ONE LAST HOPE (closed)

[chewbacca71]

OC: Ok here it goes. I hope this works. If nothing else , it is a way to use up some creative energy. This is a closed one man thread. If you enjoy the thread, pm me and let me know.

This takes place in a world similar to the world of D & D. It will be somewhat roughly based on that idea. So for any purists out there, I am not following any particular rules. Here it goes......to my friends in Lit.....Wish me luck

Chewey

 

[chewbacca71]

Jevram

Jevram looked up from the tome that he was reading, noticing that the tallow of the candle had almost burned to the end. It was past time that he check with his minions to see how the plan was progressing. Marking his place in the book with the blonde hair of the last prisoner that had sated his appetites, Jevram approached the brazier.

Selecting a few components from his voluminous robe Jevram dropped them into the silently flaming brazier. He was rewarded as a black inky smoke emited from the heated depths of the red flames. Jevram held his hands together as he intoned a prayer to his God, Laxis the God of Descruction. Feeling a power rushing through his soul, Jevram opened a gate to the lower hells.

Stretching their wings as they entered the room through the opened gate, two lesser demons hissed their greeting. The larger of the two immediately mentally searched the dark cleric that had called them. He cringed back as he realized the ready power at this man's disposal. Quizalt , as he was named, spoke to Jevram. "Master Cleric, what would you have us do? "

Jevram smiled as he recognized the servile tone for what it was. He had felt the faint stirrings in his mind as the demon had tried to assess who was truly the master in this exchange. As always, Jevram had proved that he was the master of all that he had come in contact with. He sent out a wisp of thought to the demons, demonstrating his control with a short burst of intense pain. He was rewarded as they immediately fell on their knees, writhing in pain on the stone floor.

"I have a simple mission for simple minded creatures such as yourself. One of you will go to the Wastril Mountains , bringing back Skibep, one of my commanders. The other I charge with the journey to Resyave the Orken stronghold. You are to gain the attention of Cedon and bring him with you. Neither of them are to be harmed, or my wrath visited upon you will make your last 400 years of torment seem like a fond memory. Do I make myself clear? "

Quizalt grabbed at Jevram's robe as he quickly answered that he would fetch Skibep for his new master. The other demon, Dinpir cringed lower to the ground as he replied that he would bring Cedon as quickly as possible. Jevram kicked away Quizalts questing hand as he sent them on their way. A flapping of large wings was all that was heard as the two 9 foot tall demons vacated Grimwall, in search of their masters henchmen.

Jevram turned his attention back to the tome on Necromancy, making careful note of all the information the book contained. His eyes searched the far wall as he looked at the map that showed all the world that was soon to be his to conquer. He signaled to his servant, that was still crouching in fright near the doorway. "Nesal, you sniveling worm, bring me up some of that fine venison that by goblin allies have brought us. And while you are at it, select a black haired wench from the slave pits to entertain me . "

 

[chewbacca71]

Laxis

Laxis felt a whisper enter his brain. He realized that one of his favored clerics was praying to him. Closing his eyes to concentrate, Laxis realized it was Jevram. He smiled as he quickly sent Jevram the aid that he so humbly asked for. Laxis was proud of the accomplishments of his favored cleric. He had not known that humans had such a capacity for evil, since he had always been more involved with Orcs, Ogres and Goblins - the chaotic races.

Once in the guise of a simple cleaning steward, Laxis had been present in the chamber of Jevram. He could feel the power emanating from within the black robed human. Laxis had taken careful note of the map on the wall. Seeing the grand sweep of Jevrams plans, Laxis was more than willing to give Jevram whatever power he could since Destruction was assured with all of Jevrams ambitions.

Laxis reopened his eyes, the black orbs scanning the marble columns around him. He searched the room , looking for any imperfections in the palace that his followers had built. Finding none, Laxis causually reached out his power, felling a wall on the western wing that smashed four of the Ogres that had been guarding that side of his castle. Smiling evily in self satisfaction, Laxis sat back to savor the feeling of destruction and pain that his act had just caused.

 

[chewbacca71]

Kyle

Kyle Velgrenson wiped the foam from his mouth. This last beer had actually tasted better than the last four had; the ever present grit was barely noticable. He nodded over to his friend Devin Baeron to come over to the table with more beer. Devin was primarily used by his father as a bouncer at the tavern. He used his almost 7 feet tall stature to his advantage, did Devin. His height disguised the powerful muscles inherent in his 340 pounds. The three mugs looked like tea cups in the massive hands of his friend.

