(27) Divide & Conquer
Story’s POV
Outside Sweet Apple Acres’s Barn
10:29 PM
I took one last bite out of my apple and wound up my arm like a kid playing baseball. It was my third attempt at this and like the last two times, Big Mac watched with little faith as he bit into his own apple.
I did my best to ignore him, shaking and nodding my head like a baseball person at the barrel that stood fifteen away from me. Well, fifteen-ish. I didn’t have a tape measure or anything.
When I was done making a fool of myself, I tried pitching the apple core as hard as I could with the skills of a brilliant marksman.
Translation: I missed by a mile.
Big Mac quickly swallowed his bite of fruit so he wouldn’t choke on it as he snickered at my misfortune as the apple core bounced along the floor. Meanwhile, I took my walk of shame towards my trash to throw it away. “I know, I know, shut up,” I muttered at him.
He came out here to keep me company after the girls kicked me out of the room for their master plan. I didn’t blame them either.
Each time they workshopped an idea for how to take on the Redbrands, all I could think of was what could go wrong. They would overestimate how good a spell was or believed their AC was good enough to block everything.
I never corrected my players when they make mistakes like this. I had this made up motto of ‘they’ll suffer, then recover.’ Big Mac saw it constantly in our games. But this magic-talk had me losing myself as I kept butting in.
What made it worse was that all the girls heard was garbling. It was also the first time anything I said became garbled for them. It was so distracting, and they asked a few times for me to stop.
So instead, I tried finding loopholes.
As the DM, I technically played every character that weren’t the players. Since the party was still in the jail cellar, that meant I spoke for Eglath, Townmaster Wester, and the captured Redbrands. I used them to, again, butt in on the girls’ brainstorming.
It fixed the garbling problem but that wasn’t a good thing. Now, I was making the girls second guess every idea they came up with.
They knew I was only trying to help which meant when they kicked me out of the room, they did so politely. They explained how the party left the jail cellar and planned in secret. Then they ‘suggested’ I get some fresh air.
Skip to now where me and the lads, meaning me, Mac, and the talking dog, were standing outside the barn. Mac and I were throwing apples at an apple bucket to pass the time. To which Big Mac had informed me it was actually called a ‘bushel.’
At the same time, Gilda chose to stand outside the game room’s curtain like a bouncer. She seemed proud of her role, and she seemed sure that, should the girls need it, she could answer questions about how something in the game would work.
And for those she couldn’t, she’d act as mediator by coming out here, asking me or Big Mac a question, then walking off before we could figure out what it was for.
That led to some interesting questions such as ‘can illusion magic make an actual fire give off purple light?’ and ‘can a druid rabbit count and read?’ or ‘how fast can Sister Garaele fix a broken violin?’
This time, Gilda walked up to us right as I flicked the apple core in the bushel. After assessing my shame, she started. “Yo Story? How many people are guarding the stables?”
I paused. “...What?”
“Nope. Can’t tell ya more than that.” Gilda crossed her arms, shaking her head.
“Well...You’re gonna have to,” I leveled with her. “I mean, it depends, I guess? What time is it? What counts as a ‘guard,’ exactly?”
Gilda opened her mouth but paused. “Um...One sec.” She turned and jogged back into the barn.
“What do they need at the stables?” Spike asked what we were all thinking.
I again shook off the feeling that I was about to answer a dog and thought aloud. “The only thing that they know is there are two oxen and a single horse. I don’t think the oxen would matter but, at this point, I have no clue.”
“Eenope.” Big Mac shook his head.
“Maybe the horse?” Spike offered.
“Okay, why though?”
Eventually, Gilda came back out. Flanked by Twilight and Fluttershy.
“Sorry that we keep bothering you like this,” Fluttershy apologized right away.
“I don’t blame you." I shrugged. "Besides, we’re distracted enough with this ‘Apple Chucking’ game Mac has.”
“Eeyup.”
“Too bad Story can’t make any points,” Spike added.
“Eenope.”
“You didn’t have to point that out,” I lamented as the three girls enjoyed my misery for a moment.
Twilight brought our attention back. “This is our last question. Who all works at the stable? Let’s say during the day.”
I thought it over for a moment. There wasn’t an answer from the book I was running this game from. So, like most other details about this town, I came up with the most reasonable answer.
“You’ve all seen the stablemaster a couple times now. He doesn’t have anyone working under him but for bigger jobs he’ll just ask people to give him a hand. He would’ve asked you to help unhitch and bring the oxen into individual stables.”
“Ox trapp— err, sorry. Nevermind,” Fluttershy trailed off.
“Did Platick see if Leanne brought a saddle for Tucker or if it was in the stable?”
“Neither. Horse was already saddled,” I gave away. “Stablemaster set the horse and wagon up and Leanne flipped a few copper pieces when they arrived. Basically, she checked out the horse.”
“Checked it out?” Twilight parroted, earning a nod from me. “Then, it’s not hers? We can rent it?” Then put a knuckle to her chin. “That’s good, actually.”
“What did you think you’d have to do?” I furrowed my brow.
“We thought we’d have to trick the stablemaster into thinking Leanne let us borrow it.”
My brow furrowed further. “Trick? Why not just a—” I saw Gilda’s flat look and cleared my throat. “Right. I’m doing it again. I’ll stop. Platick would’ve seen Leanne pass seven copper but that was for both wagon and horse.”
“Then, about three or four copper for just the horse,” Twilight mathed. “Okay. In that case, I think we’re all set. You can follow us back if you’d like.”
