The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
- Thread starter Lazybones
- Start date
Richard Rawen
First Post
Bah, BAH I say, you are all doubters. This is Lazybones!
Go back and re-read his earlier works... it's worth it, trust me. You'll see...
I'll just wait to see if I'm right on my hunch about Tiros' followers, one in particular.
I'll block my guessing so as not to ruin the plot for others . . . on the off chance I'm right that is
[sblock=SPOILER]That was a Brilliant method of replenishing the party ranks...
. . . for more death and destruction of course!
I am pretty sure the sullen yet peaceful lady will whip out a scroll of Raise Dead.
I'm not saying that they aren't ALL or at the very least MOSTLY doomed eventually, but I think Tiros is coming back for another round =-)
Lucky me I get to find out tonight how good (or bad) my guesses are! *Grin*[/sblock]
LB it goes without saying that I am Loving this story, thanks for sharing!
Go back and re-read his earlier works... it's worth it, trust me. You'll see...
I'll just wait to see if I'm right on my hunch about Tiros' followers, one in particular.
I'll block my guessing so as not to ruin the plot for others . . . on the off chance I'm right that is
[sblock=SPOILER]That was a Brilliant method of replenishing the party ranks...
. . . for more death and destruction of course!
I am pretty sure the sullen yet peaceful lady will whip out a scroll of Raise Dead.
I'm not saying that they aren't ALL or at the very least MOSTLY doomed eventually, but I think Tiros is coming back for another round =-)
Lucky me I get to find out tonight how good (or bad) my guesses are! *Grin*[/sblock]
LB it goes without saying that I am Loving this story, thanks for sharing!
Lazybones
Adventurer
Glad you guys are enjoying the little twists and turns of the story. I have stats for the fresh me--ah, the new party members, but I am going to hold off on posting them for a few days (there's a few tweaks I'm thinking about making).
* * * * *
Chapter 32
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
The warrior—the apparent leader of the other group—fell to his knees, the strength apparently drained out of him by the sight of the dead marshal. He lowered his head, his body shaking with grief or frustration.
“Damn it... damn it all!”
The dark-haired woman came up behind him, and put her hand on his shoulder. “You did all you could, Talen. This isn’t your fault.”
The man with the staff came forward. “What happened?”
“What does it look like?” Dar spat. “Do you see this damned-huge purple worm that we just killed lying right here?”
“He gave his life in our joint struggle to survive,” Varo added. “Without his leadership, we would not have made it as far as we did.”
“So you’re what, the rescue team?” Dar asked. “If you’d gotten here five minutes ago, maybe you would have been enough to save his life.”
“We have had our own problems,” the dark-haired woman shot back. “Five of our party have lost their lives in this place.”
“Five, eh? Well, you got us beat,” Dar said. “We only lost three... well, four, but I’d bet that slinking elf is still alive in some corner somewhere.”
“This is not a joke, human,” the dwarf growled.
“That’s where you’re wrong, dwarf. This,” he said, waving his hands to indicate their surroundings in a broad gesture, “this is all a big joke. Only the joke’s on us, and the gods are the ones laughing.”
“How did you find us?” Varo asked, stepping into what was becoming an increasingly tense situation.
“Aelos used the power of the Shining Father to locate the marshal’s sword,” the dark-haired woman said.
“Ah, Aelos Sinaris,” Varo said. “I thought that was you, although I admit this is the last place that I expected find such a distinguished servant of the Father.”
“We must go where we are called,” the cleric replied, although his mouth twisted as he looked at the priest of Dagos, and the golden icon he wore clearly visible on his chest.
Talen stood; his grief replaced with a hard look. “We will take the body. Allera, see what you can do for him. Krogan, can you fit him inside your bag of holding?”
As the light-haired woman knelt beside the corpse, the dwarf nodded, drawing out a large sack. “We’ll have to clear out the extra supplies, but I think it can hold him.”
“Argus, Shay, keep an eye out,” the warrior continued. Argus, the other fighter, nodded and took up a position a short distance away. Shay, the dark-haired woman, hesitated for a moment, glanced at Dar. “Are you sure, captain?”
Talen looked at her, and nodded. The woman took up her spear and headed toward the back of the worm, out toward the main part of the cavern. Within a few paces, she had blended into the shadows, and was gone from sight.
Talen turned back to Dar. “Give me that sword.”
“No.”
“It does not belong to you.”
“The marshal deeded it to me in his will. His last words were, ‘Dar, my friend, be sure to take good care of my sword.’”
“Do not mock his memory!” the warrior shouted. His hand tightened on the grip of his sword, and as an inch of steel slid out of its scabbard, a pale white glow shone from the blade. Dar did not move, but Varo, at least, knew that his companion was ready to attack at the slightest provocation.
Even as Varo stepped forward to forestall Dar, Aelos came over to Talen and put his hand on the warrior’s arm. The light atop the cleric’s staff cast the captain’s lined features into stark relief. “Let it go, Talen. The important thing is to get the marshal—and us—out of here.”
“Finally, someone speaks some sense,” Dar said. “The route back up the way we came was blocked by that worm. How did you get in here?”
