sand, quite interesting. Yes, quite."
"Look closer Westman."
Khalid strained he eyes to see what the Easterner was so interested in. "Ah, yes, all I see is a brown smudge on the horizon."
Gorak rumbled as he shaded his eyes with his hand, and stared out into the wasteland, "That's the tor then?"
Ronik nodded, "Yes. It's further away than it looks. We should reach it tomorrow morning sometime, if we can keep up this pace." He glanced at Khalid and Shayla.
Khalid flushed slightly at the insinuation but really couldn't dispute it. He glanced at Shayla as well. If he was finding this trek harsh, he couldn't imagine how she was faring. She hadn't complained yet however and even after three days of wandering through the desert she still looked as beautiful as ever, albeit somewhat dustier.
The group pushed on into the early evening before setting up camp and started moving again just before dawn. Their destination was much clearer now: a huge jumble of rock that jutted up from the desert like the spine of some long dead behemoth buried deep beneath the desert floor. As they approached, Khalid moved up beside Gorak and asked, "Ah, yes, you have been here before? What can we expect?"
Gorak nodded, "Ya, a long time ago. It's a cluster of rocks, maybe five or six miles wide, maybe fifteen or twenty miles long the way we're hitting it, shot through with gullies and ravines. Shouldn't be too hard to track the hatori, there's only so many places it'll fit."
Ronik's estimate proved correct, and the troupe made it to the first rocky outcropping before the sun had risen more than halfway through the sky. Working together, it took the three trackers, Gorak, Gormo, and Ronik only a matter of minutes to find the remnants of the great beast's trail. Even the passage of a little more than a week had failed to completely erase the trail, although there was little left save for a few shallow indents in the sand.
"It's a good thing you marked where it entered, I don't think I woulda been able to find this," Gorak rumbled.
Ronik only nodded as he pointed out the indentation of the beast's foot. Khalid shuddered slightly as the thought of meeting the great creature within the confines of one of the ravines ahead rose unbidden in his mind. He fervently prayed that Gorak was right and that the Hatori would be long gone.
The group began to pick their way through the boulders and stones that rose up from the ground around them. To Khalid's mind the odd windswept formations resembled nothing more than squat little men hunched upon the ground. His musing was cut short however, by a piercing shriek that ripped through the still desert air. Khalid uttered a strangled yelp and practically took flight, so startled was he by the sound. "Ah, yes, what was that?"
"Quiet." Gorak rumbled. Gormo and Ronik both had arrows drawn on their bows, but Gorak was waving them back. Even Shayla had her crossbow loaded, Khalid noticed with some chagrin, although her knuckles were white upon the grip. Gorak slowly moved forward, staring intently at a rocky spire rising from the desert some fifty feet away. Perched upon its peak was the largest bird Khalid had ever seen. It had plumage similar to that of an eagle, but its wingspan was impossibly huge, more than twenty feet across. Its wings were outstretched now, beating slowly as the creature looked about to take flight. Incredibly, Gorak kept inching forward and then to Khalid's complete amazement, he began to croon just loudly enough for the giant bird to hear him. The bird let out another shrill cry and beat its wings faster, although it still did not take flight.
"Gorak," Ronik hissed, "whatever you're trying to do, I don't think it likes it."
Gorak stopped crooning and slowly moved back towards the party. "It's protecting young," he growled. "There's no way to get by it without killing it."
"Ah, yes, kill it? Do you think you could bring it down with, ah, your bows?" Khalid asked.
The three archers looked at one another. "Maybe," Gormo grunted. "It'll be damn fast though, once it gets up in the air."
"Maybe we can just go around it," Gorak grumbled. "No sense wasting the arrows if we don't hafta." He looked at Ronik.
The Easterner scratched that the stubble on his chin. "Probably, if we pick the right path. These fissures and cracks intersect each other all over the place."
