Archives: A New Balance
Chapter 19: Wildlands Camp: Morning
Granite gave a yawn and a stretch from where she sat on top of the boulder. She was watching the grassland, but her eyes kept drifting toward the eastern horizon, impatiently waiting for the sun to rise. She got to sleep most of the night, but it was cut short when she was woken for watch by Toan. Her body was certainly not accustomed to adventuring.
Dawn was just beginning to break and a faint hint of light was rising from the east. However, it was just a little to early to start waking people.
“WAKE UP YOU BUNCH OF LOAFERS!!” Alm screamed from his perch near Granite. “IF YOU AREN’T UP IN TEN MINUTES I’LL FEED YOUR ENTRAILS TO HYURI BUNNIES!”
Alm looked over to Granite and smiled. “That should get everyone up and ready for breakfast,” he stated with a small grin. “You can thank me later with your body pressed against mine, entwined in the sensual act of love making.”
Coras sat up with a start clutching his sword, he looked around for any sign of invasion. Seeing that there was no sign of monsters, nor any real semblance of dawn, Coras glared at Alm. “That was uncalled for,” he grumbled and rose to his feet. “I gotta piss. I’ll be back in three.” The human stumbled off to the nearby bush for some privacy in his morning act.
Even Granite jumped when Alm screamed, high enough to take both cheeks of the rock. Before she could even get her bearings after that, Alm was suggesting sex. The dwarf blushed. “Umm...I’ll pass on that,” she murmured and began to make her escape, sliding off the boulder.
Anisa woke suddenly when Alm screamed, shooting straight up in her bedding. After taking a moment to gather her bearings, the half-elf shot a glare back at Alm. It wasn’t even fully dawn yet! “Bloody ‘ell,” she grumbled and slipped out of her blankets. She was dressed in her breeches and undershirt, but had no sign of her act with Brahms during the night before. After all, they had been awake and actually did their job for a couple hours afterwards, so that was plenty of time to straighten clothes and hair.
Ooke stood up and cringed at Alm’s squeal. There is no sense in helping others look for breakfast, they’ll just get in an uproar and claim you tampered and cursed the food anyways. “You’re right,” Ooke replied to himself. He then pulled out some of his dice shaped jewels and started pitching them against his hammer for entertainment.
Ultarik woke up with a bit of a start at Alm’s high pitched wake up call; looking at Alm, he was half asleep still. Though he did not mind this, he still had a few words to say right away. “I’m awake! Could you have done something to possibly attract less potential outside attention?” He got up and packed up his bedding, quickly getting dressed and putting his weapons in place. He was still groggy as he drank some water, waiting for breakfast.
Toan tapped Alm lightly on the back of the head. “That’s really no way to persuade a lady, you know,” he said, not that he’d had much experience in the area to judge from. “Ah well, you made everybody grumpy and its not even fully dawn. A new record, I gotta say.”
In the end, Fenix had had a good night, to say the least. While the rest of the watch had been somewhat amusing, although maybe a bit boring. When he had gone to sleep, it had been restful... until Alm had to started screaming. His eyes opened, and he let out a small growl. Grabbing his staff, he threw it at the grassrunner, watching as it passed a foot or two away from Alm’s head, and clattering harmlessly against the ground. “Next time, I won’t miss!” he growled, getting up and rubbing his head. Sleeping to long around this place probably wasn’t a good idea.
When the staff flew past his head, Alm didn’t flinch. He walked off of his perch towards Brahms and stopped within striking distance. “You threaten me again, and the next time you go to sleep will be your last,” he stated rather bluntly. “As it is right now, you are weaponless, and since I doubt you have rather extensive training in hand to hand, you are at a severe disadvantage. The fact that the rest of your party is groggy will not help matters, as I am fully rested and awake. They would not have the time to react to my sword before I had either neutered you or slain you. It would be best of you to keep your mind on your objectives of surviving the Wildlands, rather than striking out at your compatriots.”
Alm took a step away from Brahms and growled at the rest of the group. “Get ready to move out. You have ten minutes to grab your stuff and move out before the scent of the carnage overpowers the scent glands that I had splashed on the trees.” He looked back to Brahms. “Unless of course, you want to be some monster’s breakfast.”
Fenix looked down at the grassrunner with a yawn, nodding along slightly as Alm spoke. In the end, however, he didn’t seem impressed as much as annoyed. “You surely think to highly of yourself, tiny,” he stated, stretching lightly. “You think with what you did to Coras, I’ll somehow be impressed by your words? Oh, its quite true that I’m not extensively trained in hand to hand combat, I am far from unarmed. But in the end, as much as I’d like to teach you the true meaning of that...”