"Three mugs my friend? I only need.......hic.......one at this time. I have already had enough for tonight, except for this one for the road. I would imagine that you are very thirsty you great beast and would prefer to have two for yourself. Answer my, you lummox, is that why you brought three?"

 

[chewbacca71]

Devin

Devin peered down at his comrade with exasperation. Sometimes the beast reference really hit home. But Devin realized that Kyle was just letting the alcohol talk at this point in the night. His booming voice called to Kyle as he sat down on the bench next to him.

"No Kyle, I am not going to have two beers. As much as I would like to, my father is adamant about that." Imitating the tenor tones of his father , Devin spoke to Kyle Son, how are you supposed to keep an eye on the tavern and all the investments of time and money if you are as drunk as my patrons. Kyle laughed as he recognized that it was the exact tone that Devin's father had used with him on more than one occasion.

"This third beer is for that beautiful young women at the corner table that keeps looking over her at you. I do not think it is your good looks that has brought her attention. Nor is it the golden bow that you have slung over your shoulder. Rather she looks like she is a damsel in distress. I will do the gentlemenly thing and go check. "

Devin lifted his great bulk as he nimbly worked his way to the corner . Kyle could see his friend croaching down to hear what the women had to say. Kyle was not suprised when Devin brought her back to the table. Devin held out her chair so that the newcomer could sit down. She smiled her thanks at Devin as she looked Kyle in the eyes. After a minute of searching, she seemed to make a decision as she spoke to them. " Hello my name is.........

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

...Amber Silverhand. I have heard of your reputation, Kyle Velgrenson, and wondered if you were for hire. "She reached out her hand for Kyle to take. Kyle noticed that she kept her left hand deep into the sleeve of her simple gown. She took a draught out of the beer, gathering her courage to continue.

"I am not usually so forward, but I have heard of The Bear Clan that you are the leader of. I have need of some adventurers to come with me to help with a problem in my home town. " She flashed her blue green eyes at him, pouring on all the charm that her mother had imbued into her little girl. "Do not worry that I will welch on paying you, like I have heard many of your customers have. I have more than enough money to support your clan to my village and back. What do you say to the proposal? "

 

[chewbacca71]

Kyle

Kyle looked the vision of beauty before him. He had been fooled by a pair of pretty eyes and lush limbs before, but he had a feeling that this was different. He looked over at Devin, noticing that the big man was still mentally deciding what to do. He took Devin's shrug for his answer. "Amber, I will have to talk to the others of my clan to see if they are willing to go. First though, tell me where we are going and show me the gold. "

After hearing her response of Briwelk, Kyle started to mentally figure out what it would cost to outfit them for the journey . Plus adding more to make it profitable. And adding even more just because he could. Finally reaching what he felt was an acceptable amount of money, he mentioned the sum to her.

Spewing beer at hearing such a large sum, Amber argued with him over a price. Finally, they were able to settle on a number less than he originally was looking for. He cautioned her again that he would have to talk to the others to make a decision. He told her to meet him here at the tavern at this time tommorrow evening and she would have her answer. Excusing himself, Kyle grabbed Devin by the elbow.

Bringing Devin closer to the bar, out of earshot of Amber; Kyle spoke to his friend. "Devin, with this score, we could all have more money than we ever have had before. You could stop working for your father and we could move in to our own place. I want you to get the others together and meet me at Thrush's house in two hours. Ok? " Kyle walked off, visions of gold coins flashing in his mind.

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

Amber watched as the two of them walked away from the table. She thought of the huge sum of gold that she would be having to give over to the Clan. But she rationalized that it would be worth it to help save her village. She left a silver penny tip on her table as she gathered up her things. She went across the street to the inn in which she had procured a room. After washing up in a basin that the innkeeper had thoughtfully left in her room, Amber settled down for some much needed sleep. However, her sleep was punctuated from time to time with nightmares. Orcs and goblins alike made their appearance as she saw her village enslaved. Shivering from the cold, Amber pulled up the blanket as she rolled on her side.

