Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 3.3 Shrad
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 3.3
Shrad The Killing Fields
The caravan from Shrad made their first real encounter look easy! The party dispatched the flock of Stab-Bills as if they were born to fight the creatures of the Wild Lands. And now... back to the story!
Once a head count was taken and casualties tallied the caravan began the process of readying for continued travel; it was still fairly early in the day and the High Priest made it known that he planned on moving forward. The large polar bear continued on with his activities as if he had not just finished casting a grimore worth of spells, any single one of which would have exhausted a normal man. "Get the healers together." he directed of several guards, "I want everyone able to move within the hour."
"Priestess..." Tolen spoke to Majh, "I am knowledgeable in medicines and poultices... I could help."
The hyena smiled back at the arctic fox as if a cub had just told her how to add two and two, "That's nice, my sweet fox," she said, her tone saying the exact same thing, "I believe several workers were caught on the outside of the defenses... see if you can get them mobile before we move onward." The fox nodded compliantly and headed off where she indicated.
"There are injured here." Nori commented, walking over to Majh, motioning around at Shadow, himself, and, after a pause, Loric.
"We are a caravan with a High Priest, and me, Nori... I think we'll be fine." she strode over to Shadow, who stood at attention as she approached. Whispering the words that came to mind, Majh gently traced her paw across the cuts and tears in the wolf's body. He flinched once or twice, but mere moments after her finger left each wound it closed up without a trace. "It looks as though you enjoyed your quiet time." she smiled at him.
Shadow nodded, mutely. Majh chuckled in response and tweaked his nose, "Oh don't be so uptight, my dear... you look like you've seen a ghost." she let out a hyena laugh at her own words, turning back to Nori and missing the fact that the corner of the wolf's left eye twitched twice, "No, my dear Wild Lander... I don't think we have to worry about any significant damage."
As if to reaffirm the hyena's comment, a powerful pulse of platinum light emerged from the center of the wagons and flowed through the congregation like a tidal wave. Everywhere it went the injured guards rose anew, healed and refreshed. "Hmm..." Majh noted, looking at the injured laborers, travelers, and non-combatants who had not received the same aid as the warriors, "That must have been the bear."
"You speak so casually of him," Loric noted, joining the small discussion circle, "Some might begin to question your dedication to our great High Priest."
"Then they would be fools." Majh responded with an all-too-sugary smile at the fox, "YOU aren't a fool, are you, my dear Lord Kriabnish?"
"Of course not, Priestess," he offered an over exaggerated bow, "I was merely providing feedback that a common observer might mistake your casual admiration of the bear as treason."
"Ah yes..." Majh nodded knowingly, "It WOULD have to be an incredibly common observer... anyone of higher breeding or advanced thought would liken it more akin to sedition... but certainly not treason." she smiled warmly at Shadow, "Isn't that right, Shadow?"
The guard did not respond, instead choosing to remain completely impassive. The comment had its effect on Loric, however, who stiffened slightly before adding, "You are quite an enigma, Lady Blackpaw... a Priestess and a Commander... loyal and yet belligerent... proper and also crass..."
"You forgot gorgeous and terrifying." she grinned wide, her sharp, white teeth an eye-catching contrast to the blackness of her lips.
"I would truly love to continue our stimulating conversation..." the fox noted with a tone that suggested quite the opposite, "But I must gather my workers together... there are many bird corpses simply laying around going to waste... it'd be a shame if they weren't put to better use... provisions, you know."
"Stab-Bill meat is bitter and oily." Nori pointed out, "I don't think anyone would want to eat it unless they had to."
"You see?" Loric pointed to the ferret, "That is why we keep him around." he walked past Nori and gave him a condescending pat on the head, "They make suitable provisions are for my laborers, boy... and they will eat what I tell them to."
"Hmph." Nori acknowledged disdainfully, brushing at his head after the fox passed by, "Makes me glad I'm not one of your laborers then."
Loric glanced back over his shoulder, "That makes two of us, Mr Bahn... I can't think of anything you'd be worth paying for." he paused for a moment, looking the ferret up and down before shaking his head. He turned and continued walking away, commenting casually, "Pity... nope... not even that."
Nori's paw slowly raised, moving toward the large paw-grip on his enormous hammer, but he lowered it with a sigh, "I'm going to go scout around... I don't want to damage my war hammer on Loric's thick skull."
Chuckling to herself, Majh dismissed Shadow and continued on her walk-around of the caravan. Despite the possibility for extensive damage, the flock had done surprisingly little. She knew it was in part due to the quick thinking of the caravan's defenders, though she could also not deny that a specific bear was responsible for the vast majority of the resolution. She didn't have to like the fact, of course, but she wasn't going to ignore it either... just like she wasn't going to ignore his voice speaking in an angry tone. The hyena casually invited herself over to where the High Priest was giving Gaerid of the Fang a piece of his mind.
"You sat in the snow playing with your dog!" the bear stated with vigor in response to whatever the rottweiler had said. Gaerid remained impassive, seated on a folding wooden bench, Wyse, to his side, however, growled. "Quiet your dog or I'll have him put down." the High Priest gnashed his teeth.
With a single motion of his paw, the bounty hunter had quieted his dog. He glanced to Wyse, who looked back up at him and layed down with a frustrated "whuff". Gaerid then looked back to the polar bear, "I did not feel the need to join in because I knew that you had things under control, your worship."
"Many guardsmen could have been harmed because you chose not to participate." the High Priest accused.
