A breeze plays over the long grass of the plains as the Sun hangs overhead, the temperature approaching noon's intensity whilst shade dwindles beneath its glare. Small herds of horses graze nearby, uncaring of the heat while they feed. Water is close by here, a small pool in the plains providing a welcome oasis from the heat with it's shrubbery and small, flowering trees.
Into all of this calm, a deafening boom descends like a torrent from the depths of hell. A whirlpool of intense magical energy tears open the air, pointing directly to the ground. All around, the whinneying of frightened mares is counterpointed by the bass boom of air forced to move outwards at speeds undreamed of by any but the greatest minds.
From the whirlpool drops a form, lying prone upon the earth he coughs pathetically. The rift closes slowly, affording the form, recognisable as a human male, to see one last glimpse of a surreal climate, a battle in full sway, before the noise is cut off forever, the rift gone. Pulling himself to his feet, the man looks around, shielding his eyes from the impossible heat. With lips caked in the gore of battle, he mumbles, "I'm going to kill Anthony when I find him..."

---

Popping his back into it's normally aligned place, Tethis Ironfold took a good look around. This place was far away from the battle, he could tell that just from the Sun's position. Anthony, the fool, he'd sent Tethis maybe a thousand miles! Shaking his head, Tethis checked his weaponry, the katana unbroken and his rapier still housed in his scabbard, having not drawn it in the fight before he was thrown from it magically. Putting his hand back to his brow, he looked for somewhere to walk, and noticed a dirt track leading off over the horizon. "Well, when in Het Hi Kon, do as the Het Hi Konians would..." Steeing his shoulders, Tethis began to trot down the road.

After Tethis had walked several miles, he suddenly heard steps behind him. Looking behind made him see a lonely figure, apperently walking at an easy pace, but closing like he was running for his life. When the figure came closer, Tethis could see a waving blue red checkered travelling cloak, a brighty light blue colored rag around the man's head, and a bright green fez on top. The shirt underneath the man's cloak was a little extravagant with many colors and decorations, but enabled him to move around quite well. The pants were wide knee pants, with yellow and black vertical stripes. The boots were not much better, they looked like a harlequin's, with red and blue pieces on the white pointy-nosed shoes, with a little bell on both. Soon enough, the strangely dressed man caught up to him. Immediatly the man opened his mouth and started blabbering at the tired Tethis. "Fine day to you, little travelling man. My name is Ghudhi Camstrung, a fellow traveller like you! Where are you heading?"

Tethis looked at the strangely attired young man. He looked like the harlequins Tethis's father used to have when he was a boy, and for some reason this soothed him a little. His dusty leather armour creaked as he about-faced, hand over his heart in a gesture of greeting and respect, "Good day to you also, Ghudhi. I am Tethis Ironfold, leader of the Mercenary Troops of Hen Tek... Could you possibly tell me whereabouts we are? Until I know that, I'm afraid I can't head anywhere." Absently, Tetihs began to re-tie his hair, to keep it out of his eyes, whilst he awaited this person's response. His mind working independantly of his body, Tethis was unconsciously noting any places weaponry might be concealed on this person. A traveller did not move unarmed, no matter where they were.

Tethis looked well, but could see no weapon, other than the walking stick the man was holding. Ghudhi didn't notice, or at least didn't mention it. "My good man Tethis, you are walking over the beautifull and far-stretching Ayvewae Plains! Beautiful, although sometimes you can't find another intelligent soul for miles around. Hen Tek... never heard of it. Even though you do look like you've only recently battled half a batallion by yourself. Care to drink something?"
Ghudhi pulled a roundish bottle from underneath his cloak, although there hadn't appeared to be something there earlier. Tethis wondered how he could have missed such a large object. Ghudhi sticked the bottle forward to Tethis, offering him the drink, he didn't say what it was.

Tethis looked at the bottle, but just smiled and waved it away, searching the surrounds with his eyes, scuffing the terra with his foot, "I'm not thirsty, thank-you. Ayvewae Plains? Never heard of it... It looks a rather desolate place, to be honest. And yes, I was actually fighting before I found myself here. My Mercenaries were engaging a Nikarath contingent on the Scarred Plains but two spells collided on me at once and somehow... I'm here. Wherever here is."
Thumbing the hilt of his rapier, the embossed dog's head catching the glint of the Sun high overhead, Tethis squinted at the man, "Just where did that bottle come from, by the way?" The thumbing of his weapons was not a hostile sort of gesture, but a nervous habit, and magic-users made Tethis very nervous.