 

[chewbacca71]

Devin

Devin tried to ignore his fathers look of displeasure as he explained that he had to go. The mention of the gold that he would be able to make on this quest brightened up his fathers disposition. Saying goodbye to his father, Devin left the tavern. He quickly made it to the house three streets over, bending down to knock on the door. "Austin , Bragin are either of you in? " Devin could hear the door unlock from the other side, so he crouched down as he entered the room. Luckily, it was only the doorway that was abnormally small for this home, though he did have to duck a little to stop from hitting the ceiling.

"You two, I have come here from talking to Kyle. We have an offer on the table that could be the score that we are looking for. Kyle asks that we all meet at Thrush's house in about 2 hours. Please be on time, especially you Austin, do not get distracted on the way. I will see you then. " Waving goodbye, Devin ducked back out of the house. Happy to straighten out his spine, Devin walked to the outskirts of town towards Thrush's home.

 

[chewbacca71]

Bragin

Bragin Granitehead heard the voice of his friend calling from outside the door. He arrested his last swing at Austin, shaking his head as he walked to the door. His strong dwarven hands unlocked the door, allowing his tall friend to enter their home. Kyle was always trying to get Bragin to install a larger door,but Bragin liked the idea that sometimes everyone was at his level.

Bragin looked over at Austin as the hapless halfling took another practice swing with his wooden sword. He had hopes of eventually teaching his friend how to use a proper weapon in battle, not just a wooden stick and a small dagger. But by the looks of it, Bragin realized he had a hopeless cause in front of him. Bragin grabbed the sword out of Austin hands, getting the halflings attention. "Austin, open yer eyes lad, we have company. "

 

[chewbacca71]

Austin

Austin was suprised when his sword hit a solid target. He thought to himself that maybe he had finally scored on this sadistic dwarf that was his teammate. Sadly, Austin realized that Bragin had simply put out his callous roughened hands and grabbed the practic sword. Peeking through his closed lids, Austin realized that Devin was in their home just as Bragin told him that information. Austin fully opened his eyes as he appraised the arrival of Devin.

He knew that Devin was not very comfortable in the smaller home of his and Bragins. Most humans were not, since relations with halflings and dwarves was not high on most of their lists. But Austin was happy with his friendship with a few of the humans that he had met. Austin nodded when Devin had finished talking about the mission.

"Ay Devin, I will bring this adlebrained dwarf to Thrush's with me, even if I have to drag him by his beard. Distracted, me? I assure you that I have been careful not to give into my more....ummm....larcenous instincts while I am in town, just like I promised. Just let me just get dressed again and we will meet you out there. "

Austin watched as Devin bumped his head leaving their small domecile. Smirking at his companion, Austin started to pack up some of his things. Life with the Bear Clan always made for some fast exits so it did not take him too long to get his things together. Seeing that Bragin was similarly ready to go, Austin followed the stolid dwarf out of their home on the walk out to Thrush's.

 

[chewbacca71]

Thrush

His concentration broken by the crash of noise outside his home, Thrush Ashson closed his spellbook. "All right , all right, I hear you . Stop trying to break down the door. " Thrush walked to the door, opening it with a small temper. Noticing that the figure in the doorway extinguished all the light coming into his home, Thrush moved out of the way so the Devin could enter.

"Hello my friend, sorry I did not hear you knocking. I was busy studying some new spells that I had just inscribed in my spell book. Want to see me disintegrate something ? It is kind of fun to watch. No? Not even Austin? Please? Oh well, it would have been worth some amusement if nothing else. Why are you here my overlooming friend? "

Thrush's elven eyes narrowed as he listened to what Devin had to tell him. "So Kyle thinks he has found us our golden calf, a quest to make all of our fortunes eh? Hmmm Briwelk, I am familiar with that village and I can not imagine what could be the problem there that is worth that much gold. Well, let us see what the others have to say when they get here. Let me get out some food for all of us to eat for when they get here. "

Thrush watched as Devin settled into the largest chair in his humble home. Like all things in his home, it was threadbare. His quest for knowledge had always kept him from having too much money, but maybe now his luck had changed. Thrush walked off to the kitchen, humming an elven tune under his breath.

 

[chewbacca71]

Kyle

Kyle was not suprised to see that Austin and Bragin were waiting for him outside of Thrush's home. Sometimes the powers of the Elven mage scared even him. Patting Austin on the head, Kyle knocked at the door. He entered as Thrush opened the door for them. The three comrades grabbed a mug of elven wine from their host as they sat down on chairs near the hearth.

