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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7572087" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 263</p><p></p><p>Galendra’s head was throbbing. She could still taste the iron tang of blood, though it was somewhat overpowered by the rank flavor of the gag pulled painfully tight across her mouth. Her arms were tied behind her back, and her shoulders felt as though someone had jabbed hot needles into them. But even her lengthy litany of hurts paled against the uncertainty of not knowing what had happened to the rest of her crew.</p><p></p><p>The enemy had come upon them by surprise. They moved stealthily despite their size, their clawed feet making barely a whisper as they had materialized out of the jungle and atop the rocks that formed a backdrop to their camp. By the time someone had shouted several of her people were already down, tangled in nets or knocked senseless by blows from knobby clubs as tall as she was.</p><p></p><p>The creatures had ignored her at first, perhaps not considering her a threat due to her size, or maybe even thinking her a child. The things were fearsome, their muscled bodies covered in dull scales tinted in shades of black and green. Their faces were monstrous and reptilian, with feral expressions that she could tell showed pleasure in their task as they subdued her crew.</p><p></p><p>She saw three of them surround Elias, who had his sword out but was clearly outmatched. Without thinking she’d summoned her power, the magic that had been a part of her ever since she’d first began to experience the transition to adulthood. Careful not to catch the struggling warrior in the blast, she unleashed a <em>lightning bolt</em>.</p><p></p><p>The spell had been effective—too effective, she thought wryly. She’d hit several of the creatures, but the bolt had continued into their camp, hitting one of the stacks of crates piled there. Her face still burned at the thought of it; it was lucky that she hadn’t killed one or more of her men with her foolishness. In the end it hadn’t even accomplished much; none of the creatures she’d hit had fallen, and within moments something hard had hit her from behind, knocking her unconscious. <em>You didn’t even try to evade,</em> she berated herself. <em>You acted like a raw deckhand.</em></p><p></p><p>She’d come to briefly on the trail. Her first thought had been that she was back on the <em>Golden Gull</em>; it had felt like she was floating. But then memory came flooding back in on a wave of pain, and she remembered what had happened. Someone was carrying her, and it wasn’t one of her people.</p><p></p><p>She’d tried to lift her head, to look around, to catch sight of any of her crew or any hint of their surroundings. But apparently even those feeble movements had been enough to alert her captor. She was shaken, roughly, and in her diminished state that had been enough for consciousness to flee once more.</p><p></p><p>When she finally woke up again, she’d been here.</p><p></p><p>It still wasn’t quite clear where “here” was, but she presumed it was in the camp of the reptile-men. She was inside a cage of wooden bars within some sort of simple hut or similar structure. There were cracks in the walls but they let in only the faintest light, suggesting that maybe night had fallen. A thick oily scent tinged with just a hint of rot hung over everything. She found that she was ravenously hungry despite that, and her throat felt as if it had been packed with fluffy balls of cotton.</p><p></p><p>Gingerly, she tried to move, but even the slightest shift caused waves of nausea and pain to surge through her. She gave up and focused instead on breathing slowly through her nose.</p><p></p><p>A few minutes passed. Galendra sank into a sort of fugue state, but stirred from it when she heard the distinctive sounds of someone—or someones—approaching. She hadn’t spotted a door in her brief examination of the hut, but a flap of heavy fabric swung aside to allow two figures to enter.</p><p></p><p>Even in the bad light she had no difficulty identifying them as members of the same race that had attacked their camp. Galendra remained still as they came over to the cage. One fiddled with the restraints that held it closed—it looked like just a few strips of leather, she noted—and then lifted her out.</p><p></p><p>She forced herself to remain quiet and calm as they carried her out, feigning unconsciousness while covertly scanning their surroundings. They were somewhere in the jungle, but the area had been cleared enough to make room for dozens of assorted structures. A handful of torches and crude oil lamps pushed back the surrounding night enough for her to make out a few details. Her heart sank as she spotted dozens of the reptile-men, almost all of them armed with clubs or spears. What she didn’t see was any sign of her crew, or where the creatures might be holding them.</p><p></p><p>Her captors carried her toward a particularly large wooden structure that appeared to be their destination. It had a peaked roof, and mounted across the front was an alarming sculpture made of wicker and bone. Galendra almost betrayed herself as she looked up at the thing. It was a dragon, its broad “wings” stretching almost from one edge of the roof to the other, its head a bleached skull that hung from the highest point. She thought that she could have walked into its open jaws without ducking.</p><p></p><p>The dragon-hut was perched atop stilts that lifted it about five feet above the forest floor. Her captors carried her up a short flight of steps to another door made out of woven fronds. The one holding her growled something. After a moment an answering growl came from within, and the other creature pushed the door open.