“Aw, but I was having so much fun getting creamed in Apple Chucking,” I said with a sarcastic grin.
She gave me a weak smile. “If it helps, I think you did better than I would have. About a week ago, Rainbow Dash challenged me to a soccer match. She kept calling it a rematch.”
“Rematch?” I blinked. “Did you play soccer at your old school? You mentioned you were a transfer too.”
“Never before that day.” She shrugged. “And, of course, I couldn’t get a single point on her. She even tried giving me a chance out of pity.”
“I hate when people try pulling that.” I frowned. “Makes me feel even worse.”
“Yeah.” Her smile turned even more sad. “...I still missed.”
“Ah, a fellow non-sporter, I see,” I said awkwardly on purpose.
“You can say that again,” Spike muttered, earning a small blush and glare from his owner.
“Ugh,” Gilda groaned. “You nerds need a training regimen or something.”
“NO,” us non-sporters declared in unison. Spike started laughing under his paw as we stood firm.
“Alright, alright, whatever. Let’s get this night over with.” Gilda turned around and walked back into the barn.
Big Mac gave us a humored look and followed Gilda in. Fluttershy followed, seemingly distracted but still giving us a small nod.
I glanced back at Twilight, and the dog standing beside her. “Um, also. How'd you get used to, erm, Spike? Talking, I mean?”
“It was...hmm,” Twilight hummed. “You know. I-I think I handled it pretty well.”
“If by 'well.' you mean running away from me and screaming,” Spike popped that bubble almost right away.
“Spike!” Twilight chided.
“What? That’s what happened, isn’t it?” The dog shrugged. Meanwhile, Twilight shied away as I cleared my throat to keep from giggling.
“On another topic,” Twilight shifted gears, walking into the barn as I and her loyal hound followed. “How far do you think we can get tonight?”
“I was thinking of that.” I focused myself. “I know what you’re in for, I know what your goals are. And if Sunset’s serious about you all staying as in-character as possible, I think I know how much time you'll have characters talk and rolepla...Err, recover,” I corrected.
Saying roleplay didn’t really sound right anymore. Not after the Sky-Space.
"And what about reaching Gundren and saving him?"
“Assuming things go relatively well, probably two or three games.”
Twilight took a breath. “Okay. Maybe by Thursday then.”
“Thur. Thursday?” I blinked. “What do you mean Thursday?”
“As much as we want to finish the game, we can’t play every day. We realized that when we were planning. Sunset and I determined we should figure out where the game relates to real life too.”
“And if you’re saying two games will be by Thursday, you want to stick to the schedule?”
“Right.”
By that point, we had reached the curtain acting as the room’s door and we both slipped in. As Twilight walked around, I noticed that she wasn’t going to her original seat. Actually, just about everyone was in a different seat.
I glanced down at the papers now spread in front of Twilight. I assumed it was notes on this plan they created but I had no idea. Mostly because a majority of the writing was moving and unreadable.
Gargling?
“Huh. That’s what that looks like,” I said aloud. It made Sunset and Twilight smirk.
“Like we thought,” Twilight gloated. “Even if it’s Story’s world, if he’s not aware of something the magic will distort it like it does for us.”
“Well, okay?” I frowned. “I mean, is that really gonna come up? I still know about everything else, don’t I?”
“Maybe, but at least we know the limits.” Sunset shrugged. “Except, you won’t know our plan until it happens.”
“That was the point of kicking me out.” I walked around them until I made it back to my seat. “Sooo. You girls ready?”
“Ready and set!” Pinkie cheered with an equally cheerful grin.
“Yeah, bring ‘em on,” Rainbow said, acting like nothing was wrong.
I took another breath and tried to pretend the same. “Okay. In that case, what are you doing first?”
The girls all shared a look between one another before unloading a massive number of preparations and requests. This forced me to start answering and roleplaying different scenes at a rapid pace. I welcomed the distraction. It kept me from thinking about the stress to come.
3rd Person POV
Phandalin
Once Platick and company got whatever information they wanted from the charmed Redbrand, they left the cellar and piled into the office above. From there, they hashed at a plan where none could hear them. It didn’t take long either. Maybe an hour at best to find something everyone agreed on. Once that was done, the group split up again to prepare everything.
To begin, Stostine made a beeline for the Shrine of Luck where she passed along a broken violin for Sister Garaele to mend. As the sister worked, Stostine then spoke with each artisan in town individually. Meanwhile, Vareén visited the town stables to rent Tucker the horse and Platick paid a visit to the Griffonbound Vendors as per Leanne’s earlier request.
The shop closed ten minutes later; a rarity no one had seen previously. Still, the day went on.
Vareén rode Tucker to the edge of town and built a hunting blind where her and her new horse wouldn’t be spotted. She could see both the Sleeping Giant and the forest trail leading towards the lodge.
Speaking of the Sleeping Giant, after Sister Garaele finished, Stostine passed the repaired violin to Ricven before he and Glemerr marched to the hostile bar. There weren’t any Redbrands when they arrived but, nevertheless, no one saw them for the remainder of the day. Stostine had also gone missing around this time.
Ravathyra was the only one that the townsfolk spotted from then on. She returned to the jail cellar for a short time before emerging with a stack of official notices signed by Townmaster Wester. They were for an immediate curfew which Rava enforced as she went door-to-door.
She informed everyone to not attract any attention tonight. Some townsfolk objected but for some reason the town artisans backed Rava up. They even closed their own shops early like the Griffonbound Vendors.
