The morning sun rose to light the entire expedition gathered on the flat savanah behind the large angled rock they'd just camped under. Sixteen graves, the dirt dug from them during the night piled next to the holes, held the night's shadow against the sun's light. Bodies wrapped in white canvas were laid out next to each of the final resting places, waiting to be placed beneath the ground and hidden forever. Sixteen slabs of the brownish-red bedrock lay nearby, waiting to cover each grave once filled with body and dirt.
Tybour spoke words for the fallen, extolling their strengths and virtues and praising their dedication to their duty, even unto death. The words gave comfort to some and that was enough. Fellow soldiers paid their respects silently for the most part, a few spoke quiet words for those with whom they were close. The ceremony was short and the bodies were laid in the ground before the sun was fully clear of the horizon. Magic moved the dirt and stone over the final resting places of those interred.
Torg spent a minute at each site once the stone slabs were placed over the graves. He extended his arm over each grave and sprayed a thin liquid on to the stone. The stone sizzled and burned for a moment where the acid touched, and a small symbol was etched in the surface. Each symbol was similar to the others, but each was unique in its own way.
"A blessing from Denisisie. Each sigil indicates the name of the person buried, the date and time of their death, and a blessing from the Goddess to assist them in their afterlife," Torg explained.
Haningway and three accomplished Wizards stood by the small creek as the caravan got underway, their magic surged and earth shifted. The path of the creek changed until it flowed over the area where the monsters were buried. More magic caused the flow of water to increase until the entire battle ground was well flooded. Haningway opened several small cracks in the ground to allow the water to flow into the monster's grave. Moments later the creek was returned to its original flow and the four Wizards began to jog up the road toward the disappearing caravan.
Four of the expeditions members remained behind, hidden in a small alcove under the tilted rock slab.
The expedition marched up the road a mile to a place where the road veered around a large granite edifice jutting 50 feet above the savanna. Formed of the natural bedrock the steep sides provided little purchase for soil or plants except near the wider base where a few small crevasses between small peaks gathered enough dirt and soil to host some of the native grass and a couple of small, twisted trees.
The rock rose up to a single wide point rising above the surrounding grassland. Right near the top a smooth round hole several feet in diameter opened east to west through the granite. The hole was smooth and even and obviously not natural.
A few yards to the east of the edifice was a large perfect square of hard, rock-like material, a platform that boasted several slate-grey squares inset in the material, space evenly along an arc traced along the surface. Each square was three feet on a side and if a person stood on any of those squares they could look up at the hole in the stone spire and view a small slice of the sky perfectly framed in the stone. Ancient script in an ancient and forgotten language ran along the arc and around each square.
The only bit of writing still understandable by living mortals were the words carved deeply into the edifice itself. "Advent of the terraform satellite". Legend had it that this ancient site was built even before Gods and Demons traveled from the immortal realm to the mortal realm. Built by ancient mortals to prepare for the coming of the Gods, the site allowed mortals to track the coming and going of the Changebringer, the heavenly body that renewed the magic of Rit every five or ten turns. Standing on any of the marked squares on the ground, one could look up through the opening in the rock and see the Changebringer in the night sky and track its progress to when it would come closest to Rit to shower renewing magic down upon her and her people.
The expedition had no interest in the ancient site itself, but instead Tybour chose this location as the place to open a portal to a point fifty miles further down the road in order to hasten their travel to The Glittergreen Mines. The concentration of magic here was unusually strong and would help in opening a portal large enough and for long enough to allow the wagons and horses to pass safely through.
The caravan stopped just before the road turned westward on its way around the giant rock. Tybour walked forward several yards, moving to the left side of the road. He was followed closely by Haningway and Lieutenant Norft. Rishmond followed a few feet back. Tybour stopped and turned to address Rishmond, "Watch carefully, you need to learn to properly create a portal. Your attempts so far have been impressive for what they were, but making a portal will be something indispensable to your craft over the years."
