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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7139430" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 44</p><p></p><p>Bredan started forward toward the bound woman, but Kosk stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Careful. She’s a tiefling. Fiendspawn.”</p><p></p><p>“She’s a prisoner,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, and we don’t know why she’s here,” the dwarf said. “Her kind are dangerous.”</p><p></p><p>The woman could clearly hear their exchange but only watched silently, her only movement the shifting of her chest with each breath. Her clothes looked like they might have been of good quality once, but now were rather the worse for wear.</p><p></p><p>Bredan pulled away from Kosk’s grasp. He turned to Glori and extended a hand, nodding toward her belt. After just a moment’s hesitation she drew out her dagger and handed it over hilt-first. The smith took it and headed over to the prisoner. Kosk didn’t stand in his way, but he shifted to the side in a meaningful move to give him clear access if anything happened.</p><p></p><p>Bredan knelt before the tiefling woman. “We’re not going to hurt you,” he said. “I’m going to cut you free, okay?” At her nod he leaned forward and severed the rope connecting her to the stalagmite. She slumped forward, wincing as the motion sent twinges through obviously strained muscles. But she managed to scoot herself up and turned so he could get at the ropes binding her wrists and elbows.</p><p></p><p>Once Bredan had cut those bindings she extended her arms and flexed her fingers. She reached up—moving slowly, obviously not trying to provoke them—and undid the gag. “Do you have water?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>Glori handed over her flask, and she drank deeply before handing it back. “Thank you,” she said. Bredan had left her legs tied, but she didn’t ask him to cut the remaining bonds just yet.</p><p></p><p>“What are you doing here?” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>“I thought it would be obvious,” the tiefling said.</p><p></p><p>“I’m Glori, by the way. The sour dwarf is Kosk, the looming mountain over there is Quellan, and the dashing warrior who freed you is Bredan.”</p><p></p><p>The woman looked at each of them in turn with a slightly bemused expression. “I am Xeeta.”</p><p></p><p>“That’s an unusual name,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“Not where I’m from.”</p><p></p><p>“And where is that, exactly?” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>“From the south. The Island Kingdoms.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re a long way from home,” the dwarf said.</p><p></p><p>“Yes.”</p><p></p><p>“I think what my friend was getting at before,” Quellan said, “Is how you came to be captured by the kobolds.”</p><p></p><p>Xeeta let out a deep sigh. “Stupidity and bad luck, I suppose. I was traveling through the hills near here and became fatigued. I came upon a campsite that looked like it was used fairly often, so I assumed that meant the region was safe. I normally am a fairly light sleeper, but they caught me unawares.”</p><p></p><p>“You were traveling alone?” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>She straightened at that, though it had to cause her at least some pain to do so, especially with her legs still bound. “Yes. For some reason, many people don’t feel inclined to trust me.”</p><p></p><p>“I understand,” Quellan said, and something in the way he said it had her looking at him again. “Bredan, you should free her legs, those ropes must be uncomfortable.”</p><p></p><p>“Quite so,” Xeeta said. She waited until Bredan cut the remaining few lengths of rope, then she sighed and extended her legs. Her trousers were cut in several places, showing that the reddish tint to her skin extended over her entire body. There were also a number of places where her clothes were marked with old bloodstains. “I think I will wait a moment before trying to stand up, if that’s okay with you.”</p><p></p><p>“How long have you been here?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“A few days. Though it feels like longer.”</p><p></p><p>“We came here looking for a boy,” Quellan said. “A human child of eleven years who went missing from a nearby village.”</p><p></p><p>“I haven’t seen any other prisoners since I’ve been here,” Xeeta said. “I assume you ran into Jargo and Cthel. Are they dead?”</p><p></p><p>“The half-ogre is,” Kosk said. “The boy killed him,” he added, nodding toward Bredan.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta smiled, revealing teeth that were slightly pointed, and Bredan flushed. “The mongrelman got away,” Quellan said. “He might have gotten past us.”</p><p></p><p>Xeeta nodded. “He’s stealthy, that one.”</p><p></p><p>“What were they doing here?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“From what I could overhear, they arrived here a couple of weeks ago. Killed the kobolds’ chief and took over the tribe. They’ve been sponging off them ever since.”