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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4610786" data-attributes="member: 3285">Hidden Greed: Part 4 – The Other SideThey were led to the back end of the building.  Shatterscale pointed to a table with a large map of the surrounding area spread upon it.  Dozens of small markers were scattered over it in various formations.  He lifted his head from contemplating the map to address Vlad.“Yig tellsss usss that Her might will fuel the heart of the righteousss and prove the truth in all disputesss,” said Shatterscale. “Yig demandsss a Trial by Combat to prove your wordsss.” Ilmarė planted her fists on her hips.  “This is ridiculous.”  She turned to address the shaman.  “Tell them that we saved your disgusting mud hole last time.”The shaman watched her coolly.  “There wasss a time when I would have gladly defended you, even a ssslave.  But timesss have changed.” “It’s fine, Ilmarė.”  Vlad unsheathed Grungronazharr.  “Prepare.” Krisharr drew a circle around Vlad and Shatterscale.  “Truth will ssstrengthen your weaponsss, not magic.  Conviction will be your ally, not thossse around you or the deviousss enchantmentsss that may be cassst.  The flat of the sssword shall sssmite liesss, not pierce them with callousss edge.  Mercy will be the sssign of the victor, not bloody murder.”Ilmarė translated: “So no spells, no stabbing, and no help.”Vlad buckled on his shield.  “Fine, I’ll use the flat of the blade.” He made a few test swings with his sword. “Let’s do this.”Shatterscale pulled two L-shaped sticks from his belt.  He spun them in his hands.  “Begin!” shouted Krisharr. Shatterscale slid into a fighting stance as Vlad closed.  He swung his blade at Shatterscale’s head, but the ss’ressen blocked it with the longer part of both sticks. “Clumsssy,” hissed Shatterscale. With a twist, he slapped Grungronazharr aside and retaliated with two quick blows to Vlad’s torso.  Then he danced back. They parried and struck, over and over.  Vlad looked like a lumbering oaf in comparison to the lithe ss’ressen, even though they were nearly the same size.  Every time Vlad struck, Shatterscale retaliated twice.“I fought Vrosh!” Vlad parried another of Shatterscale swipes and then connected on the ss’ressen arm with the flat of his blade.  “And I won!”The news gave Shattesrcale pause, enough that Vlad saw an opening.  He slammed his shield into Shatterscale’s torso, pinning the ss’ressen arms as he tried to block the attack.  With an overhand swing, he brought the hilt of his sword down on the big lizard’s skull. Shatterscale collapsed to the ground, unconscious.Krisharr hissed.  It may have been the ss’ressen form of a smile.  “It ssseemsss you are telling the truth about your lack of involvement with the ssstolen eggsss.  We almost wisssh thisss wasss not ssso; we could get the information we need and have a chance to ssstop all madnessss before it’sss too late.”“Madness?” asked Kham.  “Like, King in Yellow, murder-your-family madness?”Krisharr tilted his head quizzically at Kham.  “The impending war between our people and the Milandisssiansss.  But regardless of the consssequencesss, thossse eggsss are invaluable to usss.  We will not ssstop until we have them back. Look here.”Vlad sheathed his sword and stepped over Shatterscale to look at the map.  “We are aware of the Milandisssian reinforcements.  We have our own on the way.  A war will ssstart sssoon and we are running out of optionsss.  We have half a day to find thossse eggsss before we are left without choice and death findsss a feassst in the bloody fieldssss.”“We have to stop this,” Vlad said to Kham.  “Milandir can’t afford another war.”“Nobody can afford a war,” Ilmarė said sourly. “About a moon cycle ago, we received word thisss village had been attacked,” said Krisharr.  “We dispatched a sssmall force to invessstigate.  Many of our people lay ssslain on the ground and in the water, burnt beyond recognition or maimed.  Warriorsss eldersss, mothersss and hatchlingsss; it wasss a massacre.  It wasss then dissscovered that all the eggsss in the hatchery had been ssstolen.”“What happened to Cal?” asked Vlad.“He came from Sulfurmarsh asss sssoon asss he heard, but he wasss too late. He joined the ssscouts we sssent to sssummon a greater force and to find the trackssss of the attackerssss.  They found varioussss sssetsss of trackssss from Sssaeber but were ambussshed.  Calactyte was ssseperated from the group.  He hasss not returned.”“The villagers said you tried to negotiate,” said Kham.  “What happened?”“We sssent variousss groupsss to talk to the humansss of Ssaeber to sssolve thisss conflict asss peacefully asss possible. Three timesss we approached under a banner of peace and three timesss were were turned away.”Vlad put fists on his hips. “The negotiators weren’t interested in peace? That doesn’t seem like Saeber.” “They gave the impresssion of trying to be helpful, but never actually did anything to help sssolve the sssituation,” said Krisharr. “When I met with the negotiator persssonally, he became belligerent and offensssive.  He threatened to have the might of the entire Milandisssian army thrown against usss if we ever sssent anyone to parley again.”Kham’s took a deep breath.  “Who did you negotiate with?”“Pallasss val’Abebi.”Kham kicked the dirt.  “Damn it!”</blockquote>

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