“We came down the Well,” Krogan said, and at the word, it seemed as though a shudder when through each member of his party.
“Damn, even I know that wasn’t a good idea. ‘Don’t go down the Well!’ Man, you guys must have been desperate.”
“It was not as though we were given a choice. We all volunteered for this mission, and vowed that we would give our lives to bring back the marshal,” Allera said.
“Well, you might get your wish,” Dar replied.
“There is much more at stake here, mercenary, and the lives of thousands depend on what we do here.”
“Ah, so you’re part of Tiros’s revolutionary cabal, then. Not much left of it, looks like.”
“Perhaps we should focus on the immediate objective,” Varo interrupted. “You have a route out of the dungeon?”
“That is none of your concern,” Talen said. “We have what we came for. You two can go on your way; we will not hinder you, but do not expect our aid.”
“Hey now, wait a minute, ‘captain,’” Dar said. “In case you haven’t noticed, this place is a gods-damned deathtrap. We’ve learned a few tricks about Rappan Athuk... and a few lessons. The most obvious one, is that you need to stick together to survive.”
“We neither need nor want your help,” Talen said.
Dar pointed toward the purple worm. “You think you guys can handle one of those? You all look fancy in your black mail and matching outfits, but you’ll need someone who really knows a blade if you want to get out of here with the remains of your boss.”
“You are... criminals,” Allera said.
Dar pointed to Tiros’s body. “What do you think he was?”
Aelos, still standing at Talen’s side, said quietly, “We will need all the help we can get, if we are going back to the Well.”
For a moment, the captain regarded Dar and Varo with a cold, weighing stare. He also looked at the massive worm, still oozing foul fluid from the huge rents in its body. “You are both convicted murderers. How do we know we can trust you?” he finally said.
“When we first entered Rappan Athuk,” Varo said, “the marshal said something to us that stuck in my mind. He said, ‘If we don’t work together, we’re not going to be anything more than another mark on this place’s long tally of slain heroes and brave fools.’ He claimed not to want to lead, but he gave us a necessary unity of purpose, a direction, nevertheless. Without him, we never would have been able to come together as a group, and to get this far.”
“That does sound like him,” Aelos said.
Talen’s frown did not change, but finally, his hand dropped of the hilt of his sword. “Fine,” he said. “But I am in command of this mission. If you go with us, you follow my orders. And this is an alliance of convenience; once we are out of Rappan Athuk, then we are quit of you.”
“Agreed,” Varo said. “Since we are going to travel together, introductions are in order. I am Licinius Varo,” the cleric said. “My companion is Corath Dar.”
“Talen Karedes,” the captain replied. “Allera is our healer. You already know Aelos Sinaris, priest of the Shining Father. Krogan Deepshaft is a veteran sapper, and our expert on all things underground.”
The dwarf, working to get Tiros’s body in his sack, grunted.
“The two on watch are Shaylara and Argus.” The introductions complete, Talen turned away.
“Welcome to the Doomed Bastards,” Dar muttered to himself.
The eight of them set out back in the direction that the relief party had come from, deeper into the underground cavern.
I have stats for the fresh me--ah, the new party members, but I am going to hold off on posting them for a few days (there's a few tweaks I'm thinking about making). * * * * *
Chapter 32
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
The warrior—the apparent leader of the other group—fell to his knees, the strength apparently drained out of him by the sight of the dead marshal. He lowered his head, his body shaking with grief or frustration.
“Damn it... damn it all!”
The dark-haired woman came up behind him, and put her hand on his shoulder. “You did all you could, Talen. This isn’t your fault.”
The man with the staff came forward. “What happened?”
“What does it look like?” Dar spat. “Do you see this damned-huge purple worm that we just killed lying right here?”
“He gave his life in our joint struggle to survive,” Varo added. “Without his leadership, we would not have made it as far as we did.”
“So you’re what, the rescue team?” Dar asked. “If you’d gotten here five minutes ago, maybe you would have been enough to save his life.”
“We have had our own problems,” the dark-haired woman shot back. “Five of our party have lost their lives in this place.”
“Five, eh? Well, you got us beat,” Dar said. “We only lost three... well, four, but I’d bet that slinking elf is still alive in some corner somewhere.”
“This is not a joke, human,” the dwarf growled.
“That’s where you’re wrong, dwarf. This,” he said, waving his hands to indicate their surroundings in a broad gesture, “this is all a big joke. Only the joke’s on us, and the gods are the ones laughing.”
“How did you find us?” Varo asked, stepping into what was becoming an increasingly tense situation.
“Aelos used the power of the Shining Father to locate the marshal’s sword,” the dark-haired woman said.
“Ah, Aelos Sinaris,” Varo said. “I thought that was you, although I admit this is the last place that I expected find such a distinguished servant of the Father.”
“We must go where we are called,” the cleric replied, although his mouth twisted as he looked at the priest of Dagos, and the golden icon he wore clearly visible on his chest.
Talen stood; his grief replaced with a hard look. “We will take the body. Allera, see what you can do for him. Krogan, can you fit him inside your bag of holding?”
As the light-haired woman knelt beside the corpse, the dwarf nodded, drawing out a large sack. “We’ll have to clear out the extra supplies, but I think it can hold him.”