Tybour winked at Rishmond, the secret about the new transport he'd accidentally discovered while Tybour tried to teach him to open a portal was still a secret and Tybour did not want that bit of information to get out just yet. Tybour himself had learned to do it and Rishmond had felt a certain pride in teaching him something for once.
Tybour turned back to the north and took a deep breath, then began to gather the magic of Rit to him. Within moments Rishmond could see lotret begin to glow and swirl around Tybour. He could feel the magic flow from the ground all around and gather in a tight swirl around Tybour. Less than a minute later and a glowing swirl sprang to life several yards ahead of Tybour. The light grew into a swirl and rapidly expanded into a square hole in the air, bisecting the road. On the other side of the square was the same blue sky as above the gathered and waiting expedition but the land beneath that sky was different similar to where they now stood but different enough for them all to recognize the place was different from here.
Tybour stood still for a moment, assessing, peering through the portal at the place it opened. Four stone markers along the road verified that the destination was where he'd intended. He nodded at Norft and Haningway and they both strode forward and through the portal to its destination. A young soldier on the single horse not hitched to a wagon rode forward from the gathered expedition and followed through the portal to begin scouting. A group of soldiers broke away from the gathered group at a quick jog and followed the lone rider through. Moments later the caravan began to move again, headed to the other side of the portal, a fifty mile jump in just an instant.
Rishmond watched the group of people and the two wagons move through the portal, a good portion of his attention was demanded by the feeling of the portal, a constant pressure in the back of his mind, the feel of the magic and the smell of evergreens, ozone, and mint mixed with the dust of the road and sun heated grasses almost made his eyes water. The rest of his attention was divided between Tybour and watching Cantor and Illiar walking together past him to the portal. They seemed to be in a lively discussion about something he could not hear and both of the young women looked up and waved at him as they past by him and through the portal.
As the last of the caravan passed through the portal, Bantor and two of the Phoenix company Wizards ushered Rishmond and Tybour through through the portal. Tybour let it close behind him after double checking that all of the expedition was clear of it. The caravan continued along the road, a full day's march still ahead of them. Rishmond watched Tybour, feeling the drain on him from the huge expenditure of magic and being amazed at his stamina.
Ueet and two soldiers of the Phoenix company stood over a heavy set woman bound hand and foot and secured to a number of stakes driven deep into the hard, rocky ground. She was gagged and naked lying on the rocky ground. Her eyes stared calmly up, tracking Ueet's movements as he dumped a small trunk's contents on the ground. Pots and pans clattered against the rocks and each other, a few garments and two daggers in fancy sheaths composed the entire contents of the trunk. Ueet kicked the contents around, searching for the kreleit weapon he was sure was there somewhere.
No Wizard-killing blade was found in the contents. Ueet set the trunk upright and gazed into its emptiness, careful to visually inspect the inside and outside of the small wooden box. The lid was slightly concave on the inside and the whole inside was lined with dark red felt. Two small pockets of felt with buttons were on the back, the buttons undone and the pockets appeared empty. The old Qoitiken warrior turned to his pack on the ground and reached inside, removing a pair of long, thick leather gloves. Made from the hide of an ulbanto, the gloves were stiff and heavy, too stiff for use in a fight, but the best protection against things like haanth cactus thorns or an accidental knife cut. The gloves covered his arms up to the elbow. He pulled the goggles down from his forehead over his eyes before he began feeling around inside the trunk for hidden panels or catches. After only a couple of minutes he found one, turning his head to the side before pressing the small hidden button he released the catch that opened the bottom of the trunk. Three long metal needles shot from the sides of the trunk, embedding themselves in the thick leather of the gloves, tiny drops of oily liquid oozed from the points of impact. No doubt a deadly, quick acting poison. The needles were very familiar to Ueet, haanth cactus needles from the Quouribi desert. Difficult to come by, expensive. This assassin was well funded and well supplied.