</p><p></p><p>The interior of the hut appeared to be a single large room, although curtains hanging from the rafters partitioned parts of the back into side-chambers. Galendra could only make out vague details, as a metal brazier in the center of the room holding glowing coals was the only light. But it was enough for her to see the creature that ruled here.</p><p></p><p>The dragonborn was seated in a throne that rose more than halfway to the peaked roof above. Even seated it was imposing; Galendra doubted that she would have come to its knee. Its coloration was somewhat different than that of the guards, its scales a dull red that gleamed like gemstones in the ruddy light of the brazier. A massive stone war-axe rested against the side of the throne, within its easy reach.</p><p></p><p>The creature’s appearance was so impressive that Galendra failed to notice the giant lizard lying next to the throne until it lurched up and shot its forked tongue out, tasting the air. She started in surprise, ending her ruse. Not that it mattered at this point, she thought.</p><p></p><p>The reptilian chief gestured, and a figure maybe half its size shuffled forward out of the shadows. This one was one of the green creatures, but despite its alien features she could instantly tell that it was old, perhaps ancient. It was draped in an odd robe fashioned of vertical strips of fabric, with copper bangles around its wrists and neck that clinked together softly as it moved. Its hide was spotted and when it opened its mouth she could see that most of its teeth were missing, but it fixed her with an intense look that swallowed up her attention. It spoke, but she could not understand what it was saying. She felt something stirring in her mind and tried to turn away, to break the connection, but with the guard still holding her she could not even move her head.</p><p></p><p>Then it spoke again, but this time she could understand its words. It felt almost like it was whispering in her mind, the words she heard not matching the movements of its lips.</p><p></p><p><em>A magic spell</em>, she realized.</p><p></p><p>“Do you understand me, creature?” it asked.</p><p></p><p>Galendra tried to say something, only to remember the gag. She nodded.</p><p></p><p>The dragonman priest came a step closer. “I will now remove your gag. If you speak a word of magic, one of your people will be brought her and flayed before your eyes. Do you grasp the meaning of this? Its skin will be removed—slowly—while you watch.”</p><p></p><p>Galendra felt the gorge threaten to rise in her throat, but she met the loathsome creature’s eyes and nodded.</p><p></p><p>The priest removed her gag. Galendra gasped in relief, accepting the pain the movement cost her. “Where are my crew?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>The chief barked something. The priest said, “They are alive, for now. You are their leader?”</p><p></p><p>“I am their captain.”</p><p></p><p>“It is common among your kind for the smallest and weakest among you to lead?”</p><p></p><p>“Ask the ones I blasted if they found me weak,” she said.</p><p></p><p>The priest spoke to the chief, obviously relaying her words in its language. The look the chief gave her showed its doubts, but it said something else and the priest asked, “Why have you come here?”</p><p></p><p>“My ship was caught in a storm and blown off course,” she said. “We suffered damage and were wrecked on the shore where you found us.”</p><p></p><p>After another exchange with the chief the priest asked, “You say that your coming here… it is an accident?”</p><p></p><p>“Go look at the wreck of my ship if you don’t believe me.”</p><p></p><p>Another exchange followed, this one slightly longer. “We know of your people to the south,” the priest said. “And your visits to these lands in the past. We know that your people covet these lands.”</p><p></p><p>“That was centuries ago,” Galendra said. “As I said, we did not mean to come here.”</p><p></p><p>“You ally with the tabaxi?”</p><p></p><p>“I do not know what that is.”</p><p></p><p>The chief spoke before the priest could translate, suggesting either that he knew more than he let on, or he could read her answers in her manner. Either way, it told her not to underestimate him. “The tabaxi were spotted near your camp, before our arrival.”</p><p></p><p>“The cat-men? They attacked us too,” she said. “We drove them off.”</p><p></p><p>“Tell me about the others. The ones who went into the jungle.”</p><p></p><p>“They went into the jungle to scout. To look for fresh water, and food.”</p><p></p><p>“And to seek the old fort of your people, the ones who came before.”</p><p></p><p>Galendra shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</p><p></p><p>The priest leaned in closer, close enough that she could see the smoky film that clouded its eyes. “Your words are like snakes creeping in the mud.”</p><p></p><p>“I’ve told you the truth. If your magic can translate my language, then surely it can tell you that as well.”</p><p></p><p>The priest did not bother passing that on to the chief. Instead he reached up and pressed a stubby claw against her forehead. “Know this, little creature,” it said. “You have trespassed here. Your kind are not welcome in these lands. You and yours belong to us, now. When the Great One summons you again, you will answer our questions.”</p><p></p><p>“I want to see my men,” Galendra said.</p><p></p><p>“What you want is of no concern,” the priest said. “Understand me now. The Great One’s favor will determine whether you and your people serve him as slaves… or are served <em>to</em> him at the upcoming feast.”