</p><p></p><p>“We figured it was something like that,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“Did they talk about any plans?” Glori asked. “Raids they might have been planning, that sort of thing.”</p><p></p><p>“Not specifically, but recently I overheard them talking about moving on. Something about trouble in the north, and opportunities for a ‘big score.’”</p><p></p><p>The companions shared a look. “The King’s proclamation,” Glori said. “They must have heard about it.”</p><p></p><p>“Proclamation?” Xeeta asked.</p><p></p><p>“There’s been an invasion, near Adelar,” Bredan said. “An army of goblinoids burned some villages and killed a bunch of people. The King’s called for aid. We were headed that way when we heard about the missing boy.”</p><p></p><p>“I see.”</p><p></p><p>“You hadn’t heard anything about that?” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t spend much time in settlements, for obvious reasons.”</p><p></p><p>“That sounds lonely,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta blinked at her in surprise, but said nothing.</p><p></p><p>Kosk cleared his throat. “It’s clear that the boy isn’t here. Let’s finish our sweep and get out of here.”</p><p></p><p>“Did Jargo and Cthel have any treasure hidden around here?” Glori asked Xeeta.</p><p></p><p>“They had a cache under a rock near where they sleep, but I think they took it with them before they left to confront you.”</p><p></p><p>“How much you want to bet that shifty bastard has it all with him now?” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta tried to stand up, only to sag as her legs gave out under her. Bredan took hold of her and held her upright. “Thank you,” she said. “Do you mind if I accompany you, at least to this village you spoke of?”</p><p></p><p>“The locals there might not be welcoming,” Kosk cautioned.</p><p></p><p>“We can speak on your behalf,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“That might not be necessary,” Xeeta said. She waved a hand and spoke a word that reverberated softly in the air before vanishing from their memories. The air in front of her shimmered, and her appearance changed. She was still more or less the same size and shape, but her tiefling features were gone, replaced by a milky-pale skin, light blonde hair, and green eyes. Her horns disappeared, and when she smiled her teeth looked normal.</p><p></p><p>“You’re a wizard!” Glori exclaimed.</p><p></p><p>“A sorcerer, actually,” Xeeta said. “My powers are innate.”</p><p></p><p>Kosk had shifted into a ready stance as soon as the tiefling had begun her spell, and he only relaxed slightly when it became clear she wasn’t going to unleash some nasty destructive magic. “I knew it,” he muttered.</p><p></p><p>“By any chance, have you seen a rod of black wood, about the length of my arm?” Xeeta asked.</p><p></p><p>“No, but it might be in the crap box,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>That drew a raised eyebrow, but no comment.</p><p></p><p>They made their way back out of the cave. Xeeta allowed Bredan to help her, though she did a good job of masking the obvious pain she felt as sensation returned to her battered limbs. Now that they knew what to look for they could easily see the stalagmite that had been shifted to conceal the bandit leaders’ treasure. Glori took a look inside the hollow space, which was just big enough to hold a small chest or other container. Now, of course, it was empty.</p><p></p><p>Once they returned to the outer room, Xeeta went over to examine the open chest. On detecting the mess that the bandits had left behind her nose wrinkled and she muttered, “Animals.” But she had no difficulty reaching into the chest and pulling out a black rod. It was smeared with filth, but she held it out and summoned her magic. Her eyes seemed to flash and wisps of flame erupted from her fingers clenched around the wooden shaft. They traveled up and down the length of the rod, scouring it clean without inflicting any apparent damage on the wood.</p><p></p><p>“Is any of this other stuff yours?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“No,” Xeeta said. “This is all I need.”</p><p></p><p>“I think we could have used you earlier,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“Let’s go,” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>“The kobolds have been destroyed, I presume?” Xeeta asked as they started back down the stairs. The tiefling woman was moving more easily now, though she still held onto one wall for support as she negotiated the steps.</p><p></p><p>“We killed most of the warriors,” Glori said. “The rest we let go.”</p><p></p><p>Xeeta glanced quickly at each of them in turn, noting the dwarf’s scowl in particular, but made no comment.</p><p></p><p>The main lair was as they had left it. There was no sign of its former inhabitants, or the mongrelman rogue.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta walked across the room until she was standing over Jargo. She muttered something in a harsh, guttural language, the abruptly raised the rod and smashed it down into the dead warrior’s face. She delivered several more blows in rapid succession, then drew back, breathing heavily. Bredan had started to step toward her, a hand raised to offer support, but he hesitated.