He carefully lifted the released panel to find a cloth wrapped bundle in the hidden space beneath. With the greatest caution he lifted the bundle free and placed it on the ground, carefully unwrapping it to reveal a forward curved blade of dull grey metal and an ivory handle below a small silver hilt. The kreleit blade they'd been searching for.
The two Wizards standing nearby both took an involuntary step away from the blade knowing what would happen should they even touch the exposed metal of that weapon.
Ueet looked to the bound woman and met her eyes. She showed no fear, no surprise. She appeared resigned to her fate now. He struggling and protesting from much earlier now gone. She didn't appear to be defeated, instead dispassionately accepting of the fate that was to come.
Ueet turned back to the kukri knife and re-wrapped it in the thick grey cloth. Having no magic the blade was no more dangerous to him than any other knife. He placed it next to his pack on the ground, he'd need to make room for it to carry it back to Retinor to be destroyed.
He looked up at the wiry, scarred Wizard standing nearby. Semptor was a snake and a soldier of fortune, a mercenary at heart and not one to let morals stop him from making money or doing a job he was hired for. Not the most appetizing of men to work with, but he got the job done when it had to be done, regardless of the means. As long as Tybour kept him well paid, he'd do as needed. And this assassin would likely need the worst of what Semptor could do if they were to get any information out of him. Ueet was certain that beneath the illusion worn by the woman there on the ground was a man. Something in the eyes. They'd see soon enough.
Ueet jutted his chin at Semptor indicating he should begin the job they'd given him. As Semptor moved to begin, Ueet stood and moved a few steps away, gesturing for the other Wizard to follow him a bit away to let Semptor work alone. Ueet and the Wizard turned their backs to Semptor and the woman and began to scan for anything approaching.
Semptor stood over the woman for a moment, his shifty eyes inspecting every inch of her, his head tilted a bit to one side before he squatted down next to her and placed a rolled up leather package on the ground. He unrolled the package revealing a number of implements nestled inside in precise little pockets and held in place by straps of leather and wooden toggles. He selected a long, thin copper tool resembling a four tined fork. A thin silver wire twined around the long handle, branching out to each tine of the fork. Each tine ended in a sharpened point. Semptor gave the woman a sharp jab with the fork, drawing blood from her shoulder. He watched the result carefully, watching the blood from each small wound well up and eventually drip toward the ground. His face showed no emotion and his attention moved on to other parts of the woman's body.
He studied her breasts for a few moments before moving to her stomach. He reached out with his empty hand and touched her stomach lightly, just his finger tips, dragging them lightly across her stomach. He seemed to find something he was looking for and he began to drag the tines of the fork across her abdomen, staring just under her ribs. Long lines of blood welled up where the tines cut easily into skin. Something seemed to waver and quiver, the fat of her belly quivering as if a current of electricity was being run through it.
Semptor continued to drag the fork over the woman's belly, back and forth, forming line after line of bloody streaks, a pattern going lower and lower with each pass. The around the woman's navel blood didn't well up and Semptor stopped, stabbing carefully at the place where the fork did not cut the skin. The fork tines appeared to penetrate the skin but no blood was drawn, eventually an unbloodied area about the size of duck egg was outlined by small drops and streaks of blood. The woman lay quiet and still during the whole process.
Semptor examined the unbloodied area for a few moments before reaching back to his set of implements and freeing a short, oddly shaped copper knife from its pocket. The blade was short and rounded and a thin wire of silver ran up the middle of the blade to the rounded tip. He placed the blade of the copper knife, rounded tip against one side of the bloodless part of the skin. The woman twitched a little as the knife appeared to dig into the skin. He placed the tines of the fork opposite of the knife and pushed them down into the skin and under the bloodless area. The woman seemed to shimmer and change for a moment, a glimpse of the true form beneath the illusion.
