KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING
It was time to go home. The business with the trolls had been a nasty one, and disturbing on more than one level. The level of organization that the giants had exhibited was uncharacteristic as well as unnerving. Something about it gnawed at Mox. First the fey cooperating when everything about their chaotic natures spoke against it, and now this. She felt strongly that they were needed back in Veritas…to reassure the populace that the troll threat was ended if nothing else.
They took a bit of a circuitous route back to Veritas, hoping to check off one or two more unexplored areas on their map. Candlemere was still a mystery to be solved, but they would need a boat to reach the island. It would be a simple matter to charter one in Veritas and then sail it across the Tuskwater to Candlemere Lake. They trekked out of the Narlmarches and back into the rolling grasslands of the Kamelands. On their second day out, they entered an unfamiliar stretch of the plains. It was essentially unremarkable…no different really from the dozens of miles they’d already covered. It was Stevhan and Tungdill that first pointed it out, however…something was different after all. There was no wildlife…none. Normally the land should be teeming with all sorts of small game, as well as a variety of larger fauna as well. There was none…nothing, and nothing to account for the absence. The land was not blighted. There was no excess of scavenger birds. It was very odd.
The following day, they crossed some unseen boundary after which the wildlife returned. There was nothing, and then a few paces later, all was normal again. That night, Stevhan separated from the group for a time. It was the full moon again. He returned once the moon had set, and he was not alone. A large, gray timber wolf padded along at his side. The ranger offered no explanation, and his companions did not ask. The next morning, the wolf was still there, and as they set out once more, it followed behind Stevhan like a well-healed hound.
That night they camped, and set up their usual watches. Velox no longer slept. The oracle had taken to remaining awake through the night, watching and meditating, and then the following morning he would murmur a brief incantation, and a moment later would be look as refreshed as if he’d slept eight hours. That particular night, he was awake as usual, and Tungdill was his watch partner. Both of them heard the cry at the same time. At first, it was a strange, mewling sound, like a wounded animal, or possibly an infant. Then, however, it became an unmistakable cry for help. It sounded like that of a woman, or a child, but in the darkness, it was difficult to determine from which direction it came. Then, incredibly, Velox heard something different.
“Velox!” the voice called, using his name specifically. “Please! I’m trapped! Help me!”
Quickly he and Tungdill kicked their companions awake. As each of them rubbed at their bleary eyes, they too heard the cries…and each in turn heard their own name called. Mox in particular heard the plaintive tone in the call, and she knew in her heart and soul that she must go. She was needed and she had to go. She rose quickly and began walking towards the edge of the firelight.
“Stevhan!” Velox called. “Stop her! Something’s wrong!”
The ranger didn’t hesitate. He reached out and grabbed Mox by the arms, physically restraining her.
“Let me go!” the baroness demanded.
“Hold her.” Velox commanded. “Davrim, come with me.”
The inquisitor grabbed his sword and followed the oracle out into the night.
The calls became louder, more insistent the further they moved away from camp. Gradually, they lost any trace of humanity, becoming more like barking, snarling growls. The full moon cast its pale glow across the landscape, and Velox saw the creature step from behind a rocky outcropping. It was a quadruped, with the long, leonine body of a predator, yet its legs were lean, more suited for running, right down to its cloven hooves. Its head was that of a badger, but instead of teeth, its jaws were simply serrated bone. It charged out of the darkness right at Velox. Just before it reached him, however, a gray blur bolted between them. The creature reared on its back feet and pawed at the snarling wolf that crouched, bristling in front of it. Velox lunged ahead, Davrim at his side. The pair struck simultaneously, and as the beast lowered its head and tried to buck away, the wolf seized its throat, shaking viciously. In a matter of moments, it was over. Whatever the strange horror had been, it was no longer a threat.
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They were still several miles away from Veritas when they first saw the smoke. They urged their mounts into a gallop as they cut across the farmlands. The closer they drew to the capital, the more their dread grew. Newly plowed fields had been torn up, trees knocked down, and livestock lay slaughtered in the pastures. Several farm houses and barns had been flattened. Finally, they crested the hill upon which the town sat, and the scene that greeted them was horrific. The tannery was gone…completely destroyed, and half the town hall was collapsed into a pile of rubble. Few people wandered the streets, and those that did milled about in shock, as if they’d just come from a war zone. Mox and the others quickly rode down the main street towards the hall. The baroness dismounted before her horse had come to a full stop.
“What happened here?” she demanded of one of the local militiaman posted outside the remains of the building.
“I…I…,” he stammered, his eyes wide and staring.
“We were attacked,” Oleg said.
The old trader walked slowly down the stairs to the street, his own eyes heavy with exhaustion.
“Obviously!” Mox snapped. “By whom?”
“Not who,” Oleg shook his head, “What. It was an owlbear.”
“ ‘An’ owlbear?” Stevhan asked, shocked. “Just one?”