</p><p></p><p>Glori came around the other side of the half-ogre. “Big surprise, his purse is gone,” she reported.</p><p></p><p>“Thieving little bastards,” Kosk muttered.</p><p></p><p>“We accomplished what we came here to do,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“Did we?” the dwarf asked.</p><p></p><p>“We’ll find the boy,” the cleric said. “We swore an oath.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan sidled slightly closer to Xeeta. “Are you okay?”</p><p></p><p>The tiefling took a deep, steadying breath, and then straightened. “I’m fine. I’m ready to leave this place now.”</p><p></p><p>They filed toward the exit. None of them looked back.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7139430, member: 143"] Chapter 44 Bredan started forward toward the bound woman, but Kosk stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Careful. She’s a tiefling. Fiendspawn.” “She’s a prisoner,” Glori said. “Yes, and we don’t know why she’s here,” the dwarf said. “Her kind are dangerous.” The woman could clearly hear their exchange but only watched silently, her only movement the shifting of her chest with each breath. Her clothes looked like they might have been of good quality once, but now were rather the worse for wear. Bredan pulled away from Kosk’s grasp. He turned to Glori and extended a hand, nodding toward her belt. After just a moment’s hesitation she drew out her dagger and handed it over hilt-first. The smith took it and headed over to the prisoner. Kosk didn’t stand in his way, but he shifted to the side in a meaningful move to give him clear access if anything happened. Bredan knelt before the tiefling woman. “We’re not going to hurt you,” he said. “I’m going to cut you free, okay?” At her nod he leaned forward and severed the rope connecting her to the stalagmite. She slumped forward, wincing as the motion sent twinges through obviously strained muscles. But she managed to scoot herself up and turned so he could get at the ropes binding her wrists and elbows. Once Bredan had cut those bindings she extended her arms and flexed her fingers. She reached up—moving slowly, obviously not trying to provoke them—and undid the gag. “Do you have water?” she asked. Glori handed over her flask, and she drank deeply before handing it back. “Thank you,” she said. Bredan had left her legs tied, but she didn’t ask him to cut the remaining bonds just yet. “What are you doing here?” Kosk asked. “I thought it would be obvious,” the tiefling said. “I’m Glori, by the way. The sour dwarf is Kosk, the looming mountain over there is Quellan, and the dashing warrior who freed you is Bredan.” The woman looked at each of them in turn with a slightly bemused expression. “I am Xeeta.” “That’s an unusual name,” Glori said. “Not where I’m from.” “And where is that, exactly?” Kosk asked. “From the south. The Island Kingdoms.” “You’re a long way from home,” the dwarf said. “Yes.” “I think what my friend was getting at before,” Quellan said, “Is how you came to be captured by the kobolds.” Xeeta let out a deep sigh. “Stupidity and bad luck, I suppose. I was traveling through the hills near here and became fatigued. I came upon a campsite that looked like it was used fairly often, so I assumed that meant the region was safe. I normally am a fairly light sleeper, but they caught me unawares.” “You were traveling alone?” Kosk asked. She straightened at that, though it had to cause her at least some pain to do so, especially with her legs still bound. “Yes. For some reason, many people don’t feel inclined to trust me.” “I understand,” Quellan said, and something in the way he said it had her looking at him again. “Bredan, you should free her legs, those ropes must be uncomfortable.” “Quite so,” Xeeta said. She waited until Bredan cut the remaining few lengths of rope, then she sighed and extended her legs. Her trousers were cut in several places, showing that the reddish tint to her skin extended over her entire body. There were also a number of places where her clothes were marked with old bloodstains. “I think I will wait a moment before trying to stand up, if that’s okay with you.” “How long have you been here?” Glori asked. “A few days. Though it feels like longer.” “We came here looking for a boy,” Quellan said. “A human child of eleven years who went missing from a nearby village.” “I haven’t seen any other prisoners since I’ve been here,” Xeeta said. “I assume you ran into Jargo and Cthel. Are they dead?” “The half-ogre is,” Kosk said. “The boy killed him,” he added, nodding toward Bredan. Xeeta smiled, revealing teeth that were slightly pointed, and Bredan flushed. “The mongrelman got away,” Quellan said. “He might have gotten past us.” Xeeta nodded. “He’s stealthy, that one.” “What were they doing here?” Glori asked. “From what I could overhear, they arrived here a couple of weeks ago. Killed the kobolds’ chief and took over the tribe. They’ve been sponging off them ever since.” “We figured it was