Semptor dug both the curious copper knife and the copper fork deeper under the bloodless area of skin and pried upward. An egg-sized section of skin separated from the woman's stomach and suddenly popped up with a squelching sound. Blood welled up around the area, a bit spraying upward and outward. The freed section changed appearance, revealing a small irregular stone with sharp edges. Five small metal spikes covered in blood poked out from the rock. The woman's appearance changed, replaced by a short, stocky, bald man, his chest and arms covered in scars. His face was square, his nose crooked, obviously broken multiple times in the past.
The man's face was impassive, his beady, black eyes intently watching Semptor's face. This was a man used to pain and in complete control of his body. Semptor examined the assassin's face.
"Not a face I recognize, Ueet," said Semptor setting the illusion stone aside carefully. He might be able to determine where it came from later. "He's skilled, that's for certain. I would guess employed by The Arrangement or the Church. It would take deep pockets to hire this one." He looked over at Ueet squatting a few feet above the prisoner's head. "It'll take some time to get any information from him."
Ueet shifted slightly, pushing his right forefinger into the dust and shifting one knee forward. "Then let's get started. We've got about three hours before we have to go. We've got the blade and this one won't be a problem any longer. Let's get what information out of him we can before we bury him with the Demon spawn." he jerked his head toward the swampy ground they'd buried the Demon spawned monsters in last night. "We need to know if he has a partner still with the expedition."
Semptor nodded and turned back to the task of making the bound assassin talk. "It'll be a quick death if you just tell us what we want to know. Who else with the expedition are you working with?" He lifted a steel triangular knife from the leather kit laid out on the ground. Semptor didn't expect an answer. He made sure his victim got a good look at the knife, turning it slightly to glint in the morning sun. "Pain is just the beginning of what is in store for you if you refuse to talk."
"You insult me, Semptor," spoke the assassin in a smooth velvety voice. "I know what you will do and am prepared to endure it all. I will tell you nothing."
Semptor listened, unsurprised at the man's words. He continued to work, bracing the man's right leg against the rope bonds and the ground, bending the knee just enough to put tension on the patella ligament. He placed the tip of the triangle blade against the knee, below the kneecap, tilting upwards just a bit, piercing the skin just enough to draw blood, then with a quick strong move, he shoved the blade into the knee, severing the major ligament in the front of the knee, driving the blade up under the kneecap. Blood flowed and the assassin's face froze for a moment, lips tightening against his teeth. The assassin made no sound even though his body tightened, muscles contracting.
The assassin swallowed hard but made no sound.
Ueet stepped closer, staring down at the bound man. He squatted near the assassin's left shoulder. "What is your name? Who hired you? What do they know?" Ueet held up one had toward Semptor who was using a small bit of magic to heat a hand-sized, flat piece of metal to a red hot glow.
The assassin met Ueet's eyes with a hard look, saying nothing.
Ueet nodded to Semptor to continue.
Semptor placed the red-hot metal plate on the assassin's lower abdomen, the skin sizzled and burned immediately. The assassin let out a low groan that rose to a throat ripping howl as Semptor moved the red-hot plate around, dragging it across the man's skin.
The assassin strained against the ropes tied to stakes in the ground, writing and tossing in an attempt to escape the pain.
Semptor set the hot metal aside and let the man stop his struggling before splashing the new burns with a blue-green liquid from a glass vial. The man screamed again as the liquid poured over the raw burns. The smell of burnt flesh combined with a sharp-salty smell filled the still air.
Calm returned to the assassin with in moments. Semptor peered at the man's face for a long moment. "Who hired you?" Semptor stood and stepped over the man's legs to his right side. A sound caused him to look up and across the road. The plasma bolt blasted through his chest before he could even register it in his mind, leaving a 5 inch wide hole completely through him. The crackle and boom of the magic followed closely behind and Semptor's lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
Ueet dove to one side without even turning to see where the magic had come from. He rolled forward and turned in one move, crouching still low to the ground, locating the source of the magic. A lone figure stood at the other side of the road firing another bolt of the deadly magic in Ueet's direction. The bolt slammed into something invisible a few feet in front of Ueet. The old Wizard Tybour had insisted accompany Ueet and Semptor had manifested a shield just in time. Ueet suddenly wished he'd asked the old man his name. Three bolts of lighting suddenly struck at the unknown assailant across the road. The old Wizard was strong and quick.