“I know what you’re thinking,” Oleg said, “but this weren’t no ordinary critter. Big as a house, it was! I never seen such a thing in all my years. Ripped through here like a cyclone! Killed a couple a dozen folks, too.”
“When?” Mox asked. “When did this happen?”
“Two days ago,” Oleg sighed.
“Well, I suppose this trail won’t be hard to follow, wouldn’t you agree Stevhan?” she snapped.
“I think I can manage,” the ranger nodded.
“Don’t you think you ought to say somethin’ to the townsfolk?” Oleg asked. “They’ve had quite a shock.”
“When I bring them back this creature’s head,” Mox said as she mounted her horse, “they’ll have all the reassurance they need!”
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The monster’s back trail was, indeed, easy to follow. It had left a path of destruction in its wake that even a blind man could have followed. After two days of hard riding, they finally reached its end.
“Oh no,” Stevhan said as he called the others to a halt. “It can’t be!”
But indeed it was. All of the companions recognized the territory to where the trail had led them. It was the same, strangely depopulated area through which they’d passed only days before. The reason why it was empty of game was now painfully obvious. The trail itself led to a dark, gaping hole which yawned in the side of a large, rocky hillock. The earth in front of the cave had been trampled flat, and shattered trees and stumps bore the marks of powerful claws. Tufts of dark fur were snagged in branches, and huge feathers littered the ground.
“Hold on there, lad,” Tungdill said as Velox started towards the cave mouth. “No sense rushin’ in blind when we’ve got scouts to do that fer us.”
The druid turned in a slow circle, chanting and shaking his sprig of mistletoe. A moment later, three bright spots shimmered in the air around him as Adam and two more ants flashed into existence.
“Off you go, boys!” Tungdill made shooing motions towards the cave. “If it moves, kill it!”
The three giant ants scuttled quickly towards the opening, and the others followed, several yards behind.
The cave mouth widened into a large cavern, filthy with carrion and offal. A bewildering variety of molds and fungi grew on the floor and walls, some as big as a man, and countless insects scuttled about underfoot, feeding on the mounds of waste. A large tunnel sloped away down to the south, while two smaller ones opened to the east and west. As the ants entered the cave, two large mushrooms to either side of the entrance suddenly opened mouth-like apertures in their caps and began emitting ear-splitting shrieks.
“Damn it!” Tungdill snapped. “Shriekers! Ye can bet yer arses that anythin’ alive in this place knows we’re here now!”
The ants ignored the fungi and continued quickly across the cavern. When a trio of purplish mushrooms began trundling towards them, ropy tentacles extending from beneath their caps, however, the insects stopped, their mandibles clicking sharply. Davrim, Stevhan and Velox drew their swords and rushed to intercept the attacking fungi. As Davrim moved in, one of the flailing tentacles raked across his arm. Where it touched his skin, the flesh began to dissolve. The inquisitor cried out as he hacked at the disgusting thing. Velox and Stevhan each struck out at the other mushrooms as well. With their hive mentality, the three ants attacked with precise coordination. The fungi collapsed under the assault, dissolving into puddles of goo. Abruptly, the shriekers went silent. When Velox turned, he saw that Mox and Selena had burned both of them to cinders.
“Too little, too late,” Tungdill shook his head. “It’s comin’.”
When the owlbear lumbered into the cavern from the far tunnel, it stunned all the onlookers into silence. The creature was enormous, its head nearly brushing the ceiling twenty feet above. Its claws were easily over a foot long each, and its beak looked like it could snap the head off a grizzly. Incongruously, the beast wore the remains of a fine set of leather barding, as if it were someone’s personal mount. Before Tungdill could stop them, the trio of ants rushed headlong at the monstrosity. With an almost casual flick of a paw, it completely shredded the first of the insects, causing it to instantly vanish without a trace. Adam bravely, but foolishly darted forward and sank his mandibles into the brute’s foot, after which the owlbear stomped him into oblivion, then subsequently leaned down and snapped up the last of the ants in its massive maw. The companions braced themselves as the titanic creature turned its feral gaze upon them, and let out a bone-numbing screech. Then, however, another sound came to them, more subtle, but no less disturbing…the sound of multiple sets of claws scraping on the stone behind them! As one, they turned, just in time to see a horde of pony-sized spiders swarm into the cave.
“Guard the flank!” Velox cried.