something like that,” Quellan said. “Did they talk about any plans?” Glori asked. “Raids they might have been planning, that sort of thing.” “Not specifically, but recently I overheard them talking about moving on. Something about trouble in the north, and opportunities for a ‘big score.’” The companions shared a look. “The King’s proclamation,” Glori said. “They must have heard about it.” “Proclamation?” Xeeta asked. “There’s been an invasion, near Adelar,” Bredan said. “An army of goblinoids burned some villages and killed a bunch of people. The King’s called for aid. We were headed that way when we heard about the missing boy.” “I see.” “You hadn’t heard anything about that?” Kosk asked. “I don’t spend much time in settlements, for obvious reasons.” “That sounds lonely,” Glori said. Xeeta blinked at her in surprise, but said nothing. Kosk cleared his throat. “It’s clear that the boy isn’t here. Let’s finish our sweep and get out of here.” “Did Jargo and Cthel have any treasure hidden around here?” Glori asked Xeeta. “They had a cache under a rock near where they sleep, but I think they took it with them before they left to confront you.” “How much you want to bet that shifty bastard has it all with him now?” Bredan said. Xeeta tried to stand up, only to sag as her legs gave out under her. Bredan took hold of her and held her upright. “Thank you,” she said. “Do you mind if I accompany you, at least to this village you spoke of?” “The locals there might not be welcoming,” Kosk cautioned. “We can speak on your behalf,” Quellan said. “That might not be necessary,” Xeeta said. She waved a hand and spoke a word that reverberated softly in the air before vanishing from their memories. The air in front of her shimmered, and her appearance changed. She was still more or less the same size and shape, but her tiefling features were gone, replaced by a milky-pale skin, light blonde hair, and green eyes. Her horns disappeared, and when she smiled her teeth looked normal. “You’re a wizard!” Glori exclaimed. “A sorcerer, actually,” Xeeta said. “My powers are innate.” Kosk had shifted into a ready stance as soon as the tiefling had begun her spell, and he only relaxed slightly when it became clear she wasn’t going to unleash some nasty destructive magic. “I knew it,” he muttered. “By any chance, have you seen a rod of black wood, about the length of my arm?” Xeeta asked. “No, but it might be in the crap box,” Glori said. That drew a raised eyebrow, but no comment. They made their way back out of the cave. Xeeta allowed Bredan to help her, though she did a good job of masking the obvious pain she felt as sensation returned to her battered limbs. Now that they knew what to look for they could easily see the stalagmite that had been shifted to conceal the bandit leaders’ treasure. Glori took a look inside the hollow space, which was just big enough to hold a small chest or other container. Now, of course, it was empty. Once they returned to the outer room, Xeeta went over to examine the open chest. On detecting the mess that the bandits had left behind her nose wrinkled and she muttered, “Animals.” But she had no difficulty reaching into the chest and pulling out a black rod. It was smeared with filth, but she held it out and summoned her magic. Her eyes seemed to flash and wisps of flame erupted from her fingers clenched around the wooden shaft. They traveled up and down the length of the rod, scouring it clean without inflicting any apparent damage on the wood. “Is any of this other stuff yours?” Glori asked. “No,” Xeeta said. “This is all I need.” “I think we could have used you earlier,” Bredan said. “Let’s go,” Kosk said. “The kobolds have been destroyed, I presume?” Xeeta asked as they started back down the stairs. The tiefling woman was moving more easily now, though she still held onto one wall for support as she negotiated the steps. “We killed most of the warriors,” Glori said. “The rest we let go.” Xeeta glanced quickly at each of them in turn, noting the dwarf’s scowl in particular, but made no comment. The main lair was as they had left it. There was no sign of its former inhabitants, or the mongrelman rogue. Xeeta walked across the room until she was standing over Jargo. She muttered something in a harsh, guttural language, the abruptly raised the rod and smashed it down into the dead warrior’s face. She delivered several more blows in rapid succession, then drew back, breathing heavily. Bredan had started to step toward her, a hand raised to offer support, but he hesitated. Glori came around the other side of the half-ogre. “Big surprise, his purse is gone,” she reported. “Thieving little bastards,” Kosk muttered. “We accomplished what we came here to do,” Quellan said. “Did we?” the dwarf asked. “We’ll find the boy,” the cleric said. “We swore an oath.” Bredan sidled slightly closer to Xeeta. “Are you okay?” The tiefling took a deep, steadying breath, and then straightened. “I’m fine. I’m ready to leave this place now.” They filed toward the exit. None of them looked back. [/QUOTE]
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