That decided the group backtracked a little ways, then cut further east before entering the rock formation. As they moved deeper inwards, the jumbled rocks and small outcroppings soon became towering spires and sheer walls that rose up as high as twenty feet above them. The hours passed and the shadows slowly leaned from right to left as the sun passed overhead. Ronik and Gorak took the lead, stopping often to confirm their direction. At times the path was so narrow that they had to walk single file and at other times it branched out as the walls gave way to pillars of stone. Even then the party stayed close together, heeding Gorak's warnings about becoming separated in the twisting maze of passages. Although they spoke infrequently, Khalid could tell that Gorak and Ronik were becoming increasingly frustrated that they hadn't been able to cut far enough west thus far to rejoin the larger path through the rocks. Finally, Ronik called a halt.
"I think…" Ronik began but his words were cut short as a javelin clattered off the rocks beside his head. Four more fell in rapid succession, one scoring a line of blood on Gorak's arm.
"Rock goblins!" Gormo roared as he nocked an arrow to his bow and fired upwards.
Khalid glanced skyward and saw a twisted little face glaring down at him. It's skin was a dull brownish gray that almost perfectly matched the rock around them. Similar to others of its breed its face was fat and round, with tiny fangs that jutted from its lower jaw. Khalid realized that the columns around them were broad and flat at the top, and the little creatures were scurrying about, raining down javelins on them. He jumped slightly as one of the missiles narrowly missed his foot.
Ronik too had put an arrow to his bow and fired, with better result than Gormo. He caught one of the creatures just under the chin, and his longbow had punched the arrow straight through the top of its head. It fell from its rocky perch without even a sound. In return for his efforts however, one of the little devils threw true and sunk a javelin into Ronik's upper thigh. He gasped and staggered under the blow, but remained on his feet.
Gorak turned and leapt at the cliff face beside him in an attempt to climb it, but the stone crumbled beneath his thick fingers and he slid back down to the ground. Shayla had fired her crossbow but the angle had caused her to misjudge her aim, and the bolt slammed into the cliff face below the goblin she'd been aiming at. Another volley of javelins sailed down from the cliff tops causing Shayla to cry out as one of them grazed the side of her face.
At last Khalid gained his composure and acted. He glanced about for the largest group of the creatures. Slightly to his right he saw three heads poking just over the lip of one of the columns. With a trembling hand he reached into the pouch at his belt and drew out a fistful of sand, far more than the spell required, and practically hurled it at the crouching figures. Even as the words left his lips however, and the flood of magic rushed through him, he felt the old doubts, the old fears settle in. As the last syllable left his lips he realized that he had only felled one of the creatures.
Again Gormo and Ronik returned fire, with Gormo dropping one. Ronik's aim however was hampered by his wound and flew wide. Gorak had finally gained the top of one of the columns and the little creatures began to flee before him. Shayla, still slightly dazed from the near miss backed away and began to chant. Once again a thick mist rose up to hide her from her enemies. The tiny assailants, with several of their number down, and realizing that they were facing opponents beyond their measure, broke and ran. Khalid took the opportunity to step within the protective embrace of Shayla's spell. He heard a sickening impact and, after he was sure it was safe, stepped out of the mist to see the broken body of a rock goblin at the base of the column below Gorak.
"They've all run off," Gorak growled. "Was another five of the little bastards up here." He climbed down from his perch. "Now what?"
Ronik cursed. "There could be a whole tribe of those things in here. They'll be dropping stuff on us from one end to the other, and it doesn't look like this path is going to take us anywhere near where we want to go. We have to turn back." He leaned heavily against the rock wall. "Now somebody pull this stick out of me."
Gormo moved towards him, but Gorak pushed him aside. "Let me do it," he growled. To his credit, Ronik didn't make a sound as Gorak pulled out the crude javelin. "Now brace yerself, this is really gonna hurt." This time, he did gasp and turn deathly pale as Gorak jammed his hand back into the wound, and began to chant. When Gorak withdrew his hand however, stained with gore and some sort of evil smelling black bile, the flesh closed behind it.
Ronik took a deep breath, then tested his weight upon the leg. As the colour slowly returned to his face, he nodded. "Thanks."