The Wizard grabbed Ueet under his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Come, we should go. We aren't really a match for this Warlock." They ran for a cluster of large rocks at the edge of the shelter. The Wizard kept a magical shield between the two of them and the attacking Warlock. Once they reached the rocks, the Wizard sent a flurry of lightning at the Warlock who was now running across the road toward them. Small sharp rocks flew up from the ground and shot toward them, accelerated by the Warlock. The shield held for the most part, only a few of the rocks, or maybe pieces of them, got through. Ueet felt the sting of the small projectiles as they hit his exposed skin. He and the Wizard rounded the boulders out of sight of the Warlock and the Wizard opened a portal just a foot or so in front of Ueet, propelling them both through the opening barely wide enough to fit them.
Ueet stumbled and fell, several feet in fact, head first into wet, soft mud. He scrambled quickly to his feet, whipping around to face the portal he'd just fallen through. The portal was already closing, only a small opening a few feet above his head still showing the place he'd just left. A bright flash and a bolt shot through that opening, shooting off into the distance quickly. The portal closed and popped out of existence.
"Well, that was unpleasant." The Wizard who'd just saved Ueet's life sat, still in the mud. Ueet turned to face him. He was covered in mud so it appeared he'd fallen just as Ueet had. "Not the mud, or the fall, but an encounter with an unknown Warlock. I am not sure why anything would surprise me anymore, serving with The First Mage."
The Wizard pushed himself up from his seat in the mud. "The fall was on purpose, in case you were wondering. Didn't want the portal to aim at us in case he was able to get a shot through before it closed. Good thing too," he waved a hand vaguely upward and away, indicating the bolt of plasma that had followed them through the portal. "Unlikely he'll be able to follow, but, I've never been one to gamble, so perhaps we should go?"
Ueet noded, "Yes."
The Wizard turned away from Ueet and gestured, opening another portal just a few feet away. Ueet looked around, trying to determine where they were. The savanna stretched away in all directions. His sharp eyes picked out a road in the distance to what he was sure was the south. There was something familiar about the area.
"Coming?" said the Wizard. "Ah, yes, a drying up watering hole we passed a day ago. The only place I had in my head at the time. Not the safest place, but safe enough for us for now. It does mean we will have to make a couple of jumps to catch up with were the rest of the caravan is going. The sooner we get on the way the better."
Ueet cocked his head a bit to one side, considering the old Wizard, his estimation of the man going up significantly. "Yes. My thanks. I owe you a life-debt." They walked through the portal to the top of a small hill with a single twisted, wind-blown tree at its summit. "I'm Ueet. You are?"
"Gregor, Gregor Tranto. Master Sergeant Tranto to some, but you, of course, can call me Gregor." The portal they'd come through disappeared and Gregor cast a new one facing a new direction. Ueet was fairly certain it didn't matter what direction a portal faced when you opened it, it lead where it lead anyway, but he'd noticed that Wizards often faced the direction they thought the destination was from them before opening a portal.
This portal seemed a bit smaller than the previous two, Ueet had to hunch his shoulders and duck a bit to get through, careful not to touch the sides.
He stepped through on to a dusty road where it topped a rise. He took a step or two ahead to be out of the way of the Wizard following him, turning to see Gregor emerge from the hole in the air. Gregor was breathing heavily and looked strained and tired. Ueet stepped toward him as the portal disappeared, catching him and supporting him as he almost collapsed to the ground.
"That kind of took it out of me. Wasn't expecting to have fought a Warlock before traveling." Gregor leaned heavily on Ueet. "Look, we made it though. There they are."