“Argus, Shay, keep an eye out,” the warrior continued. Argus, the other fighter, nodded and took up a position a short distance away. Shay, the dark-haired woman, hesitated for a moment, glanced at Dar. “Are you sure, captain?”
Talen looked at her, and nodded. The woman took up her spear and headed toward the back of the worm, out toward the main part of the cavern. Within a few paces, she had blended into the shadows, and was gone from sight.
Talen turned back to Dar. “Give me that sword.”
“No.”
“It does not belong to you.”
“The marshal deeded it to me in his will. His last words were, ‘Dar, my friend, be sure to take good care of my sword.’”
“Do not mock his memory!” the warrior shouted. His hand tightened on the grip of his sword, and as an inch of steel slid out of its scabbard, a pale white glow shone from the blade. Dar did not move, but Varo, at least, knew that his companion was ready to attack at the slightest provocation.
Even as Varo stepped forward to forestall Dar, Aelos came over to Talen and put his hand on the warrior’s arm. The light atop the cleric’s staff cast the captain’s lined features into stark relief. “Let it go, Talen. The important thing is to get the marshal—and us—out of here.”
“Finally, someone speaks some sense,” Dar said. “The route back up the way we came was blocked by that worm. How did you get in here?”
“We came down the Well,” Krogan said, and at the word, it seemed as though a shudder when through each member of his party.
“Damn, even I know that wasn’t a good idea. ‘Don’t go down the Well!’ Man, you guys must have been desperate.”
“It was not as though we were given a choice. We all volunteered for this mission, and vowed that we would give our lives to bring back the marshal,” Allera said.
“Well, you might get your wish,” Dar replied.
“There is much more at stake here, mercenary, and the lives of thousands depend on what we do here.”
“Ah, so you’re part of Tiros’s revolutionary cabal, then. Not much left of it, looks like.”
“Perhaps we should focus on the immediate objective,” Varo interrupted. “You have a route out of the dungeon?”
“That is none of your concern,” Talen said. “We have what we came for. You two can go on your way; we will not hinder you, but do not expect our aid.”
“Hey now, wait a minute, ‘captain,’” Dar said. “In case you haven’t noticed, this place is a gods-damned deathtrap. We’ve learned a few tricks about Rappan Athuk... and a few lessons. The most obvious one, is that you need to stick together to survive.”
“We neither need nor want your help,” Talen said.
Dar pointed toward the purple worm. “You think you guys can handle one of those? You all look fancy in your black mail and matching outfits, but you’ll need someone who really knows a blade if you want to get out of here with the remains of your boss.”
“You are... criminals,” Allera said.
Dar pointed to Tiros’s body. “What do you think he was?”
Aelos, still standing at Talen’s side, said quietly, “We will need all the help we can get, if we are going back to the Well.”
For a moment, the captain regarded Dar and Varo with a cold, weighing stare. He also looked at the massive worm, still oozing foul fluid from the huge rents in its body. “You are both convicted murderers. How do we know we can trust you?” he finally said.
“When we first entered Rappan Athuk,” Varo said, “the marshal said something to us that stuck in my mind. He said, ‘If we don’t work together, we’re not going to be anything more than another mark on this place’s long tally of slain heroes and brave fools.’ He claimed not to want to lead, but he gave us a necessary unity of purpose, a direction, nevertheless. Without him, we never would have been able to come together as a group, and to get this far.”
“That does sound like him,” Aelos said.
Talen’s frown did not change, but finally, his hand dropped of the hilt of his sword. “Fine,” he said. “But I am in command of this mission. If you go with us, you follow my orders. And this is an alliance of convenience; once we are out of Rappan Athuk, then we are quit of you.”
“Agreed,” Varo said. “Since we are going to travel together, introductions are in order. I am Licinius Varo,” the cleric said. “My companion is Corath Dar.”
“Talen Karedes,” the captain replied. “Allera is our healer. You already know Aelos Sinaris, priest of the Shining Father. Krogan Deepshaft is a veteran sapper, and our expert on all things underground.”
The dwarf, working to get Tiros’s body in his sack, grunted.
“The two on watch are Shaylara and Argus.” The introductions complete, Talen turned away.
“Welcome to the Doomed Bastards,” Dar muttered to himself.
The eight of them set out back in the direction that the relief party had come from, deeper into the underground cavern.
Aramis Simara
Explorer
LB,
AWE-FRIGGIN-SOME story so far.
AWE-FRIGGIN-SOME story so far.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you incorporate the new guys, LB. I'm hoping we don't lose Varo and Dar's personalities in the shuffle. I don't mean that to be negative, I just know it's hard to blend in new guys with the established favorites. They certainly did need the help, though. Yeesh!
Aramis Simara
Explorer
Brogarn said:
I'll take a guess. More fodder for the slaughter!
Now I know that many of you are Dar converts... (he's your fave) But me, I'm a fan of Varo. He's intelligent, resourceful and I'm always watching to see what he's going to do next. Varo's the reason I'm nearly always on the edge of my seat thinking, "What's he hiding and when's it going to be reveiled?".
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
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