Kyle explained what Amber was offering, giving a brief overview of the dangers entailed in traveling to the village of Briwelk. There was not much that they could come up with, though Thrush seemed ill at ease with the amount of gold offered. Kyle mentally kicked himself, wishing that he had received more information from Amber other than just vague words of trouble for her village.

The Bear Clan debated points back and forth for a short period of time, but in the end it was decided that the amount of gold was well worth the risk. Kyle told each of them to get their gear packed and be ready to leave tommorrow evening. He wanted them to all meet at the tavern at dusk, so that they could all meet Amber. From there, they would begin the journey to her home. Kyle finished the last of his wine, waving his goodbyes to the others as he returned back to his own home.

 

[chewbacca71]

Thrush

Thrush ushered the last of the Clan out of his home after checking Austins pouches to make sure none of his valuables were inside. After thinking for a minute in front of his hearth, Thrush went to his storeroom off the back of his home. He started loading up some saddlebags with the various components of his spells.

Picking them up for heft, Thrush realized that they would have to procure some sort of beast of burden to carry his bags. Grabbing his newest spellbook, Thrush looked for a spell that would help. He saw one that looked like it would help. Taking the components out of the glass jars on the shelf, he cast the spell. He was rewarded when in a few minutes, he could hear a barking outside his door.

Opening his door up a crack, Thrush was relieved to see that he had summoned the creature that he had hoped to. It was biggest blink dog that he had ever seen before. Broad shoulders hinted at the power contained within the hairy pelt. Running his hands through its luxurious fur, Thrush led it over to some of the food left over from his friends. He decided that he would name it Rand in honor of one of his former comrades that had died in battle. Well pleased with his newest effort, Thrush settled down to read his spellbook for another hour before turning in for the night.

 

[chewbacca71]

Kyle

The sun was setting in the west as Kyle arrived at the tavern. He waited outside to wait for the others to show up. He knew that Devin would already be in there helping his father. Bragin and Austin showed up together a few minutes after Kyle had shown up. As usual , Thrush was later than the rest. He had once again become engrossed in a spellbook and forgotten the time. The four team members walked into the tavern together, getting a table in the corner.

Kyle noticed that Amber had indeed come back. She was sitting at a table close to the hearth. He went over to her table , motioning for Devin to bring two drinks to the table. After taking them from his huge hands, Kyle sat down with Amber.

"I have talked with the others and we all agree that The Bear Clan will take up your offer. We are all packed up and ready to go when you are . I will need one fifth of the gold up front for expenses. I also hope that you have a mule or horse, since we travel fast. "

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

Amber stared at Kyle for a minute. Even in her heart, she was not sure that they would agree to join her. She knew that it was a large amount of gold, but she had always heard that the Bear Clan was cautious with their dealing with unknown people. She smiled at him "Of course I have brought a horse with me . He is already saddled and ready to go. Let us have a drink together before we go. "

She signaled for Devin to bring them all a round of drinks and went over to the table where the other clan members were. She was introduced to all of them. *An unprepossessing collection this is. ** "Well, I am glad that you have all agreed to join me on this. My village is in dire need of your help. Let us toast to a successful partnership. "

After quickly draining her mug, Amber lead them all out of the tavern. Her horse had been brought to the front. The strong brown animal was snorting into the evening air when they came up to it. Kyle offered to help Amber get in the saddle, but Amber pulled herself up. Kyle noticed that under her robe was the shiny glint of metal.

Amber noticed the direction of Kyles look. "Did you think that I would ask you to risk your lives without risking my own? I am a cleric of no small renown in my own village. I can take care of myself in a fight. Have no fear of that. " Kyle looked up her in amazement. *This may turn out to be one hell of an adventure.** With a yell, the Bear Clan plus one started their journey to Briwelk.

 

[chewbacca71]

Quizalt

Quizalt flapped faster to gain the lift of the thermals wafting off the Westil Mountains. He had been flying for the better part of a day, fondling the pieces of hair that Jevram had given him to find Skibep. His tracking abilities were enhanced when in contact with a piece of the target. He noticed an unnatural seam in the mountain only a few hundred feet from the summit of the mountain. Turning his wings, Quizalt flew down towards this seam.