Ueet looked down the hill along the road, toward the caravan he'd already spotted moving slowly along the road ahead of them, the small bit of dust they'd raised from the road hung in the still air. In the distant west the Glittergreen Mountains peaked just above the horizon, their goal still a full day's travel even using portals.
"C'mon, Gregor, you can get a proper rest when the caravan stops for the night. We need to let Tybour know about the Warlock and Semptor's death." Ueet wrapped his right arm around the old Wizards waist, supporting a great deal of his weight.
"All good," said Gregor. "I'll be fine once we get moving. Just give me a second." Gregor reached into his tunic and pulled out a palm sized bronze colored flask. He unscrewed the cap and took a short swig. His eyes narrowed and his lips grew tight for a moment before he recovered and replace the silver cap on the flask. Putting the flask away he stood away from Ueet and smiled a tired smile, the color coming back to his cheeks a bit and the drawn look around his eyes dissipating. "Ok. I won't be as quick as you, but let us make as much haste as we can." And with that Gregor stepped strongly away from Ueet and down the road toward the people and wagons further down the road.
The Warlock called Stanch ran towards his disappearing quarry. He was not expecting that damn Wizard's strength or cunning. He should have known better. From a distance it had been hard to read that old man and he'd let his judgement be swayed by the apparent age of the man. The Wizard he'd killed seemed to be the stronger of the two, but that proved to be incorrect.
He wanted to catch this old Wizard. He'd make an excellent sacrifice to the Demon. The magicless one he'd just want to kill. The magicless were worthless and pathetic and deserved only death or servitude.They were lower than beastmen, lower even than the snake-men abominations. Humans, unaltered and pure, were the superior intelligent beings on Rit, as the Demon's intended when they created mortals. All other mortal beings were lesser creations made to serve true humans. The magicless weren't truly human, nor even the bastardizations created from humans by the Gods. They were less than everything and he hated them most of all.
Stanch caused a flurry of small rocks and pebbles to shoot towards the fleeing duo, hoping to injure them enough to cause them to make a mistake and allow him to capture them. The Wizard's shield held and almost none of the projectiles made it through. He watched as they pair slipped behind some standing rocks at the edge of the shallow cave. He continued running, changing his angle to try and keep the two fleeing individuals in site. The old Wizard had a portal open already. He was quick. A flurry of lighting struck down at Stanch, a quick shield deflected it all away. He dodged again to the right for a better view and shot a bolt of plasma at the back of the Wizard as he stepped through his new portal. The portal snapped shut well before Stanch could get anywhere near it. The little bit of view he saw through the closing portal was nothing but blue, cloudless sky. No way to know where the Wizard had gone.They must have fled to where the rest of the caravan was. They couldn't be more than a couple of miles up the road. He considered jumping north down the road a bit, to see if he could catch them. He fantasized for just a moment about catching up with the pair of them, killing the magicless one and disabling the old Wizard, he must be tired by now. He'd toy with him a bit before summoning the demon portal to send him to his patron, just to watch the despair on his face, watch the fear grow in his eyes.
Stanch shook himself from his daydream. He had no way of knowing where they were, or if his attempt to catch them would put him in direct conflict with the number of Wizards traveling in that caravan, besides he had a job to do.
He turned back to the two bodies laying on the rocky ground in front of the large shallow cave by the side of the road. The Wizard he knew to be called Semptor lay dead, the hole through his chest still smoking slightly, his face forever frozen in slight surprise. Nothing to be done there. Dead was dead.
The other body was still alive. The assassin he'd been told about. Stanch had seen his chance when these four stayed behind as the rest of the group left this morning. The plan had been just to observe the expedition, stay hidden and out of the way, reporting what he saw back to his patron, but the plan had changed when he saw this opportunity. The man was bleeding but not so badly that his life was in any immediate danger. Stanch stood to one side of the man bound and tied to the ground. He wouldn't be able to walk with that injury to his left knee. His other injuries were superficial. Stanch peered down at the man's face. The assassin was calm and even looked a bit curious. He said nothing and gazed back at Stanch without visible fear.
