Britta cocked her head, confused about the movement of the caravan. “They are leaving you.”
Cormorante responded to her. “It will not get very far ahead.”
Antapkos finished the thought. “The idea is to get the caravaners out of harms way and let the guards handle the conflict."
Having seen the child take a spear, Kuwaia moves to check on him. Sprthnt and Siofrita trot up to the others, both nocking another arrow as they moved. Not concerned with the departure of the caravan Cormorant will retrieve his javelin and end any downed enemy. Antapkos will assist. Sprthnt and Siofrita keep watch, in case any enemy returns.
The mist dissipates faster than the caravan can make a disappearing distance, but the rising dust still obscures its clear image. The Sojourn Six cannot discern if it has yet slowed. As Kuwaia moves forward, she sees that of the two guards that were struck, neither would recover any time soon. Of the four regular caravaners, two were already dead, including the child. The small boy never had a chance with such a large spear stabbing through him. She realized that her friends could aide in the recovery of the two guards and the two caravaners, if they so chose to do.
Cormorante retrieved his spear, surprised to find that it was not even chipped. He also discovered that four of the other thrown javelins were still serviceable. Two were lost. Making sure that all enemies were dead, he counted nine total. He also recovered both of his friend’s arrows. The Graggorids seem to have nothing worth taking. Siofrita guesses that the other Graggorids will return within 10 or 15 minutes, to give the caravan and its guards time to be far enough away to not be a threat to their scavenging. If the crew waited, they should still be slightly outnumbered. Neither Antapkos nor Cormorante know if any guards from the caravan will return to check on the status of what and who were left behind. It did not seem likely.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Siofrita exclaimes, “I think you two are free of that caravan, if you wish to be. There is no reason why anyone from it would return and plenty of reasons to keep on going.”
Antapkos wanted nothing more to do with the caravan or Asylim, in general. Cormorant was not so sure. He had a greater sense of duty.
Britta walks up to the injured people, motioning for Cormorant to accompany her. Because she speaks Ansylin poorly, she whispers to him what she wishes to convey. He speaks for her. “Those barbaric Mhytres are likely to return, now that the caravan has gone. We can aid each of you to recover faster, if you wish; otherwise, you will likely die here, from savages or animals."
Antapkos drops two of the recovered javelins near the injured guards. “In case you decide to accept our help.” He then scores the shafts of the other two, to be able to make short swords out of them, giving one to Siofrita and one to Sprthnt.
Sprthnt looks back over the fallen enemies and takes their waterskins, smelling the contents to make sure they contain water. “I figure, if nothing else, a few extra waterskins is always good to have.” He then looks over at the injured guards, more comfortable with his use of Ansylin than Britta. “Yes, we will leave you to die if you want no help from us. Decide.”
By coincidence, both guards, who had thus far survived their injuries, were Shimadows. One of the two looked up at the youths. He had enough Cycles behind him to be a veteran of the Southern Trade Route, but he was not known to Antapkos or Cormorante. He was one of the quiet members. He grimaced as he pressed his hand around the tip of the spear, still penetrating his gut. He spoke in a strained voice. “Whatever problem the caravan master has with you makes no sense to me. I do wish for your help.”
The other guard was less verbal. “I am with him. Help us. Those scavengers are cannibals. Do not leave us for them.”
The two regular caravaners began to beg. It was unnecessary as Britta, Sprthnt, and Siofrita immediately began to render physical aid. Taking the cotton tunics from the other two, dead guards, strips of cloth were made for bandages. Wounds that could have taken almost a season for their bodies to naturally repair had been accelerated to the point that only a few hours would be needed, but they would still leave a scar, significant scars for three of them. The two caravaners stared at the three, wide-eyed, as the flow of blood almost immediately ceased. The lesser injured of the two guards, the one who had been the second to speak, stood, using the help of his javelin. “That is the most incredible thing I have ever seen. What power is this? What are you three?”
For the other guard and the two caravaners, it would be some time, yet, before they could move on their own. “Will you help us into the scrub on this side of the road, before those Graggorids return. I would hate to so soon waste this second opportunity for life that you seem to have bestowed upon me. You will want to hide yourselves, unless you are able to take those who come back, because they will definitely attack you.”
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Cormorant nods at the guard speaking, then bodily carries him away from the road to hide him in the scrub foliage. Britta and Kuwaia, together, carry one of the caravaners. Antapkos helps the guard who can walk using his javelin. Once Cormorant and Britta return from carrying their firsts, they will, together, get the last caravaner, he being the heaviest of the four.
Siofrita comments on the name of the savages, wanting to remember it. Since they were informed that the Graggorids are cannibals, Kuwaia picks up the body of the child and carries it away from the road, not wanting him to be eaten, at least not eaten by people. The idea makes her want to retch. She cannot understand how a tribe of people could be such monsters. She thinks to herself, “Most animals will not even eat people, but people eating people is completely revolting.”