</p><p></p><p>Galendra’s face twisted with revulsion, and the aged creature let out a hissing laugh. He made a gesture, and the guards replaced her gag before she could say anything else. Her struggles were useless as they carried her back out into the night.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7572087, member: 143"] Chapter 263 Galendra’s head was throbbing. She could still taste the iron tang of blood, though it was somewhat overpowered by the rank flavor of the gag pulled painfully tight across her mouth. Her arms were tied behind her back, and her shoulders felt as though someone had jabbed hot needles into them. But even her lengthy litany of hurts paled against the uncertainty of not knowing what had happened to the rest of her crew. The enemy had come upon them by surprise. They moved stealthily despite their size, their clawed feet making barely a whisper as they had materialized out of the jungle and atop the rocks that formed a backdrop to their camp. By the time someone had shouted several of her people were already down, tangled in nets or knocked senseless by blows from knobby clubs as tall as she was. The creatures had ignored her at first, perhaps not considering her a threat due to her size, or maybe even thinking her a child. The things were fearsome, their muscled bodies covered in dull scales tinted in shades of black and green. Their faces were monstrous and reptilian, with feral expressions that she could tell showed pleasure in their task as they subdued her crew. She saw three of them surround Elias, who had his sword out but was clearly outmatched. Without thinking she’d summoned her power, the magic that had been a part of her ever since she’d first began to experience the transition to adulthood. Careful not to catch the struggling warrior in the blast, she unleashed a [i]lightning bolt[/i]. The spell had been effective—too effective, she thought wryly. She’d hit several of the creatures, but the bolt had continued into their camp, hitting one of the stacks of crates piled there. Her face still burned at the thought of it; it was lucky that she hadn’t killed one or more of her men with her foolishness. In the end it hadn’t even accomplished much; none of the creatures she’d hit had fallen, and within moments something hard had hit her from behind, knocking her unconscious. [i]You didn’t even try to evade,[/i] she berated herself. [i]You acted like a raw deckhand.[/i] She’d come to briefly on the trail. Her first thought had been that she was back on the [i]Golden Gull[/i]; it had felt like she was floating. But then memory came flooding back in on a wave of pain, and she remembered what had happened. Someone was carrying her, and it wasn’t one of her people. She’d tried to lift her head, to look around, to catch sight of any of her crew or any hint of their surroundings. But apparently even those feeble movements had been enough to alert her captor. She was shaken, roughly, and in her diminished state that had been enough for consciousness to flee once more. When she finally woke up again, she’d been here. It still wasn’t quite clear where “here” was, but she presumed it was in the camp of the reptile-men. She was inside a cage of wooden bars within some sort of simple hut or similar structure. There were cracks in the walls but they let in only the faintest light, suggesting that maybe night had fallen. A thick oily scent tinged with just a hint of rot hung over everything. She found that she was ravenously hungry despite that, and her throat felt as if it had been packed with fluffy balls of cotton. Gingerly, she tried to move, but even the slightest shift caused waves of nausea and pain to surge through her. She gave up and focused instead on breathing slowly through her nose. A few minutes passed. Galendra sank into a sort of fugue state, but stirred from it when she heard the distinctive sounds of someone—or someones—approaching. She hadn’t spotted a door in her brief examination of the hut, but a flap of heavy fabric swung aside to allow two figures to enter. Even in the bad light she had no difficulty identifying them as members of the same race that had attacked their camp. Galendra remained still as they came over to the cage. One fiddled with the restraints that held it closed—it looked like just a few strips of leather, she noted—and then lifted her out. She forced herself to remain quiet and calm as they carried her out, feigning unconsciousness while covertly scanning their surroundings. They were somewhere in the jungle, but the area had been cleared enough to make room for dozens of assorted structures. A handful of torches and crude oil lamps pushed back the surrounding night enough for her to make out a few details. Her heart sank as she spotted dozens of the reptile-men, almost all of them armed with clubs or spears. What she didn’t see was any sign of her crew, or where the creatures might be holding them. Her captors carried her toward a particularly large wooden structure that appeared to be their destination. It had a peaked roof, and mounted across the front was an alarming sculpture made of wicker and bone. Galendra almost betrayed herself as she looked up at the thing. It was a dragon, its broad “wings” stretching almost from one edge of the roof to the other, its head a bleached skull that hung from the highest point. She thought that she could have walked into its open jaws without ducking. The dragon-hut was perched atop stilts that lifted it about five feet above the forest floor. Her captors carried her up