Stanch sniffed the air, the smell of the man's blood was strong in the still warm air. The smell made his lip curl and his eyes squint. This was not the smell of a human's blood despite the apparent look of him. Stanch had been given a special gift by his Demon when he'd sworn loyalty, he'd been given the ability to smell those of impure blood. Any small bit of non-human was clear to Stanch just by the smell of the person. This man reeked of nasty snake-man blood. It angered and sickened him to think of some human breeding with one of those grotesque half-snakes. What would drive a person to do such a thing.
Stanch frowned down at the man, unable at first to understand how he could look like a human but smell so obviously Alteman. It didn't appear to be a work of any magic Stanch knew of. Alteman and magicless, nothing worse in the world. An abomination of the worst sort. Stanch considered just killing him here and now and being done with him. He did not consider long as the dark little worm in his mind that was his connection with his Demon squirmed and practically shouted in his mind the things that would be done to him should he disobey his Demon's wishes. For some reason the Demon wanted this man alive and wanted Stanch to work with him to accomplish his mission. Stanch's lip curled at the thought of having to tolerate being around this obscenity.
Stanch glanced at the leather wrapped kreleit blade on the ground a few feet away. Someone would have to wield that, he supposed, and it would not be Stanch, that was certain. Nothing for it then. He'd have to heal this thing and work with it. Once the work was done though, Stanch would end its pitiful life and destroy its cursed body.
A gesture and a small bit of fire magic stopped the bleeding from the still open wound on the man's knee. He watched the face and eyes of the assassin carefully as the fire magic cauterized the wound. The creature tolerated the pain quite well. He left the man bound as he turned to the kreleit blade. He knew it couldn't hurt him as long as he didn't touch the exposed metal, but the thing gave him pause anyway. Death was one thing, but having his magic stripped from him like so much colored paper from a wrapped gift actually scared him. Not a feeling he was used to.
Stanch removed his pack and opened it, picked up the wrapped kreleit knife carefully and slipped it inside. He was careful to place it as far to the outside of the pack as he could.
He stood and shrugged into his pack's straps, turning back to the creature still bound to the ground. "I'm going to release you now. One false move and you will die. We will be working together for a while. We have a mutual goal and I have been told I will need you to accomplish this goal. I will hold on to your knife. You work for me now and your payment is your life. Serve me well and you will live. Questions?"
The pitiful creature narrowed his eyes a bit and seemed to consider Stanch's words for a moment before replying. "It seems I have little choice. What is our goal then?"
"Sending Tybour Insuritor to my patron as a sacrifice."
The assassin was sure there was more to it than that, but at the moment he had little choice but to agree. "Very well then. I will serve well until that goal is achieved."
Stanch turned away from the man, searching the nearby area, reaching out with a bit of magic to locate some living thing nearby. It took only a few moments before he sensed a fairly large lizard not far away, crouching in its hole in the ground, hiding from the noise and commotion of the earlier fight. It was a simple thing for Stanch to grab it with magical wraps of air and force and yank it from its hole. He levitated the squirming lizard to his hands, gripping it carefully and immobilizing it with a small shock of lightning. He turned back to the man lying on the ground. Stepping close, he held the still living lizard out above the man's knee. The lizard squirmed and jerked as it was transformed, melting into a greenish, grey ooze that dripped heavily onto the man's knee, gelling there and forming a bubble of moving, thickening ooze wrapping around the knee. In moments the knee was wrapped in a hardening bubble of grey-green. "You should be able to walk now. The wrap will break up and fall off when the healing is complete. Come, we needs must go." A small bit of magic sliced through the bonds holding the man to the ground. Stanch turned and began to stride back across the road from whence he came, leaving the assassin to gather himself and follow.
It took almost an hour for Ueet and Gregor to catch up to the caravan. Gregor had begun strong at first but his energy waned quickly as he and Ueet made their way down the hill.