With all the shops and Stonehill Inn closed for the day, no one had reason to object. Rava even managed to gather volunteers to deliver the news to the outer farms, ranches, and mines. No one was to be out after sundown.
Her job complete, Ravathyra hurried to the Sleeping Giant and closed the door behind her. Like the gnome and half-orc, she was never seen after that.
As the first few streaks of orange coated the sky, a quartet of Redbrands arrived to enjoy a short round of drinks before the night arrived. It was shorter than they thought.
A few minutes after they entered, the owner of the bar, a frustrated Dwarven woman, left the building in a huff. Some townsfolk saw her from their windows as she marched straight home without locking up.
Those were all the events the people of Phandalin witnessed that day. Although, as this occurred, more events transpired as the Redbrands had their own developments. The first was learning about the capture of one of their captains, Anbera. Then, they heard of the Townmaster's betrayal. This sent the Redbrands in a rage as Platick predicted.
About the same time, the one Redbrand that escaped Stostine and the others at Stonehill Inn crawled through the entrance of the lodge, bleeding profusely. He was treated and managed to recount his story of Stostine and Ricven. How the fancy-robed woman had frozen spit while the singing gnome could melt brains.
If Anbera’s capture caught the Redbrands’ attention, the magic casters attracted their leader; Glasstaff.
Another captain was called into Glasstaff’s chamber and five minutes later that captain returned with a clear goal: Kill them all. And if any of the other outsiders were magic, all the more reason. Glasstaff wouldn’t take any chances. He feared they may have used enchantment magic to make Anbera or the others speak of his necromancy. His paranoia was correct.
But before the captain was prepared, there was one last thing. Another Redbrand checking the perimeter discovered the corpse of a bugbear skewered to a tree in the woods outside a back entrance.
The bandits didn't know how it was done and so they had no reason to suspect it was Thorn Wielder; a Cortássian myth at best. Instead, they assumed the half-orc was the only one strong enough to lift and hook the goblinoid to a tree. They took it as a challenge.
Believing this, the captain gathered more forces. Which meant nearly all the Redbrands. There were now more of them heading to town then there were remaining at the hideout. Still, Glasstaff’s experiments and the other bugbears kept the place well defended without them.
As the orange-streaked sky slowly faded to dark blue, and then starlit from beyond the heavy clouds, the Redbrands and the outsiders unleashed their plans.
A thin trail stretched through the forest between the lodge and town. The trees were not so densely packed. To anyone watching, it was easy to spot torchlight bobbing down the hill. And when the light came near town, no one noticed the auburn bunny poking its head out of a bush. It took a moment to count the Redbrands marching on before taking off ahead of them as fast as its legs could scurry.
Every Redbrand appeared armed to the teeth. Each with a crossbow and a full set of bolts over top of their leather armor as well as a single blade. Half of them had short swords while the others had freshly cleaned scimitars.
Most of the group were human with a couple Dwarves and even a halfling thrown into the mix. But leading the militia into town was the captain; a humanoid that looked more militarized than any of them.
He was a tiefling.
EARLIER
"Those other captains." Platick approached the charmed Redbrand and sat across the table from him. "Would you kindly start talking. Who are they? How many? What can they do?"
As Ricven's magic wafted across the man's eyes, the Redbrand nodded, building up the courage to betray his bosses. "There's three in total. Well, two now. Ya already know Anbera."
The Dwarven captain silently flipped off her now ex co-worker.
"She's pretty sturdy. If she actually had yer friend’s armor, she mighta been tougher than Stalwart."
"Tougher than Stalwart?" Rava blinked. "That some sorta phrase 'round 'ere?"
"Nah. That's the name a' the other captain." The man started charading horns sprouting his forehead. "Man's a tieflin'. Used ta be a soldier 'til he got thrown out. Least, that's the story."
"Neva met a tieflin' before," Glemerr muttered.
"They occasionally have a sour reputation," Stostine informed her. "They are quite a rare sight in Leodaav-proper since they live to the south in nomadic communities. They typically get odd looks thanks to their appearance. Crimson or maroon skin, horns from their heads, and eyes made of only a single color."
"..." Glemerr scratched the back of her neck. "Ah guess dat sounds sorta...erm?"
"Demonic?" Rava smirked. "Not far off, really. Tieflin's are born from families wit' demonic blood in their hist'ry. One a' me friends is a tieflin', matter o’ fact."
"Pfft. Holy warrior friends with a demon? Well, how do ya do irony," Ricven joked.
"Laugh all ya want." Rava let herself smile for a second. "But Tinker's a nice lass. Just 'cause they got demonic blood, it don't make a tieflin’ a demon. But when they get bad eggs..."
When the words settled in, Platick stared back at the bandit. "That leaves the third captain. They the underhanded type?"
"Hehehe. Uh, we're all pretty underhanded," the bandit jeered. He stopped smiling when he met Platick’s gaze.
"I meant, are they the kind that can sneak around easily? Maybe likes stabbing people in the back? See in the dark?"
The Redbrand nodded after a moment. "Y-Yeah. I’d say that fits. Honestly, I don't know too much 'bout them. Anbera an’ Stalwart were part a' the Redbrands from the start. The third one came recently."
Stostine furrowed her brow. "Platick? You have a theory?"
"A running one."
Stalwart marched with a determined gait. His black hair had long grown out from a buzz cut and was framed by a pair of bright red horns growing from his forehead and over his ears. He also had a set of scale mail cleaned to perfection. Same as the longsword at his side or brass shield on his back.