Getting closer, Quizalt noticed that a few Ogre guards were on either side of the seam. A large stone door was the object that they were guarding. Alighting on the edge of the cliff, Quizalt approached the guards. Most creatures of this world would think twice about getting closer to the Ogres. At just under 9 feet themselves, Ogres had a reputation for cruelty even heard in the realm of hell. But Quizalt , with all his strength and demonic power was more than a match for any Ogre.

One of the Ogres came towards Quizalt with a raised sword, intent on killing the demon with one mighty blow. Quizalt smirked at such presumption, as he pulled a cat of nine tails from over his back. Wrapping the sword in the long chains, Quizalt pulled it from the startled Ogres hand. Taking the sword in one of his other hands, Quizalt ran the Ogre through with his own sword. Pushing the stinking corpse off the sword and onto the ground, he turned to the other Ogres.

"I hope the rest of you have more sense than this piece of steaming meat. I was sent by Jevram to see your master, Skibep . " At the mention of Jevram's name, the remaining Ogres cringed to the ground. After a moment of groveling, the largest one regained his feet. "I will bring you to Skibep, please forgive our insolence. We are told to kill any intruders. "

Quizalt follows this Ogre to a large natural cave a few rooms past the entrance. He sees a large banquet table layed out , with all manners of food. Ten gigantic Ogres are pulling food off the table as fast as their hairy hand will allow. The one in the middle takes note of the demon in their midst.

He reaches out his hand indicating the food on the table. "Ok, Demon , what is your pleasure? I have fresh elf and dwarf, and some not so fresh human. Take as much as you want." Quizalt looked at the creature. " I was sent by your master. You are to come with me and attend him immediately. Come we leave now. "

Skibep , having tried to bluff his way out; realizes that the good times are over. "Aye, I will come with you. It is not healthy to leave the master waiting. " Grabbing an elven leg to chew on during the journey, Skibep follows the Demon back to the cliff. The Demon looks the Ogre up and down.

"Stand still, I will have to change you. This form that you have is too heavy for me to carry as quickly as you are summoned. I will take care of that. " Skibep stops chewing , hearing the ready command in the Demon's voice. Quizalt takes out an implement from his belt and starts to voice an incantation. The form of Skibep disappears. Only to reappear the size of a childs doll on th ground. Quizalt picks up the figure and puts it behind his belt. "Now you are the right size for the journey. We leave now to go to the master. " Quizalt jumps from the cliff, trusting the thermals to raise him back into the air.

 

[chewbacca71]

Dinpir

Dinpir snarled to himself as Resyave , the orken stronghold came into view. He hated it when he was held in thrall by humans. They always made his skin crawl like no other creature in the world. The image of ripping Jevrams flesh to shreds made him feel better for a minute. He concentrated on his mission at hand, landing right in front of the stronghold walls.

The orc guards quickly abandoned their posts as the 9 foot tall Demon walked up to the door. Uttering a word of power, Dinpir blew the door off its hinges. Wiping dust off his wings, Dinpir walked into the stronghold.

Grabbing a screaming orc by the neck, Dinpir brought it up to his face. "Where is your master Cedon? I have needs to speak with him. " Translating the halting speech of the terrified creature, Dinpir hurled it into the wall as he walked further into the stronghold. He found Cedon hiding under his bed when he went to the Orc commanders room.

Pulling the scared orc out by his hair, Dinpir dragged him out of the stronghold. Ignoring the screams, the Demon threw the Orc onto his back between his wings. He yelled back to the Orc. "I am not here to eat you, I am bringing you to Jevram. He has summoned you to attend him. " Pistoning his strong legs, Dinpir vaulted into the air as he flew towards Grimwall.

 

[chewbacca71]

Kyle

Kyle looks over at the likely campsite. "I think we should set up camp here for the night. We have this bare cliff face behind us , and no vegatation in front of us to obscure our view . Devin, please gather some firewood so we can start supper. Austin , I want you to start cooking the food once everything is all set. Bragin, please set up the night snares and other wards around the campsite. Thrush, you can take the time to study your spellbook, we may have need of your best spells. I will take the first watch tonight. Kyle sat back on a rock watching the others get the camp set up for the night.