"Your eminence, you are far too generous with your praise of me, thinking that I alone could prevent any harm coming to your loyal men at arms." the words seemed almost out of place for the rottweiler, somehow more suited to the political maneuvering of Lord Kriabnish. How would a common bounty hunter be so familiar with a game of verbal chess... and how was he so good at it? The thought troubled Majh.
"I do not know what you're capable of, because you do not contribute." the bear accused.
"Again, I apologize for lacking insight into your will, my Lord... I was never told to fight against the Stab-Bills." it was a beautiful counter in Majh's mind... something like what she would have come up with if put in a similar situation; it disturbed her even more.
"Perhaps you need to take the initiative on occasion, Gaerid." the High Priest announced, "I thought that is what successful bounty hunters do."
The rottweiler nodded thoughtfully, "I am still somewhat new to anticipating the needs of others, my Lord... please forgive me. Perhaps you might suggest to me when I should take the initiative?"
The bear grated his teeth... but the gesture lasted for only a second before the visage of frustration and anger was replaced with casual, serene peace. "Of course... it's obvious that we both have our own issues that need to be resolved before we can work together without any more misunderstandings..." he rested a thick paw on the rottweiler's shoulder, "I will do my part... and you can do yours."
"I am honored to have the opportunity, your eminence." Gaerid responded dryly.
"Excellent... because I make a much better ally than an enemy." the bear's eyes gazed right into the bounty hunter's.
Gaerid stood, not taking his eyes off of the high priest, "This is good to know." the rottweiler acknowledge, finally breaking eye contact by providing a bow, "Come on, Wyse." he spoke to the feral dog at his side, and the two of them disappeared into the caravan. Before the bear noticed her, Majh decided to do the same.
The hyena returned to her wagon, eager to be alone with her thoughts. As with any Shradian event, the caravan had its share of sub plots, schemes, and power players. Majh always considered herself skilled at navigating all of the intrigue involved and she was certain that the trip to Zion would be another case... but it helped to have some quiet time to let her mind settle; it seemed that she had precious little of that since the caravan first set out. As it so happened, she realized, a lack of private time would only continue. Guardsman Sten was leaning unceremoniously against the side of her wagon.
"Reporting for.... duty... Commander." the otter wheezed. Guardsmen Sten's armor was dented and torn in many places. Several leather straps had been broken, leaving the plates with gaps... blood leaked fron many such openings. The guard had a long gash from just below his right ear at the top of his head, trailing all the way down across his brow, to his cheek, and to the top of his lip. "I was at the front." he explained, noticing her appraising him.
"Of course you were." she acknowledged, smoothly closing the distance between the two of them as she sauntered over. She reached up and slid her paw along his shoulder guard, "I wouldn't expect anything less from one of my best soldiers." her fingers found the clasp for his armor and undid it, causing a section of the breastplate and the whole shoulder guard to fall away, "I trust many men lived because of your timely intervention."
"I lived." he acknowledged, "If anyone else did it was because of their own lack of stupidity."
"Such a hero." she chided, her other paw releasing the clasp on his opposite shoulder. She casually pulled his breast plate off of him, eying the spider webs of cuts, claws, and tears in his fur, "Hmm... either the fighting was fierce, or you were careless."
"Or both." he offered without emotion.
"Or both." she acknowledged, "But I don't know you to be excessively careless."
"Not excessively, no, Commander." he acknowledged.
Majh drew her paws across his chest, her fingers finding every little cut, tracing them until they disappeared, the murmuring on her lips becoming a faint droning, accompanying the occasional gasp or sharp breath from the otter... though she channeled the power of curing, she was not one to make it pleasant. "To remind you of your battles." she spoke quietly to him, revealing her true joy in his discomfort.
"Will tonight's battle hurt as much?" he asked, licking his muzzle as he grinned.
Majh pulled her paws away from him, and, with a grin, patted him on the side of the muzzle; he winced as the motion pulled at the unhealed cut on his face. "That will be up to you, Guardsman... tonight the only fighting you'll see are whatever training maneuvers you come up with on your own." and, with that, she helped herself into her carriage.
He gazed in after her, "...and... my eye?" he inquired.
"It's flattering on you." she responded casually, "consider it a ribbon for this tour of duty." her hyena cackle identified that the discussion had come to a close. She pulled the shade on the carriage window and let out a pleased sigh. Majh was able to enjoy the peace and quiet for nearly a half hour and then, right before the caravan started on its way, a timid knock came to the door.
"Come in, Tolen." she spoke warmly; the knock was too distinct for it to be anyone else. At her permission, the dainty arctic fox opened the door and climbed into the carriage.
"Priestess." he acknowledge.
"Fox." she responded in just as formal a tone, playing at the gentility, "You appear to be assimilating to the violence of the road quite well.
Tolen flicked an ear, "Priestess... I may not like violence, but I'm not exactly a pacifist..."
"Ah... my dear, dear fox..." Majh winked, patting him gently on the muzzle, "Never deny all the weaknesses people say you have." she offered a wry grin, showing the fox back out of her carriage. She glanced out of the window at him after shutting the door, "After all, I know life is much more enjoyable when people believe they can actually hurt me."
* * * * * *
The Shradian group coasted through Chapter 3 as if it were a cake walk.
The healing within the caravan was more than sufficient to bring the group back to a fit status with no injuries whatsoever and all fatigue has likewise been recovered.
Due to successful character rolls, the party gains an additional +1 bonus to their Luck... sometimes additional provisions, no matter how greasy and unappetizing, can make the difference in survival.
This chapter marked matured due to inuendos and crude activities.
Please watch for upcoming contribution opportunities as Chapter 4 will soon begin. Congratulations to the Shrad party for surviving Chapter 3!