Somewhat downcast, the party spent the rest of the day heading back the way they came. After a brief deliberation, they decided to pitch their camp within the rock formation and move back towards the giant eagle from the other side. The hope was that in the morning it would either be gone, or that a way around could be found before encountering it.
As they made their way back north the next morning, Gorak dropped back to speak to Khalid. He rumbled, "So, that spell you cast. It knocks things out for what, hours?"
"Ah, yes, no, minutes actually, when it works," Khalid couldn't hide the bitterness that crept into his voice. "Unless of course, the subject is already ah, quite tired, yes quite," he continued. "It was a common prank for the apprentices to cast it on one another, yes, during a long night of studying. Most of the time, ah, you wouldn't wake up until morning. Ah, actually, they mainly just used to do that to me, yes, quite." Khalid frowned and fell silent.
Gorak rejoined Ronik in the lead as they neared the spot the great bird had made its perch. Luck wasn't with them this day however, and the great bird was still there. This time it didn't even hesitate to threaten them as Gorak stepped out from among the rocks. As the giant eagle launched itself into the air the party began setting arrows to bows. The creature reacted first and plummeted out of the sky towards Ronik. As it flew past one if its huge claws raked across his chest, lifting him off his feet and spinning him completely around. A thick spray of blood coated the rocks around him as he landed, but by some sheer effort of will he remained standing. As the bird raced past a volley of arrows followed, several striking true. Khalid steadied himself, preparing to cast a spell on the things next pass. As it wheeled about in the sky and dove down upon them again, the bird let out a tremendous shriek. Khalid steeled his nerve and once again drew a handful of sand from his component pouch. This time his spell was even less effective unfortunately, and Khalid was forced to dive to the ground to avoid the thing's grasping talons. Gorak too was forced to dodge aside as the bird narrowly missed him as it shot down the narrow gully. Again the twang of bowstrings filled the air followed by the heavier report of Shayla's crossbow and again several of the arrows landed true. The great bird was badly injured now, and slowly glided to the ground in front of them. As it hopped forward still intent on attack, Gormo finished it off with one final arrow.
Khalid moved forward to study the majestic bird. Its great plumage was now streaked with dust and gore. After tending to the Ronik's wound, Gorak too moved over to the bird. He stood there silently for a moment, then grunted, "It's the way of things." Then he drew out his long hunting knife and set to work hacking the bird up. "No sense letting all this meat go to waste," he grumbled. "Somebody get a fire going."
* * * * * * * * * *
The entire next day, the party kept moving through the rocks, shadowing the trail of the great hatori. The passage was larger here, and travel easier but still they moved cautiously after the events of the last two days. As the walls rose up higher around the ravine, a decision was made to try and follow it from the top, rather than remain down below. The footing became more treacherous and long detours were necessary when the trail above became impassable. Khalid was just on the verge of complaining when the wisdom of their plan was revealed to him. Ronik hurriedly motioned for silence from his scouting position, and then waved the rest forward. Khalid dropped to his stomach and crawled to the lip of the gully. When he reached the edge he was greeted by the sight of a creature the likes of which he had never seen before. Crouched down, twenty feet below them before a shallow cave in the ravine wall, was a strange lizard-like creature. It had a long sinuous body covered with mottled brown scales, and tiny forelegs that it was using to dig out what Khalid could only assume were hatori eggs. Its long snout was filled with dagger sized teeth that were covered with the thick albumen of the hatori eggs. Its tiny, beady eyes were intent on its task, and the ruins of half a dozen eggs lay scattered around it. It's long whip-like tail twitched slowly back and forth, whipping up little puffs of sand. As Khalid leaned forward to get a better look at its size, it seemed to be about six feet long and about the same height at the shoulder, he thought to himself, "The teeth on that thing…it could probably bite my face off."