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

Amber watched as the clan set up an effective camp in a short period of time. Her choice of these adventurers to try and help her town seemed to be the right thing to do. She looked over at Kyle. " Since you have first watch, I insist on taking second watch. I plan on pulling my own weight. " Kyle nodded ascent to her wishes, but he added that Austin would serve watch with her.

She was about to disagree with this idea, but decided that it would give her a chance to talk to one of the clan. Their lives may soon depend on each other, so they needed to learn to trust each other.

After finishing her meal, she set up her bedroll closest to the fire. She quickly fell asleep, her sleep lacking nightmares for the first time in weeks. She had scarcely falled asleep when a gentle hand on her shoulder woke her up. Kyle looked down at her as he told her it was time for her watch. She rubbed sleep from her eyes as she folded up her bedroll. She bade goodnight to Kyle as he lay down to sleep.

Amber made her way over to the cliff wall. She smiled as she sat down next to Austin, who Kyle must have already awakened. She watched as he sharpened his knife. She decided to ask him a question or two. "So Austin, what do you do for the clan? "

 

[chewbacca71]

Austin

Peering up at her under bushy eyebrows, Austin watched as she sat down. He put away the knife he was sharpening as she asked him a question. " Well, lets see how I can put this tactfully. I am the stealthy member of the team. I ummm acquire things for them, while providing the valuable service of opening locked doors as needed. I also serve the valuable purpose of helping wealthy people unload some of their unneeded wealth. "

Austin cringed as Amber looked at him and mouthed, "So you are a thief." Austin affected a hurt look at her as he answered her statement. " I do not look at myself in such a light. I am here to provide a valuable service. If it was not for me, Bragin would still be rotting in that Orken dungeon that I found him in. But your words do not truly bother me, I have been called worse. "

"So tell me , Amber, what misfortune has befallen your village to neccesitate our aid? The more information that we have, the better we can help. Kyle is matchless at his ability to work problems out in his mind and find a solution. " Austin hoped his careful proding would elicit some information from her, just as Kyle had asked him to do when he woke Austin up from sleep.

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

A visible quiver of fright rushed across her face as Austin asked the question. She waited a moment as she tried to compose herself. She also wanted to find a way to talk about this without going into too much detail. Finally, she decided how she was going to approach this and she began.

"Well, it all started about three weeks ago back in my village of Briwelk. I was helping my mom prepare dinner for my father and three brothers. Suddenly, our front door was kicked open and four large orcs entered the house. My mothers scream alerted my father that something was wrong. He came out of the back bedroom and ran towards the lead orc.

The orc casualy reached out a paw and smacked my father to the ground. My brothers jumped up from the table and went on the attack. One of them grabbed a serving knife and was able to make a vicious cut along the arms of one of the orcs. But they were all knocked down to the ground by the maces of the orcs. I fully expected the Orcs to kill the boys, but instead they grabbed them by the back of their jerkins and dragged them out of the house.

My father was starting to come to when the largest orc was reaching over to him. My father crawled back on the floor, scurrying away from the orc's clawed grasp. Deep mocking laughter burst from the orc's chest as he watched my strong willed father crawling away like a rat into the corner. Seizing my father by the hair, the orc said something to him about his master having special plans for him.

As this last orc walked towards the door, I had launched myself to the backroom to get out my mace. I had always been able to take care of myself before and figured that I could help my family in this battle. Before I could get my hand around the handle of them mace, a deep voice reached us from outside of our home. " I would not think of doing that if I were you. I hold the life of your family in my hands little human. "

Into our home walked the largest orc I had ever seen. He had to duck as he walked into our home, making him almost 6 and a half feet tall. He spoke to my mother and I as the last orc dragged my father out of the house.

" My name is Cedon, humans, and I have now assumed control of this village. Your husband is no longer the mayor. My orcs and I have now become the ruling family of your home. I expect that in the next three days you will find the gold to pay us a tribute of 10 gold pieces apiece to release your family members. If not, they will be our slaves for all time. "

I will remember his evil chuckle for the rest of my life. I mentally scanned his back as he turned to leave, looking for a spot to place a knife . But he was right, they held our family in thrall. We had no choice but to find a way to get the money.

The next morning my mother and I woke up to muted screaming coming from the house to our left. My mother went next door to see what was the matter. In a few minutes, mother had returned. Her face was grim as she told me that it seemed that all the menfolk had been rounded up by a large band of orcs. For the first time, I felt a deep seated fear. They had come into our village and effectively neutralized us in a single night.