When they finally reached the expedition Ueet had a soldier run forward to notify Tybour of their arrival. Gregor was guided to the rear wagon and room was made for him to sit in a shaded bit of the bed in a place cleared of boxes. "Seriously, I am fine," he protested as he gulped water. Ueet noted that despite his protests, he did not force his way out of the wagon and back to walking.
Tybour and Haningway joined Ueet and Gregor a short while later. Gregor sat up straight and made as if to dismount from the wagon. "Stay there," Tybour ordered. "No need to stand on ceremony and we may well need your full strength shortly I fear, the way things have been going."
"Yes, sir." Gregor responded, settling back on the tents he'd arranged to recline upon.
"Semptor is dead." Ueet stated flatly. "A Warlock attacked us. We were lucky we survived. Thanks to Gregor here. He did well." High praise from Ueet, thought Tybour.
"We got nothing from the assassin. We did find the kreleit weapon but we left it when we were attacked." Ueet's voice was dispassionate and matter of fact. "He must have been watching us, waiting for an opportunity."
"That is unfortunate. Semptor's death and the loss of that weapon. At least we know it won't be any help to the Warlock. It's good the two of you survived."
Tybour's thoughts raced. It was highly unlikely the appearance of this Warlock was random. It was likely he was sent to follow the expedition. To what end was the real question. Were the Warlock and the assassin working together? Working for the same person or persons? Warlocks worked for themselves and their Demons but it wasn't unheard of them to be hired by some unscrupulous person for nefarious deeds. What other hazards would be thrown their way? Was the demon-spawn they'd fought just yesterday under the control of this Warlock? This wasn't enough to stop the expedition, so what was the goal here?
"Haningway. Increase the security and put all the soldiers at full alert. Let the civilians know that there was an encounter with a Warlock and that the rear guard drove him off. Tell them we do not expect him to return but that we should all be alert to anything out of the ordinary. Reassure them that the Phoenix company is more than capable of fending off a single Warlock." Tybour considered for a moment. "Tell them also that we found the person responsible for the sinking of The Porpoise and that they were killed when we attempted to take them into custody."
Tybour frowned and stopped walking, Haningway stopped with him. "We will stay with the garrison when we get to the mines. Send a message ahead." Tybour glanced toward the sky in the west where the Glittergreen mountains were just visible. "We'll continue on to the second campsite this evening, just in case. We'll also leave before sunrise tomorrow. The sooner we get to the garrison at the mines the better I will feel. Put out the beacons tonight. Four should cover us and we have all the Wizards we need to man them. At least that will mitigate the threat of the Warlock."
"Yes sir. Consider it done," Haningway replied as he hurried off to carry out his orders.
The sun had set behind the distant mountains to the west over an hour before the caravan arrived at the campsite just off the side of the road. Camp setup was completed quickly. No welcoming shelter here, just a wide, flat section of packed dirt free of vegetation. There would be no refilling of water skins this evening as there was no water source nearby. Tents were packed close together even though there was plenty of room on the packed-dirt platform for them to spread out.
Four Phoenix Company Wizards carried tripod mounted objects to four equidistant points a few feet outside the perimeter of the camp. A glowing rod about two feet long and a couple of inches thick rose from the top of each tripod. A Wizard sat cross-legged in front of each device, facing outward, directing a small but constant stream of magic into the glowing rod. Any Warlock attempting to approach or cross the barrier made by these rods would quickly be discovered.
The night passed without event and well before the sun rose in the east the camp was struck and the caravan resumed its trek westward along the road. A bit more than a mile up the road, as the sun began to peak over the horizon, Tybour opened another portal to a new point 50 miles up the road and the caravan poured through quickly. They emerged onto a long straight stretch of road climbing to the foothills of a sizable mountain range. Hills rose to the north and south of the road and a small village lay ahead, nestled at the end of a long, wide valley.
The expedition had finally arrived at the Glittergreen Mountains and the entrance to the Glittergreen Mines.