The thugs following behind were much lazier. Everyone’s armor was loose or scuffed in such a way where they were as filthy as the stained red cloaks they were forced to wear. They acted nothing like trained footmen. More like barbarians treating tonight’s ‘work’ with this odd mixture of frustration and joviality wafted from them. In some way, all of them were ready to destroy or terrify these outsiders.
Stalwart didn’t join them. Instead, he stayed silent as he guided them with a torch held in his tight grip. He didn’t need the flame to see in the dark, but it did well to illuminate the fury across his face.
Eventually, the town came into view and Stalwart noticed something instantly. The town was dead. No home had so much as a candle alight and no one was outside. Even after taking over the bar, the townsfolk would simply gather at the inn instead. But not tonight.
The only building with its lights on was their own Sleeping Giant. Even from the trail, Stalwart noticed the fireplace illuminating the windows. Not only that, the bar’s double doors were wide open. They let a bright light spill onto the street in a crisp rectangle.
"Rynelle," Stalwart called. The gang went silent as the Redbrand sporting that name stepped forward. A halfling woman with a mean scowl and an army of freckles on her cheeks.
"Aye Stalwart?" She walked until she was beside her captain and then worked to match pace with him.
"Yonic, Tristen, Glaif, and Evan. Did they ever come back?"
"Nope." She shook her head. "I told 'em not to run off for drinks. Sun was setting at the time."
Stalwart's jaw settled as he quickly put it all together "What are the chances they're all too drunk to remember my orders?"
Rynelle juggled the idea for a moment. "Slim. Takes more than a few hours ta get Glaif tipsy."
He huffed. "Everyone? They’ve taken the bar."
Swears and groans spread from the Redbrands with a few cocky chuckles for good measure.
"They're expecting us,” Stalwart announced. “Ready your crossbows. Kill whatever moves."
Most of the group obliged, save for one. A Dwarf scratching at his beard. "Anythin'? What if it's jus' people? Ah thought ya said ya didn’ like strikin’ folk."
“I don’t, but Glasstaff made this especially clear. We’re to do whatever it takes to hunt down those casters. If someone’s housing them, it’s time we made examples.”
The Dwarf breathlessly nodded along, readying his crossbow like everyone else as they all followed Stalwart into town.
About a minute later, they spilled from the tree line like a blood puddle. The Sleeping Giant was maybe seventy feet away; a prime reason they claimed it as their own.
Once in the open, Stalwart held up his balled fist in a gesture. The Redbrands obeyed, forming a sphere-like formation with crossbows aimed outward. It was one of the few tactics Stalwart managed to teach them.
The group stayed like that for a time, staring into the void surrounding them. The humans among them couldn’t see anything since the moon hid behind thick clouds. But that didn’t stop the Dwarves and their leader.
“...No one’s around,” one Dwarf whispered. “Stalwart?”
The tiefling hummed, holding up five fingers before giving a two finger point to the Sleeping Giant. The bandits quickly came up with five volunteers made of four humans and Rynelle.
They walked past Stalwart only to make it five feet before the first guy’s boot fell through a hole, twisting his ankle as he fell screaming until dirt was shoved down his throat. His crossbow impacted against the earth and fired into the sky.
Stalwart blinked, stepping forward and holding out his torch. Ahead of the group was a good dozen or so potholes haphazardly covered by leaves. Then, to Stalwart’s left, were the numbers ‘0’ through ‘9’ drawn in the dirt with a discarded stick nearby. Tiny paw prints were visibly stomped on top of the ‘1’ and ‘9.’
Recently drawn, the captain remarked. What for?
The fallen Redbrand groaned, peeling his face off the ground before spitting the dirt out of his mouth. In front of him, an auburn bunny raised a tiny paw and wiped the spit and dirt from its face. Then it stared up at him.
“H-Huh?” He cocked his head. “A rabbit?”
Stalwart and the others turned, watching in confusion as the rabbit hopped that tiny bit closer to the man.
Aren’t rabbits supposed to be shy? Wait. Stalwart frowned. Then he brought the torch closer. Wrapped around the rabbit’s front right leg was a thin thorny stem that coiled and flowed like a spider’s thread.
That’s not a rabbit, Stalwart’s mind alarmed him.
Now, not many have heard a bunny hiss. Typically, people expect bunnies to squeak in this cutesy manner. But as this hare bared its sharp incisors, it let out this horrifyingly sharp sound that made the grown man shuffle away and draw a scimitar.
"AHHHH,” the man squealed. “DEMON RABBIT!" He got to one knee and raised his scimitar. But the rabbit, rather than flee, instead stood on its hind legs and kept hissing like a blood demon.
“No. Wait!” Stalwart commanded. “Stop! Don't swing at the—"
It couldn’t be helped. The man swung wildly, striking the unmoving mammal in the hip before the rabbit erupted in a brief flash of wind as a Cortássian elf appeared in the same place.
Thorn Wielder stared down at the kneeling man and then to every other Redbrand behind him as they processed. And as they did, Thorn brought out her arms, the palms of her hands poised to clap as a luminescent aura appeared. Like glowing mushrooms.
Oh no. Stalwart quickly brought out its shield, holding it up just in time as Thorn spoke.
“Demon. Bunny,” she corrected and brought her hands together.
KRAKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The shockwave tore through and beyond the first line, throwing bodies and breaking bones as they collided against one another.
Stalwart lived up to his namesake but even with his shield raised he felt the vibrations surf past the metal and through his arm as his fingers rattled and cracked against the force.