a short flight of steps to another door made out of woven fronds. The one holding her growled something. After a moment an answering growl came from within, and the other creature pushed the door open. The interior of the hut appeared to be a single large room, although curtains hanging from the rafters partitioned parts of the back into side-chambers. Galendra could only make out vague details, as a metal brazier in the center of the room holding glowing coals was the only light. But it was enough for her to see the creature that ruled here. The dragonborn was seated in a throne that rose more than halfway to the peaked roof above. Even seated it was imposing; Galendra doubted that she would have come to its knee. Its coloration was somewhat different than that of the guards, its scales a dull red that gleamed like gemstones in the ruddy light of the brazier. A massive stone war-axe rested against the side of the throne, within its easy reach. The creature’s appearance was so impressive that Galendra failed to notice the giant lizard lying next to the throne until it lurched up and shot its forked tongue out, tasting the air. She started in surprise, ending her ruse. Not that it mattered at this point, she thought. The reptilian chief gestured, and a figure maybe half its size shuffled forward out of the shadows. This one was one of the green creatures, but despite its alien features she could instantly tell that it was old, perhaps ancient. It was draped in an odd robe fashioned of vertical strips of fabric, with copper bangles around its wrists and neck that clinked together softly as it moved. Its hide was spotted and when it opened its mouth she could see that most of its teeth were missing, but it fixed her with an intense look that swallowed up her attention. It spoke, but she could not understand what it was saying. She felt something stirring in her mind and tried to turn away, to break the connection, but with the guard still holding her she could not even move her head. Then it spoke again, but this time she could understand its words. It felt almost like it was whispering in her mind, the words she heard not matching the movements of its lips. [i]A magic spell[/i], she realized. “Do you understand me, creature?” it asked. Galendra tried to say something, only to remember the gag. She nodded. The dragonman priest came a step closer. “I will now remove your gag. If you speak a word of magic, one of your people will be brought her and flayed before your eyes. Do you grasp the meaning of this? Its skin will be removed—slowly—while you watch.” Galendra felt the gorge threaten to rise in her throat, but she met the loathsome creature’s eyes and nodded. The priest removed her gag. Galendra gasped in relief, accepting the pain the movement cost her. “Where are my crew?” she asked. The chief barked something. The priest said, “They are alive, for now. You are their leader?” “I am their captain.” “It is common among your kind for the smallest and weakest among you to lead?” “Ask the ones I blasted if they found me weak,” she said. The priest spoke to the chief, obviously relaying her words in its language. The look the chief gave her showed its doubts, but it said something else and the priest asked, “Why have you come here?” “My ship was caught in a storm and blown off course,” she said. “We suffered damage and were wrecked on the shore where you found us.” After another exchange with the chief the priest asked, “You say that your coming here… it is an accident?” “Go look at the wreck of my ship if you don’t believe me.” Another exchange followed, this one slightly longer. “We know of your people to the south,” the priest said. “And your visits to these lands in the past. We know that your people covet these lands.” “That was centuries ago,” Galendra said. “As I said, we did not mean to come here.” “You ally with the tabaxi?” “I do not know what that is.” The chief spoke before the priest could translate, suggesting either that he knew more than he let on, or he could read her answers in her manner. Either way, it told her not to underestimate him. “The tabaxi were spotted near your camp, before our arrival.” “The cat-men? They attacked us too,” she said. “We drove them off.” “Tell me about the others. The ones who went into the jungle.” “They went into the jungle to scout. To look for fresh water, and food.” “And to seek the old fort of your people, the ones who came before.” Galendra shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The priest leaned in closer, close enough that she could see the smoky film that clouded its eyes. “Your words are like snakes creeping in the mud.” “I’ve told you the truth. If your magic can translate my language, then surely it can tell you that as well.” The priest did not bother passing that on to the chief. Instead he reached up and pressed a stubby claw against her forehead. “Know this, little creature,” it said. “You have trespassed here. Your kind are not welcome in these lands. You and yours belong to us, now. When the Great One summons you again, you will answer our questions.” “I want to see my men,” Galendra said. “What you want is of no concern,” the priest said. “Understand me now. The Great One’s favor will determine whether you and your people serve him as slaves… or are served [i]to[/i] him at the upcoming feast.” Galendra’s face twisted with revulsion, and the aged creature let out a hissing laugh. He made a gesture, and the guards replaced her gag before she could say anything else. Her struggles were useless as they carried her back out into the night. [/QUOTE]
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