Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Breakstone" data-source="post: 852613" data-attributes="member: 481">Chapter 6 Winds of FateJoshua Lyman dropped the flower onto his father’s grave. “Well Dad,” he whispered, throat sore from the night of terror, “at least you can be with Mother now.” Mrs. Lyman had died a year before, from an infected wound received in a bandit attack. “But… now I’m all alone…”A crow cawed.Suddenly, Joshua felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find a figure cloaked in black, crows perched on his feather-caped shoulders. “Joshua,” Uel spoke, staring straight into the boy’s brown eyes, “I have come to make you an offer. Your father died in combat, and you may feel that you are alone here in the village. How would you like to travel with my brothers and I? We could always use a helping hand on the road.”The hollow feeling in the pit of Joshua’s stomach began to fill with hope. “R-Really, sir? You wish for me to travel with you?”“I must warn you, for the path ahead is teeming with danger. Are you prepared to face your worst nightmares?”“I… I already have, sir.”Out of the stables, Aberdale sprinted towards Uel. “Quick! Keith, Arudan, Uel!” he cried, “The prisoners have awoken!”The adventurers, Joshua in tow, filed into the musky stables to see the three half-orc bandits, stripped of their weapons and armor, conscious again. One bandit grinned, boasting a mouthful of needle teeth.“Hey, you finally came!” he barked, “Have I got a proposition for you!”“What is it you want, bandit?” Keith asked, hand hovering above the hilt of his flail.“The name’s Shark, buddy, ‘cause of my double-row of teeth,” to prove his point, Shark clacked his army of incisors together, “And I’m officially leaving those bandits as of now. I never liked them anyways. I joined just for the pillaging myself.” Shark grinned, but no one else seemed to share his brand of humor. “Anyways, how ‘bout a deal? I tell you where the bandit barracks are, and you let me go with a horse and a full day’s pack of food. Sounds good?”Keith glanced back at Uel, who shrugged in his usual neutral manner. He turned back to Shark, a smile spread across his face.“Shark… Shark… say, haven’t I heard of you before?”The bandit began to speak, but was interrupted by Keith’s amiable voice. “I remember now! You’re famous around these parts! Shark the bandit! Shark the Devourer! I had no idea it was you!”“Er… eh… I’m not that well-known…”“Bah, don’t be modest!” Keith cried, advancing on the discomfited half-orc, “You’re the most famous bandit I’ve ever heard of! You’re such a powerful warrior, that I bet you don’t even need a horse or food!”“Great Gruumsh!” Shark muttered, peering around Keith’s massive frame at the silent Uel and the chuckling Arudan, “Listen, just get this guy off of me and I’ll tell you anything you want, and never return to this town again!”“Sounds good to me,” Arudan laughed.Eventually, Shark located the bandit barracks to the north, over the Horsehead Mountains and through Saltmarsh Valley, built on the Hill of Broken Souls. Keith consulted with Arudan, Uel, and Bryant.“Actually,” Bryant spoke hesitantly, “I won’t be coming with you.”Keith was surprised. “Why not?”“Well, I think I’ve actually found a niche for myself here in the village. The townsfolk themselves need a bit of cheering up, and I could always use an audience myself, so…”“You’re going to spend the rest of your life with these villagers?” Arudan raised a fine eyebrow in disbelief. “You know, I’m never going to understand you humans…”Keith found himself nodding. “It’s okay, Bryant, I know how it is.” They shared a handshake, and Bryant hurried off, mandolin music trailing after him like a cape of harmonics.There was a moment of silence, interrupted by Keith standing and speaking. “Well men, shall we be off?”Grandfather Ash suddenly appeared, as old wise men are prone to do. “Adventurers,” he whispered, “I have heard over the winds that you are traveling northward. I wish to ask of you a favor.”“But of course, Grandfather,” Keith spread his hands respectfully.“Chester- Hobbs as you knew him- has a brother, Mason Hobbs, who lives in the town of Steinbruch. If you would give this to him…” with a frail fingers he handed a silver key to Keith, “Hobbs always told me it was important to his family.”Keith took the key and tucked it into a pocket. “We shall do our best to find Mason.”“Now then,” Grandfather Ash traced a map into the dirt road with his warped wooden walking stick, “I believe you should know where you are going. Take the Way of the Horse’s Hoof north for four days until Steinbruch, then follow the Rider’s Pass through the Horsehead Mountains. That should get you over to Keaton’s Path, a large trading route that connects with much of the country.”A breeze picked up, blowing loose leaves and petals to the north.“Follow the wind, adventurers,” Grandfather Ash whispered, “it will bring you luck.”Keith took a breath of the crisp morning air, and met glances with the smirking Arudan, who turned to nod at Uel, who placed a reassuring hand on Joshua’s shoulder.With a silent pact binding them together, the four adventurers followed the winds of fate northward.</blockquote>

Verification