When the ringing in his ears reached an apex, Stalwart glanced behind him. Three of his eighteen followers lay dead or useless with limbs bent at awkward angles.
Rynelle struggled to stand at her full height, front foot bent at ninety degrees. She bit into her lip to fight the pain, leveling her crossbow at the Cortássian. "Wrong move, you bi—"
The halfling didn't finish as an arrow found buried itself in her throat, nearly wrenching her head off her body. Her crossbow triggered, shooting a bolt into the ground beside Thorn’s bare foot.
“Didn’t quite catch that,” Vareén half-shouted from the darkness. “Wanna try again?”
Beyond the torchlight, the two Dwarves and Stalwart spotted a horse stepping out of a large collection of greenery. Atop it was two riders. One was an elf with a bow and newly acquired arrow already notched while another was a human dressed in light blue robes. Both had their hoods down.
The robed woman held up a bag of sand and cast Light onto it, revealing their appearance so even the humans could see them.
“Attention Redbreads,” Stostine shouted with no intention of coming closer. “You are outmatched! Surrender now and we can end this without any senseless violence!”
Stalwart sneered as did most of the group behind him. “You expect us to believe that don’t you? You just killed three of my men with your ‘senseless violence.’ If anything, this was a declaration!”
“Revenge? That's your play?” Scoffed Vareén. “You don’t get that excuse. Your thugs have blood on their hands. adventurers and innocents.”
Stalwart harrumphed. “You’re referring to that former guard my men stole away.”
“His name was Thel,” Vareén cut in sharply.
“Of course. Apologies.” Stalwart had no empathy. “Regardless, I’m well aware of Thel and that night. Rest assured, the criminals responsible were beheaded that next morning. I saw to that myself. You’re welcome.”
Stostine took a moment to squirm behind Vareén, trying to control a sudden fit of coughing as her Light spell flickered.
Vareén glanced over her shoulder. “Keep it together. We’re on a job here.”
“A-A job...Right. A...A job." Her coughing quickly subsided as the Light spell surged back to full strength. And in that light, Vareén watched Stostine raise her head again. Except, as she did, her eyes and magic glowed with this unusual pink tint.
Wait, what? Vareén blinked. That’s...not normal.
Stostine blinked a few times then abruptly scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah? And what about Mirna and her daughters? You kill whoever locked them in your basement too?”
Stalwart didn’t answer that time. Only glared from across the way.
“That’s what I thought,” Stostine mocked, her pink irises intensifying. “You think you can just make yourself judge and executioner like that? That you can be above everyone else? That you got some sick right to raise the death count however you want?! That is not how this works! Which is why we already sent a letter to Agix.”
That earned all of the thug’s attention. They all paused for a moment before Stalwart found his mind once more.
Then he started to chuckle. “You do realize how little that matters, yes? Agix is nearly two weeks away, even by horse. By the time they get it and send someone out here, a month will have already passed. Your cherished law isn’t nearly swift enough.”
“It is when we use magic paper,” Stostine countered. The Redbrands’ cocky attitude dashed as Stalwart glared.
“What?”
“That letter'll arrive by morning,” Stostine went on. “And I’d imagine they’ll be puhhhh-lenty swift. Especially when we might’ve let slip about all your extortion and necromancy! Whoops-il-dop~” she cooed sarcastically.
Vareén watched most of Redbrands turning their attention on the two of them. "You can stop now Stostine."
Stalwart closed his eyes. Glasstaff was right. They probably charmed the others into revealing everything. This is bad.
Meanwhile, the Redbrands started rioting. They yelled extremities and insults at Stostine as Stalwart thought carefully. That is until his mind was interrupted by a nervous Dwarf's voice.
“U-Uh, boss?" The Dwarf stammered. "Ah think she might be tellin’ the truth. Ya. Y-Ya think, maybe, we should rethink things a bit?”
Stalwart sighed. That won’t do. He dropped his torch and readied his hand crossbow at the Dwarf. “No, thank you. Goodbye, Yernal.”
Gasping, Stostine quickly licked her fingers, forming the spittle into a chunk of Ice Knife. Stalwart was about to fire but noticed the Ice Knife whistling at him and switched targets.
He brought up his crossbow and fired. The two projectiles shattered against one another as wood chips and ice shards rained down on the tiefling; yet only a few shards scraped against his scalp.
Sunset bit her lip, realizing that was her last spell beyond cantrips. “Um. How does he look now?”
Story glanced at his notes and then the moving scene of Stalwart staring back at Stostine and Vareén on the screen.
He looked back at the girls. “In a word? Inconvenienced.”
He reached for a pencil and some dice. “Twilight, Fluttershy, and Sunset? Initiative.”
“Wait, only them?” Rainbow sat up. Story nodded. “Can we go help?” Rainbow reached for a die of her own. “We heard the Thunderblast thing too, right? We know they’re fighting!”
“Awww, it’ll be all good Rava,” Pinkie argued with a grin and Glemerr’s voice. “It’s all accordin’ ta Platick’s cool plan! We just gotta wait our turn so we can knock ‘em flat!”
“MIss Glem, darlin’, I think yer gettin’ a little too inta this,” Rarity remarked with Ricven. “Oh, an’ Story? I’d like ta ready my violin and the bag a’ herbs.”
“Granted.” He nodded before rolling. And as he did, over a dozen dull red tendrils sprouted from the DM screen. Amongst them all was a brighter red tendril the size of a king cobra.