Suddenly, the edge of the ravine crumbled beneath Khalid's hand and a shower of stones rolled down into the gully. The raptor's head came up immediately at the sound, and it whipped around staring straight up at the sound of the noise. Khalid's thoughts changed immediately as the creature moved incredibly, impossibly fast, "BY THE LOST GODS THAT THING IS GOING TO BITE MY FACE OFF!" With two quick steps the raptor bunched itself up and leapt the twenty feet from the ravine floor to the plateau on top landing beside Ronik. As Ronik feebly tried to protect his vitals, the raptor became a whirling dervish of claws and teeth. For the third time in as many days, more of Ronik's blood lay outside his body than in, as the creature savaged him again and again. Khalid frantically scrabbled backwards, away from the raptor as it continued its deadly assault on Ronik. Once again the words of magic came unbidden to his mind in a time of stress, and a blanket of calm settled on Khalid as he began to chant. This time he didn't even reach for his spell components, he simply picked up a handful of sand from the ground beneath him and flung it towards the creature.
As the last of his words echoed through the cavern, the beast raised its head and stared directly at Khalid. Ronik's blood mingled with the ruins of the hatori eggs, and a thick drool of gore dripped down from the things massive fangs. Slowly, it bunched itself up, its great muscles trembling beneath its scaly hide as it prepared to pounce. Then the raptor blinked. Once, then twice. Then the creature slowly pitched forward onto its nose, and fell soundly asleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
"So you'll remind him?" Gorak grumbled.
"Ya, ya, for all the good it'll do," Gormo growled. "The only money Da spends faster than his own is somebody else's. But I'll remind him he owes you fifty gold for the egg."
"See that you do. I'll be back to collect as soon as I'm finished in Shalazar."
Gormo grunted in response as he slowly wrapped a hatori egg up in a thick blanket. Despite the depredations of the raptor, the party had managed to uncover one intact hatori egg from the cache.
"We ready to move out?" Ronik asked. He was still moving slowly in the chill morning air, despite or perhaps because of Gorak's healing magic. All that remained of the raptor's fearsome assault was a few pink scars, a slight limp and a few new holes in his leather armor. He and Gormo were turning back now, heading back to the tribe with the egg, while Gorak, Shayla and Khalid pushed on to Shalazar.
"You got enough water?" Gorak rumbled.
"We should, if we're careful with it," Ronik replied, as he shifted his pack into a more comfortable position. "Been fun," was his only parting remark as he turned back north.
Gormo said even less, pausing only to slap Gorak on the shoulder as he followed Ronik. Gorak picked up his pack, and slung it over his shoulder alongside the wicker basket that held Sousee, his pet snake. The three were quiet as they marched east out of the ravine and once again into the rolling dunes of the desert.
At about midmorning, Khalid finally broke the silence, "Ah, so, we should hit the road in what, two or three days, yes?"
Gorak grunted, "Ya. I'm gonna keep us moving more east than south. The river bends due east and if we head too far south before we turn, we'll end up runnin' along side it instead of into the road. If we're lucky we'll come out of the desert near one of the half dozen or so villages that line the road from Gem-Sharad to Shalazar. We can maybe get some fresh food and find a place to lay up for the night."
Khalid nodded in response and took a deep breath of the desert air. He felt that he was finally getting used to this whole outdoors thing. Even the strange sounds and animal cries no longer kept him up at night. That being said, he decided that he'd still feel a lot better when they'd reached Shalazar.
Shayla, who had been unusually quiet over during the tense hunt of the last few days, now kept them occupied with a seemingly never-ending stream of conversation as they journeyed on throughout the day. As siesta came and went however, Khalid noticed Gorak becoming more sullen and withdrawn than usual. During a pause in Shayla's description of one of her many suitors, a long low howl echoed from a distant dune top. Khalid took the opportunity to engage Gorak in conversation in an attempt to draw him out. "Ah, yes, that animal howl, I've heard it a few times now, what do you suppose it is? A hyena, perhaps coyote, yes?" he asked.
"It's a dog," Gorak growled.
"Ah, dog? Yes, what would a dog being doing out here in the deep desert…" Khalid stopped dead in his tracks as the realization slowly dawned on him.
"Following us." Gorak muttered. "It gets worse. I count three of them from the howls." He slowly turned and looked at both Shayla and Khalid. "And they're getting closer."
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