Brushing by Alm, he went over to his staff, inspected it, then leaned lazily on it. “I will agree with you on one thing. We need to get moving. Once we reach a town, we can just get on the main road, and be rid of this accursed Wildlands. Of course, if you yell at me again, or threaten me, I can’t be held responsible for what happens to ya, squirt. I’m scary when I’m mad, after all.”
Looking over at Anisa, he gave a slight waving gesture. “That plan sounds alright with you, right? I know the possibility of being beaten to the punch might not be so good, but at this rate the monsters are only getting stronger, and smarter. I’m really not interested in if the next time we fight its against a dragon or otherwise.”
Coras returned to overhear Alm’s and Brahms’s conversation. “Hey, Brahms, shut up. As much as Alm is an annoyance at times, the little guy did pull through for us.” Coras sighed. “As much as I’d love to see you and the little guy come to blows, this is neither the time nor place. Besides, I didn’t see you doing anything fancy or even remotely useful in the manticore fight.”
“As opposed to you being unconscious before? Or maybe you forgot that I basically provided you with a means to a horse, as well as a small amount of my food,” Fenix said in a dry tone, unamused with Coras chirping in. “It makes little difference in the end. While I was thwarted in leaving the dark priest and your presence last night, once we hit town I’m most definitely not planning to stay in your presence. If you like the little grassrunner, by all means, snag him.”
“Oh no! Here we go again!” Granite groaned as Alm and Brahms began arguing. She was ready to step in, but Coras beat her to it. However, she didn’t full entrust diffusing the situation to him, considering his fight with Alm. The dwarf tensely stood by, waiting for a reaction from Alm.
“Hmm... I wonder if they realize I’m the oldest one here, because I sure feel like it for once,” Toan groaned and rubbed the back of his head in frustration. “I’ll get the animals ready, somebody needs to get to work.” He stepped over to where the horses had stood overnight and checked the wound upon his own. It was healing well enough and showed no sign of infection thus far. He patted the animal’s mane. “We’ll get you all healed up when we’re in town, just hang on until then alright?”
The pitch in Alm’s voice changed suddenly, taking a more refined approach. “I do not care what the Cha Za wastrel has to say, nor for his petty threats,” The grassrunner stated eloquently. “As far as I am concerned, your petty squabble with the grassrunner is neither warranted nor appreciated.” Alm’s face took a great grin across his small lips. “A Kardis priest, a dark elf, a slut of a half-elf, a human who is losing his way, a proper dwarven lady, and Cha Za loving filth. What an amusing group you’ve managed to assemble with you, broken mind,” his alter-ego muttered under his breath. “Shall we take to the road? I have no wish to remain amongst this filth and carnage any longer.”
Fenix turned noticeably annoyed when Alm stated something that struck a nerve. While he hadn’t totally believed in the whole serving Cha Za for life, he did feel an obligation to them for keeping him out of the gutter as a child. He swung his staff back, fully ready to strike the grassrunner, then stopped. Normally, he would counter with some reference to an annoying, pathetic creature. He personally didn’t like using violence, it generally just got things from bad to worse. Even in his most annoyed state, the grassrunner still looked like a child, and thus, he tolerated. Returning the staff to his side, he looked confused. Sure, he was irritable. Getting attacked by monsters right and left did that. Getting woken up by a loud, obnoxious child also warranted irritability to. But last night should have eased his nerves a little at the least.
“Lets just get going,” Fenix finally stated, checking the saddle on his horse. Still alright. Apparently the old nag was tougher than he gave it initial credit for. Loading his pack, and staff, he mounted the horse, and looked about briefly. The confused look continued to stay on his face.
“Tch,” Alm’s voice still rang with the superiority and dignity that it had moments earlier. He had not flinched when Brahms went to strike him. “Don’t think yourself the leader of this rabble, young one. You are mere puppets on the strings of your unseen masters.”
Ooke smiled at the conflict and put away his dice. He then picked up his gear and waited for the party to begin their journey. He took a second to glance at Granite, then he returned his focus to the job at hand.
The dwarf bit her tongue and stepped forward again as Alm and Brahms’s conflict still continued. Puppets? What does he mean by that? Probably something about fate or gods, she thought. Granite watched Ooke from the corner of her eye while the dwarven priest moved about. When he glanced at her, she turned away and picked up her gear. She hurried over to Brahms and his horse. “Can I get a hand up?” she asked.
Fenix ignored Alm at that point. The grassrunner was annoying, and it wasn’t helping his temper to acknowledge his presence any more. Besides, something was going on, and it most definitely wasn’t natural. When Granite asked up, he blinked, as if waking up from something. “Yeah, sure...” With a little help from Fenix, Granite awkwardly climbed into the saddle behind him.