“Uhh, girls?” Story leaned back, his voice cracking. “Is this new or...?”
“Harmless,” Twilight promised him. “So far, they only move and point at whoever’s targeted. More illusion magic.”
As Twilight spoke, the girls watched their side of the DM screen blink off like a TV screen with a single image in the bottom left corner. The familiar scene of Warlord Klarg and his pet wolf Ripper knocked out in a heap.
Then, everyone watched as magic trails wisped from Twi, Fluttershy, and Sunset into the screen. Story stood up, leaning over the screen to watch as new images formed.
Twilight and Sunset’s aura blended together as it struck the screen to form their image. One of Vareén and Stostine atop Tucker the horse. Stostine held her bag of sand in one hand with ice crystallizing along her other hand’s fingers. Meanwhile, Vareén lined up another shot with her bow with her black hair blowing behind her.
Simultaneously, Thorn Wielder appeared from Fluttershy’s magic, standing there with her arms outstretched. Her hands and vines glowed with a magic akin to luminescent fabric riding the wind.
Then, the red tendrils sent weak pulses of aura back into the screen, forming a final image. An army of Redbrand silhouettes looming over the three girls as their red gleaming eyes and cloaks were the only points of color.
Finally, at the front of those Redbrands was a man with horns, longsword, and shield. It was obviously Stalwart but, again, the only color and detail was with his cloak and eyes. But where each Redbrand member had red eyes, Stalwarts were a deep purple.
That last detail, coupled with Stalwart’s demon-esque silhouette, gave Twilight a brief relapse of dread before she refocused herself.
“O-kay..." Story hummed, counting up his dice as he bit his lip. The three girls looked equally worried at their own dice but for an opposite reason.
Story glanced up. “Well...Did, uh...Did any of you roll higher than a nineteen?”
Twi, Sunset, and Shy grimaced somewhat before looking between each other and their dice. Everyone else around them slowly earned this realization that their squishiest member and two friends were facing off against fifteen bad guys.
All with loaded crossbows.
Story clicked his tongue and wiped his face, dreading every second of what was to follow. “Stalwart gives the order.”
“If you don't want to be Glasstaff’s next project, kill them all!” Stalwart roared, forcing everyone, even the cautious Dwarf, to return fire.
With the Cortássian only ten feet away, most of the crossbows fired at her. Seeing the volley, Thorn brought up her shield and knelt low, watching as a few bolts whistled through where her head was while two more plinked off her wooden shield.
But she wasn’t safe. While one bandit’s weapon jammed, the two thugs beside him hit their mark. One bolt stabbed below Thorn’s knee while another glided against her shoulder. She nearly fell back as she cried out in pain.
Vareén and Stostine were dealt the rest. Most of the shots went wide as the distance between the criminals and girls worked in their favor. But thanks to Stostine’s light, the bandits had a chance.
Stostine took one to the thigh and screamed wildly, her pink eyes and Light spell flickering but it wasn’t as bad as Vareén. She took two to the center of the chest, making all the air leave her lungs as she struggled to stay conscious.
Stalwart stepped forward, hooking the hand crossbow back on his belt and drew out his longsword. He leveled it at Thorn Wielder.
“Thanks for playing your hand,” he said bitterly. “We didn’t know the knife-eared Cortássian was magic too. Not that I need a reason to kill you.”
Thorn Wielder stood at her full height, ignoring the blood dripping down her arm and leg.
“Hurry up, devil-kissed,” she spat in elven. Stalwart obliged.
Stalwart rushed in, brass shield ready to mallet Thorn to the ground. But despite her knee, Thorn did the very same. With her own wooden shield, she lunged and the two collided in a standoff.
It was short-lived and Stalwart won instantly. With one step, he took Thorn off her rhythm and readied his sword to bisect her. In a swift decision, Thorn bent backward as though to limbo, dodging the swing but teetering to keep on her heels.
So, the tiefling capitalized again. Leaning into a shoulder bash, he clocked Thorn in the sternum. Her legs flailed beneath her, falling to a kneel that forced her open wound to land on top of the gravelly road.
Thorn let out a mad wail until she registered Stalwart readying his blade to silence her. With both arms, she held up her shield and caught the force while her knee further grinded into the path. It and her shield looked miserable, but Thorn brought all her strength into pushing the tiefling away.
Stalwart debated whether to discard his shield to focus on offense but thought better of it when he heard the druidic chants accompanying the building aura around the elf’s arms.
It was her turn.
“Get. AWAY,” Thorn roared, slamming her fists into the ground.
A second shockwave rumbled across the earth and against Stalwart’s legs. His shins nearly snapped from the force as he slid back a considerable distance along with a few of his troops.
When his boots finally caught ground, Stalwart again looked behind him. The Redbrands were bruised but no more of them were dead this time. Still, the ragdolling bodies tumbling about weren’t reassuring.
Thorn took a deep breath, her form suddenly shifting into that of an auburn doe with vines around her front right leg. And with four uninjured legs beneath her, she readied herself to run.
However, before doing so, she paused to match the gaze of Vareén and Stostine.
“Alright! Good job Thorn,” Stostine cheered, a foreign air of cockiness and fear in her voice. “We-We’ll take these losers from here! Don’t let them catch you!”
“YIIIIIiiihhh!” The deer cried out something between a caw and a squeak before bolting towards the Sleeping Giant’s open doors.
Vareén gave Stostine a look as she spoke in a raspy, weak voice that sounded like a chainsmoker. “Okay, now I know you’re faking it.”