Sprthnt addresses the guard as Antapkos helps him to move into hiding. He does not leave the road, keeping an eye for the expected return of enemies. “We are mere people. I am Spiofthest rather than Shimadow. Britta is a Mhytre of the Maldrog tribe. The power, as you call it, comes from within you not us. We are simply in tune with it and can encourage it to be more efficient. Perhaps it is Fortune, in spite of the Burning Sun, but I have never tossed a coin. My kind believes that the Wind gives the blessing of life.”
Very little time had passed, perhaps 20 minutes but less than half an hour. Antapkos and Sprthnt were still standing in the roadway, seeing and hearing the return of the dreaded Graggorids. Before any decision to fight or run would be made, the two were going to be seen. If the returning cannibals were not going to be engaged a second time, the two would need to run, not just retreat. The first two stopped at one of their own fallen, one of them poking him with a spear, as the other made noises to indicate the presence of Antapkos and Sprthnt. There seemed to be seven Graggorids in total coming into view from the scrub brush on the west side of the road.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Antapkos and Sprthnt say, almost simultaneously and verbatim, “I am not running from these savages.”
Antapkos, mystically obscuring his image, holds his short sword in his left hand and his javelin in his right. The javelin is readied to be thrown. Sprthnt does the same, quickly drawing an arrow to fire. Cormorant, Britta, and Kuwaia all charge forward to meet the enemy. Cormorant and Kuwaia augment their strength, while Britta obscures her presence. Siofrita, augmenting her athletic skill, moves so the none of her friends is within her line of sight to fire another arrow.
The Graggorids react to the remaining presence of caravan members more quickly than could have been expected. Being spread out in some semblance of a line parallel to the road, each of the seven stops his forward motion and begins to throw a crude spear at his nearest target. Kuwaia happens to be the farthest south of the group and looks to have one enemy aimed to throw at her, as she charges forward toward him. About 10 strides currently separates them.
Britta and Cormorante are the next northward, and each is faced with a single opponent at about 12 strides of distance. Siofrita is coming from the side of the road closing in on Antapkos. Across from them are three enemies. The one in the center of the three is about 10 strides from Antapkos. The one to his left is about 12 strides, while the one to his right is about 14 strides from Siofrita.
Sprthnt happens to be the farthest northward, at the time and has a single opponent closing in to throw at him. The two are currently separated by about 16 strides. Approximately five strides separates Kuwaia from Britta and Britta from Antapkos and Antapkos from Sprthnt.
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Kuwaia does not know if she can outrun the spear throw, but she does not hesitate in her forward motion; instead, she shifts her body from side to side and draws her ularin sword, as she runs. Though she is bodily smaller than the Mhytre, she will run into him at full speed, slamming her shoulder into his chest to knock him down. Neither Cormorant nor Britta will slow but they will zig-zag, alternating their positions as they close. Not realizing it, they are of the same mind as Kuwaia and want to knock down their opponents. Antapkos throws his readied javelin at the enemy closest to him, yelling over at Cormorant, “I could use some of your Luck!”. Siofrita shoots at the one in front of her. Sprthnt slowly walks forward as he fires at the one coming at him.
Antapkos launches his javelin almost a full second before anything else happens. Fortune, it seems, has smiled upon the entire Sojourn Six. The spears of two of his enemies are already in the air before his own projectile strikes home, but the ceramic blade of Antapkos punches into the abdomen of one of the Graggorid Talons, just under the left rib cage. The damage is significant. The Talon staggers, but the resilient foe does not go down. He pulls the weapon from his gut and drops it to the ground, taking up a goat horn, strung at his hip, to use as a melee weapon. Antapkos easily avoids the first spear, belonging to the now injured enemy, but the second grazes by his right side as he does, though only making a cut in his tunic.
The throw aimed at Siofrita seems awkwardly slow, though it comes before she can fire her arrow. Stepping farther to the side without taking her eye from her enemy, her arrow finds a home just above and inside of the left hip of her target and buries to the fletching. The Graggorid screams and goes down, still screaming. Sprthnt ducks under the weapon thrown at him to return fire. His arrow strikes higher than that of Siofrita, going in just below the sternum. The shaft stops half way, possibly with its head in contact with the spine from the inside. The Talon coughs and groans, grabbing the arrow with both hands as he goes down on his knees then falls to the side.
Cormorante, Britta, and Kuwaia all easily avoid the crude spears flying at them, as they run straight into each of their enemies. Each of the three hits a Graggorid so hard that the wind is knocked from him before losing his footing and flying backward. In an incredible stroke of luck, all three Talons hit their heads, hard, as their bodies collide with the rocky ground. All three lose consciousness.
The seventh Graggorids turns and runs in sheer terror. The one who had been severely injured by Antapkos begins trying to back away. One of the two caravan guards, both of whom had been watching the exchange from their places of concealment, exclaims, “By everything under the Burning Sun, I have never seen such a one sided conflict! You six are surely blessed. By whom, I have no idea.”
Antapkos: full wellness Sioftrita: full wellness Cormorant: full wellness Britta: full wellness Sprthnt: full wellness
Tunic: 48 Kuwaia: full wellness
nothing at this time
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