The oracle then spun back towards the oncoming owlbear and moved to position himself between the beast and his allies, a bulwark against the oncoming tide. Behind him, Davrim and Stevhan quickly intercepted the charging arachnids before they could reach Mox, Selena and Tungdill. Each of them brutally and efficiently dispatched a spider, while the ranger’s wolf leaped upon a third, flipping it onto its back before savagely disemboweling it. Mox blew a pair of arachnids into pieces with a salvo of arcane bolts, and Selena roasted another pair with a spray of fire from her hands. The only one not paying attention to the spiders was Tungdill. The druid watched intently as the owlbear closed on Velox, waiting for just the right moment. When it was mere yards away, he struck, unleashing first a roaring column of fire, which momentarily obscured the monster from view, and then followed up with a raging hailstorm in miniature, centered right where he knew the owlbear to be. As Davrim dispatched the last of the spiders, the companions turned towards the conflagration of fire and ice, their breath frozen, waiting to see what would be revealed when the storm cleared. In a matter of moments, they had their answer. The beast surged forward, raw patches burned into much of its flesh, while ice clung to others. Its eyes were a maddened blood-haze, and when it reached Velox, it swatted the oracle aside as if he were a rag doll, sending him sprawling a dozen feet away. As it continued charging forward, there was no way for Velox to move out of its path. Stevhan saw this and, throwing all caution aside, rushed forward to his friend’s aid, a battle cry upon his lips. The owlbear slashed him savagely with a mighty swing of its paw, sweeping him up into its embrace in a single movement. The mauling that followed was unimaginable in its ferocity. Stevhan went limp after the first few seconds, but as the monster bent its beak for the kill, the ranger managed, with his last breath, to shove his blade between its jaws. Enraged, the owlbear flung his limp body aside.
“Unleash Hell!” Mox cried.
An avalanche of fire, acid and arrows followed as she, Selena, Tungdill and Davrim threw everything they had at the owlbear. This time, when the smoke cleared, the beast lay in a smoldering heap, undeniably dead.
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Stevhan was still alive, if just barely. While Selena and Tungdill tended to his injuries, Mox led the others ahead into the owlbear’s den. The huge cavern was bare except for a jumble of bones, rocks, fur and feathers that sat piled against the far wall. As the companions approached the debris, they saw that one of the carcasses in the pile was still mostly intact. It looked to be that of a human male, still dressed in a fine suit of chainmail. A glittering ring rested on one decomposing finger. It was carved in the shape of a serpent battling an eagle, and looked to be made of pure gold. In the other hand, the corpse clutched a piece of rolled parchment. Davrim carefully plucked loose both the ring and the parchment.
“Look at this,” he said as unfurled it and passed it to Mox.
“It looks like a map of the Greenbelt,” she said, her brow furrowing. “This is Veritas!” she stabbed her finger at a circled point on the map. “And this is here!” she indicated another circled point. “What the Hells does this mean? Was this attack planned?”
“The fey, the trolls, now this?” Davrim said. “I think we need to get home soon.”
In a chamber adjoining the main cavern, they came upon an even more bizarre find. A buzzing filled the cave, and in the far portion lay the giant carcass of some great beast, surrounded by at least half a dozen human bodies. As they drew closer, it became obvious that the animal was another owl bear, but a normal sized one. The dead bodies were dressed as bandits, and had obviously not fared well. There were also the corpses of two owlbear cubs among the fallen, and huddled near its dead mother, a half-starved cub chirped piteously. By this time, Tungdill, Selena, and a pale, but upright Stevhan had rejoined their friends. Tungdill crouched down and began to coo softly to the baby, and slowly, it came to him. The druid gently picked it up and offered it some food from his pouch, which it devoured greedily.
“Are we in the business of collecting orphans?” Selena asked. “First Davrim’s lizardboy, now this?”
“It’s fine,” Mox waved her off as Tungdill glared at the witch. “It will only serve as further proof to our people of our success here.”
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There was one small, final cave to investigate before they left. Rotting leaves and other vegetation filled it. Water dripped from slimy vines and roots that hung from the ceiling, collecting into puddles on the uneven floor. At first, it appeared no different from any of the other fungi-infested caves they’d seen…that is, until one of the piles of fungi came to life. It was a shambling mass, roughly man-shaped, but twice the size of a man. Before anyone else could move, Mox casually flicked a ball of fire at the thing, confident that a creature made of plants would quickly fry to a crisp. She was disappointed a moment later when the wet, swampy matter that comprised the thing’s body merely smoked and smoldered beneath her conflagration. It lumbered forward, and as Davrim moved between it and Mox, it hammered the inquisitor with one trunk-like appendage. Velox leaped at it as Mox released a barrage of acidic bolts. Tungdill pointed one hand towards the ceiling, and as he did so, a small thundercloud gathered there. A moment later, a bolt of lightning struck the shambler, but to the druid’s dismay, the creature seemed to swell and grow in the midst of the strike. It was short-lived. Davrim regained his feet and drove his sword completely through the thing, before withdrawing it and hacking off both its arms. It collapsed into a rotting, wet heap.
“That’s how you kill something,” he smirked at Tungdill.
His smile disappeared as a mass of wriggling, blood-red centipedes erupted from the dead shambler. They swarmed over the half-orc, and involuntarily, he screamed as he slapped and batted at them. His cry turned to one of pain as flames washed over him, burning every last one of insects alive.
“Sorry,” Mox shrugged as Davrim gaped at her through his singed eyelashes. “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