“Pfft! As if,” Stostine scoffed with a waving hand. “Trust in the plan, Var-Var! Fourteen crossbows later and the three of us are still perfectly—OH SWEET ILMATER, HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!”
Stostine’s pink irises faded back to her usual dull gold as she held a hand over her mouth. Without shame, she stared at the two bolts half embedded in Vareén’s torso as it seemed inhumanly deflated: her armor noticeably looser.
“It...It’s fine,” Vareén promised with no breath to her words as she forced herself to ready an arrow. “But one’s...against my lung...”
“Your lung?!” Stostine cleared her throat, forcing herself not to let her sickness get the best of her. “What do you mean your lu—” The mage was cut off from the sound of violins strings screeching out the Sleeping Giant.
Thorn Wielder jumped off her hooves, diving through the entrance as the heavy strings of a violin expelled from the pub the same time that ominous purple lights spilled from the windows and door. It looked like a demon eager to consume whoever entered.
One Redbrand finished reloading her crossbow just in time for an arrow to stop her heart. Simultaneously, a blast of fire struck another Redbrand, incinerating his arm before he fell over in a screaming mess. The focus from the Redbrands was officially torn between the girls and Thorn Wielder.
Stalwart stood up and turned to those remaining. “Half of you to the bar! The rest of you? On them! Don't leave a single survivor!”
Stostine watched six of them start running after them and looked back to her ally. “Vareén, we need to go!”
Vareén didn’t answer right away, instead taking one of the embedded bolts in her hand and plucking it out of her. Stostine went to cover her eyes but not before noticing the coagulated blood coating the tip.
“I know,” she finally announced with a deep breath. Vareén then tossed the bolt aside, grabbing the reins and spinning Tucker around, taking off.
“Okay! Are you back to normal?!” Vareén half-shouted.
“Normal? Me?!” Stostine cocked an eyebrow. “You have a bolt in your heart!”
“Nope. Not heart,” Vareén corrected shortly. “Feels like it though. Now, hold this and don’t drop it.” Vareén pressed her bow into Stostine’s hands, made sure Tucker wasn’t slowing down, and finally took an arrow from her quiver and used it as a mouth guard.
"I’hm go’na ha’e thish," she muttered before quickly wrenching the bolt free, a string of jelly-like blood hanging between the bolt’s head and her ribcage. Vareén started doubling over, screaming into her arrow.
Behind her, Stostine skipped the coughing fit altogether. Seeing this, she started heaving and holding her mouth closed only for Vareén to turn and glare.
“I swear to the Traveler, you puke on me, I’m throwing you off this horse and trampling you with it!”
Their bickering was cut off by a couple bolts whizzing past them. Vareén whipped the reins, driving Tucker faster just as another bolt passed through the stallion’s legs.
Stostine tightened one arm around Vareén and clutched the bow and glowing bag of sand in the other. “I’m okay! I’m okay, I’m sorry!” she breathed. “We need to lure as many of them away as we can!”
“But do we really need your magic Light?!” Vareén glared over her shoulder for a moment. “It’s literally making us a target!”
“Most of them are human!” Stostine’s voice fell into a scream as she ducked down from a flying bolt, pulling Vareén back in the process. “They couldn’t see us otherwise!”
“Then shoot them first,” Vareén demanded. “I can’t, I’ve never shot from a moving horse before!”
“Okay! Yes, right, I can do tha—"
“...Stostine?” Vareén called back, turning around again to spot Stostine’s distant expression as a bolt jutted out of her upper back. The Light on the bag of sand vanished entirely.
No, Vareén screamed to herself.
“V. V-Var...Help." Stostine brought up a hand as the movement of the horse had her falling off the back of it.
Sunset watched as a void of color spread across her character sheet and then across the table around it. Despite none of the girls able to see it, Pinkie and Rainbow quickly recognized what was happening.
Although Story saw the spreading void splotch along with Sunset. Without needing it explained, he quickly caught on to what it resembled. Stostine was dying.
“Can I grab onto her?” Twilight about begged. “Keep her from falling?”
But Sunset bit her lip, regretting her initial thought. “Wait. Would Vareén even do that?”
“Yes. She would,” Twilight wasted no time. “Story. Can I?”
Story thought it over carefully, doing his best to clear his mind of all the magic to figure out what he would normally do. After a moment, he decided.
“Make me an athletics check,” he decided, Twilight acting immediately. One roll later and her die didn’t even bother glowing from the ‘5’ displayed on top. And the ‘+1’ on the table also seemed reluctant to show up.
“...Six?” Twilight squeaked.
Story nodded solemnly. “Okay. Next question then. It’s important. Which one do you hold onto? The reins? Or Stostine?”
“Stostine,” Twilight, again, wasted no time, earning an uncertain glance from Sunset.
Story refocused his nerves again, hoping the girls’ planning didn’t just get destroyed. “As you reach out for her..."
Vareén threw out a hand, clutching Stostine’s in a death grip as she tried to pull. Still, the mage girl was dead weight and despite Vareén’s best effort, she was pulled tight between her passenger and Tucker’s reins.
The horse took this as a motion to halt and abruptly reared back, sliding the girls off his back and sprawled across the ground. And when Vareén’s let go of the reins, a bolt tagged the poor horse’s ear and sent him into a frenzy as he abandoned his riders into the night.
Vareén stared down at Stostine, turning her on her side so the bolt wouldn’t sink deeper. “Come on, be alive,” she mumbled, glancing up to see a bobbing torch and several figures beneath it.