It would still need some getting used to, now that Granite had come out that he was not a he, but a she. Although given the current party, that wasn’t to much of an oddity. While it was temporary, Fenix couldn’t believe he was teamed up with a priest of Kardis. Isorith gave him harsh words before, she might have actually struck him at this turn about.
Anisa groaned in annoyance at all the conflict, but they had to get going. The half-elf strode over to Ultarik. “Well, let’s get goin’. I’m still ridin’ wit ye, mate,” she told the barbarian.
Ultarik listened to Alm’s words. They were indeed puppets to a greater power. He knew that raven was nearby, he had to keep playing his part. We’re all just puppets, Alm is correct in his words, he thought. Just before Anisa spoke to him, he had been tightening his horse’s saddle. He had his deal he needed to keep up. They would probably hate him for using them to his own ends when this was over. That did not bother him, as all he cared about was his love.
“Yeah, too much has happened lately. Well then let’s get going, I don’t want to stay around here for much longer.” Ultarik got into the saddle then held a hand out to help Anisa up, hopefully this day would be uneventful.
Anisa took the barbarian’s hand and gracefully hopped into the saddle behind him. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as if traveling by horseback would get them anywhere faster than walking with everyone having to ride double.
Ooke looked at the group as they began to overload the few horses they had. “Will overloading these horses with all the extra weight really get the group to our destination any faster?” Ooke asked with no expression.
Ultarik looked to Ooke and the others, he had no issues with his horse as she could carry him and all his gear. “Nyghtwalker can carry me and my gear, Anisa and her gear does not slow him down at all. Who is getting slowed down? Maybe you could switch riding arrangements,” he suggested.
Coras lifted Ooke up onto his horse and mounted himself. “I guess Toan gets stuck with Alm.” he said, a slight smile on his lips. Although he had a new respect for Alm, judging from last night’s trip, Alm didn’t fare too well on horseback. If anyone would be wearing Alm’s vomit, it would be Toan.
Anisa looked from Ultarik to Ooke. Toan’s horse had that wound, and they were already balanced as well as possible. “Mebbe we should jest walk?” she suggested. “Ridin’ won’t get us anywhere any faster when we ‘ave te double up.”
“I—” Alm’s arrogant tone broke immediately before he could complete ‘I agree’. “What? No Horses? Yay! O’ ye gods are so kind to this pitiless child of hell!” Alm danced around at the idea of walking. There would be no sickness for him today.
Ultarik smiled at the idea of walking, that would give Nyghtwalker a chance to rest easy for travel too. He had always done well over the long stretches of riding, though if the others would walk he would too. “So is it decided, as I will ride at the same pace as the group can walk at.” He wanted to get to the next town and off of this path without anymore fighting, though inside he did long for another fight to keep his adrenaline going.
Fenix didn’t particularly like the idea of walking, especially since his own horse wasn’t injured. Still, he had every intention of not sticking with the party for to long, and saving the horse would help out with it. The quicker he could get away, the better. Finally, he spoke, “Whatever...” Getting down off the mount, the creature didn’t seem bothered, or particularly happy that the weight was off its shoulders. Raising a hand to help Granite down, he didn’t seem his usual self.
Granite sighed, only mildly annoyed that she had to get back down after working so hard at pulling herself up in the first place. Granite steadied herself with Brahms’s hand, then hopped back to the ground.
Anisa hopped off of Nyghtwalker gracefully and landed lightly. “Well, let’s get goin’, mates!” she announced, then turned and began to walk ahead. She really did prefer her own two feet to a horse. Her fluid, rolling stride became apparent once again, moving as if she were making up for movements of the ground beneath her. The gait, like her accent, was a remnant of her life at sea.
Ooke dismounted and began to stride behind Anisa. He felt better on the ground and figured they could cover more ground this way. “Thanks for the lift anyway,” Ooke said to Coras. He decided not to even look at Granite anymore. When or if she was comfortable with him again, she’d come to him. Until then, he would ignore her at an extreme.
Granite kept her distance from Ooke as they walked. She was intent on ignoring him as well. She wished they had the chance to leave him behind, the thought of one of her own kind following Kardis made her skin crawl, especially considering how she had flirted with him.
Ultarik dismounted and took the reins in his hands. Walking along with the others, he considered the chances of an encounter today. If they were lucky, nothing, if not, then they would have to fight. “I’ll give my horse a rest. It gives me a chance to stretch my legs while we’re on the road. Hopefully we should have a safer trip today, I don’t think we want anymore nasty surprises along the way.” It felt good to walk for once, though they would cover less ground, it was more convenient. He kept his free head ready to draw one of his throwing axes, in case there was trouble.