My mother organized the other women of the village and we broke into the safe where my father kept the money for the village. We counted it out but we did not have enough for the release of all the men in the village. We felt that the orcs might be willing to give the men back anyway since 200 gold pieces was quite a bit of gold. Mother was the one that was voted on to be the one to talk to the Orcs. She decided that I should go with her. " Amber started to cry as her story hit home for the first time in a week.She had been able to keep it at bay for so long, but talking about it made her relive the whole thing.

Austin noticed the tears and offered her his hankerchief. Amber took it, wiping away the tears. Austin looked at her with sympathetic eyes and told her that she did not have to finish. Amber thanked him for his concern. "No my good Austin, I need to finish this story if nothing else than for myself. Just give me a moment to collect myself. "

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

Amber was able to compose herself before continuing in a quiet voice. " My mother and I arrived at the outskirts of the village at dusk. The sun was just going down as we were brought to Cedon. The first thing that I noticed was a large iron cage that was holding most of the men from the village. I looked hard but did not see any of my brothers or my father. Bringing my attention back to my mother, I noticed that she had taken out the money.

"Here is your blood money Cedon. It is not 10 pieces per family member , but I think that 200 is enough to ransom our menfolk back. Please take this and let them go. " Cedon weighed the money in his grubby paw. He barked a short laughter as he looked my mother in the eye.

"Aye human, this is enough for the release of your men. I was planning on giving them back to you anyway, so the gold is a bonus. Look, here comes your family now. " Cedon looked over our shoulders , causing us to quickly turn. I could see my father and brothers shambling towards us in a graceless walk. I was too happy to see them to notice this at first.

My mother was the first one to reach them, attempting to throw her arms around my fathers neck. He grabbed her arm and pulled them towards his toothy maw. She screeched in agony as he took a large chunk of flesh out of her arm. My mind almost blanked out as this scene unfolded. My brothers made a direct line towards me. I could smell their fetid breath as they came closer. I backed away as I took a closer look at them.

That is when I noticed the gaping wounds on the arms and chests of my brothers. I realized that somehow they had been turned to Zombies. Quickly grasping my silver cross that was always present between my breasts, I presented that to their faces. Offering up a fervent pray to Mikala , my goddess, I spat out the words of warding to these foul creatures. My former brothers writhed in pain, shielding their eyes from the light emanating from my cross. I looked over towards my Mother.

She had a mad look on her face as the blood drained out of her arm. I realized that there was nothing that I could do to save her life. I watched in horror as the pain overtook her and she fell to the ground. My father and brothers joined in a feeding frenzy, ripping the flesh from my mothers bones. I screamed in horror as I made a mad dash to go back towards the village.

I could see Cedon motion for the orcs to stay where they are as I ran back towards the village. The last noise I heard before I entered the village was the hollow bong of the cage door opening. Making my way back to my home, I grabbed up as much stuff as I could quickly carry and threw them onto my horse. I could hear the screams of the villagers as the changed menfolk entered the village and started to feed. I knew that there was nothing I could do, so I galloped my horse out of town. "

Tears streamed freely from her eyes. Trying to stem the tide with the sleeve of her tunic, Amber felt a light touch on her back. She opened her eyes to see mirror pools of sympathy in the halflings eyes.

 

[chewbacca71]

Austin

Austin sympathized with the young woman. He did not know if he would have survived such an encounter. She must be truly resourceful to have made it through such an evening. Then something dawned on him. "Um Amber, if you only were able to come to see us with some supplies and your horse; where is the gold that you promised?"

 

[chewbacca71]

Amber

Amber was crestfallen as she realized that she had said too much. " Ummm, well.....I assume that once you help me destroy the Orcs that caused this problem, I could turn over the 200 gold pieces that we gave the Orcs. That would more then fulfill the monetary obligation that I have made to you. I want to get the Orcs back for what they have done, as well as put the men out of their misery. Please do not tell the others. "

Amber was gratified as Austin nodded his head at her and agreed to keep her secret. She smiled at him again and took out her prayerbook. " I thank you for you discretion Austin, I think you have made a new friend. Now if you do not mind, I would like to study my prayerbook for a while. " Austin stood up from her side, muttering that he would check the perimeter of the camp. She tried to concentrate on reading, but isolated tears marred the ink on the pages.