Vareén assessed her chances, starting with the bandits closing in. Six of them. Four humans, two Dwarves. Over a hundred feet away. Not far from the bar, shit. She eyed the Sleeping Giant next. About 200 ft away and the heavy purple light silhouetted a mosh pit in the doorway.
They can handle it, Vareén decided, next turning to the mage in her arms.
Stostine’s eyelids fought to stay open as she remained unresponsive. She had Vareén’s bow firmly grasped in one hand as the other began to turn cold. The bolts in her back and thigh helped to plug her wounds.
Vareén went back and forth between Stostine and the bandits, ducking low to dodge an incoming bolt from one of the Dwarves. All the while, her face betrayed every negative emotion she knew.
“I...You...Urrrrgh!” She growled, reaching for the tiny glass bottle on her hip.
Earlier
“Is it really wise only sending the three of us to confront them?” Stostine asked, doubtful of the plan Platick was reviewing.
“I couldn’t think of any three people more frustrating to deal with,” Platick admitted.
“She meant it’s a stupid gamble sending only us,” Vareén translated. “Two people in this group are built for handling large groups and you're putting them somewhere else.”
“They wouldn’t last.” Platick shook his head. “Ravathyra’s well armored but slow moving. They’ll have crossbows. They’ll back up and make her a pincushion.”
“Now tha’ ain’t fair. It’d take a lil’ more than tha’!” Rava crossed her arms and huffed.
“Meanwhile, Glemerr’s fast but headstrong. If those thugs say the wrong thing, she won’t bother retreating. She’ll stay and get killed.”
“Ah still think we just meet ‘em outside fer a good ol’ fashion’ thrashin’,” Glemerr argued. Then she chuckled. “Heheh. Fashion’ thrashin’. Dat rhymed.”
“Glemerr, they are not mindless,” Stostine spoke up. “If this Stalwart is supposed to be some sort of former troop leader, he will expect that. More than likely, he would have them focus attention on one of us at a time. Platick, your plan is smart. I am just unsure about the roles you decided.”
“Which is why we need to split them up. Meaning, distance and speed. Vareén’s bow and Stostine’s magic do exactly that. Meanwhile, if Thorn can turn into something fast, she can rile them up and back up.”
“But, again, we are not that strong. A couple unlucky hits and we will be gone.”
“...Ricven?” Vareén looked over to the gnome tapping his fingers together anxiously. After they were done here, they would fix his violin next. “You have that other potion, yeah? Pass it over.”
“It’s the last one,” Ricven warned. “And everyone’s outta magic healin’. What if we need it?”
“Come on Ricven, have some faith in us,” Rava teased. “Ya really think me an’ Glem are goin’ down?”
Glemerr grinned. “Not a chance! Plus, both a’ us got med kits now! Who needs yer fancy potion?!”
Platick nodded. “They have a good point. Give it to Vareén.”
The gnome shrugged. “Alrighty. If yer all so sure.”
Vareén popped the cork off the potion bottle and forced the contents down Stostine’s throat. At the same time, Vareén reached around and carefully worked the bolt out of her back. The potion helping to body push the foreign object cleanly.
Suddenly, Stostine drew a sharp hiss and leaned up, flinching in pain as her back did its best to seal her wound.
Stostine gave out a few more groans and gasps as Vareén quickly scooped up her bow and grabbed a new arrow. “You alive?”
“urghh...mm-hmm,” she whimpered with a nod.
“Good.” Vareén turned and stared at one of the Redbrands running towards them. “Pluvv.” The veins around her eyes all popped out slightly as she drew her arrow back.
Stostine crawled up to her feet, speaking a word of magic before her hand was engulfed in flames. A new bolt fired from one of the humans who found them thanks to the fire but missed like an apple thrown at a bushel.
Stostine didn’t have that problem. With a flick of her wrist, she returned fire, literally, incinerating the one that shot at her. They fell to the ground as the five remaining Redbrands sprinted towards where they saw the fire originate.
“That marks seven dead. And five more on us,” Stostine counted. “That means team House Rock has—”
“Has six crooks and their leader,” Vareén cut in. Why did we let Glemerr choose team names? she thought.
“They should be fine,” Stostine said to her own benefit. “I mean, Rava knocked out three of them single-handedly. They should be fine.”
“You already said that,” Vareén lamented as another bolt launched at them. Both of them side-stepped in opposite directions as it flew between them and into the dirt.
Vareén aimed her bow as her darkvision helped to spot three figures made a blind dash for them in the darkness. A single Dwarf took his time as he reloaded.
“It’s not them I’m concerned about.” Vareén took a breath and stepped in front of Stostine, preparing for the idiots that brandished short swords and scimitars. “I’m worried about us.”
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Great chapter, great plan! Can’t wait for more!
Frog.
So.... we're going to war, huh?
I have to admit, when I played this module, my group and I kinda rushed through everything, going into the hideout completely unprepared. In the end, we all pretty much died and our DM, my brother, allowed a divine intervention, even though we were only level 2 at the time.
So seeing the way the girls are trying to thin out the numbers by drawing them out and fighting them on more familiar ground is really cool to see, and makes a lot more sense than just storming into the base without any idea what's inside.
Can't wait to see what happens next!
It reads just fine. Have to admit I am now full of suspense for what is coming next.
Another great chapter, as usual.^^ Stinks that I got delayed in getting to it. XD But still great to see more.:D
⌰'⌿ ⎐⍀⎍⎍⏚ ⌰'⌿.
fuck.