Ghudhi smiled, and gave Tethis a wink: "It came from where all the others come from too."
He opened the bottle and drank some of the fluid himself. "You should drink often you know. This may not seem like the desert, but water pools are far and wide. Many have died of thrist in these green plains. But at least there is no sun burning down on you."
He kept quiet a few seconds, staring off into the distance. Then he spoke again. "Nikarath and the Scarred Plains, both names don't mean much to me I'm afraid. But those spells might have created a rift through the fabric of the plane. You're lucky you ended up here and not in some other far more hostile plane. Imagine you ended up on the Plane of Fire!"
After that he went on babbling about all dangerous planes he could think off, and it was quite getting on Tethis nerves to hear in how many ways he could have gotten killed. Right when Tethis was about to tell Ghudhi to shut it, Ghudhi concluded his speech. "But luckily none of that all happened and you landed in the grassy plain of Ayvewae."

Tethis couldn't help himself. As annoyed as he'd felt a few seconds ago, the conclusion, uttered so abruptly, caused him to burst into laughter. "Well, there is that I suppose. Maybe if I'd ended up on the Plane of Fire I'd've been little more than a roast by now."
Tethis then lost his smile, ever so gradually. Catching sight of the horses in the distance, a beautiful chestnut brown colour, he sighed. They loked like the ones he had at home. "I think you might be right, you know. Anthony's spell was a transport to pull me out of the way of an atomising hex. They might have formed a tunnel to another part of the world, or another plane of existence. It's a scary thought, eh Ghudhi?"
Looking at the bottle, Tethis tried to lightn the mood a little and pointed to it, "So what's actually in there, friend?"

Ghudhi smiled, and laid his hand on Tethis'shoulder in a friendly way. "This, dear Tethis Ironfold, is Elven Applejuice. Quite simiral to normal applejuice, except for the apples. You see there have rarily been apples that were better taken care off than those grown by the Elven Druids of the Ennahudiel Grove. It splendid for travelling, makes you feel like you could go on for miles and miles, and it's good for your thirst, of course! The Archdruid gave it to me for my help during the Goblin Choppings. I've got quite a stock of it."
Ghudhi smiled and stared off into the distance, reliving some memories, before he turned back and said: "Are you sure you won't have any? And don't worry about your friends, we'll find them! I love to travel, so I might as well join you to these Scarred Plains. Tell me about them. Why are they called 'scarred' for instance?"

Tethis reached out and, thanking Ghudhi pleasantly, took a hearty draught. He felt a small warmth in his stomach, not usually akin to apple-juice, but passed it off. Perhaps he was too trusting, but the jester seemed like a good person.
Shaking his head as he handed back the flask, Tethis laughed once more, "To tell you of the Scarred Plains would take a while, we should walk as we talk." Setting off once again, Tethis merely assumed Ghudhi would want to follow him, so began to chatter of the land of Bilymas, his home. "Firstly, you must imagine that the Orcs of Bilymas used to be in power. They had an amazingly wide empire on Bilymas, at least it seemed like that from our point of view. Compared to Orcs, the human population was larger, but more fledgeling.
"Now, the Scarred Plains are so named because that is exactly what they are - A pathetic remnant of once lush grasslands. Some three centuries ago, the King of Bilymas countered an Orcish offensive to the South of Bilymas's capital, Bilyteth. This counter-offensive leaned into becoming a war, which is among Bilymasians referred to as 'The First War', as it is the only true war in our island's history.
"Anyway, through this war, the Orcs gained an upper hand slowly but surely. Unlike the humans, Orcs in Bilymas do not seperate their magic-users from the rest of society. They live with the rest of the Orcs in their capital city of Su'un, or at least they did. Humans, by the way, decided long ago to set up a city named Silroth to be run by and populated mostly by arcane practitioners. But I ramble. These Orcish wizards were powerful, incredibly so. Some fighters in Bilymas know tricks, certain advantageous skills, but nothing on the scale of magical protection. For three years, the Orcs pushed the King's Army back towards Bilymas...
"But then, according to sources, a being named The Sage intervened. No one knows who he is, but The Sage is known to appear in Bilymas accompanied by a greater Golden Dragon during times of need. He didn't ask the magicians of Silroth to aid the King - He ordered them to. Not a single person on Bilymas can make a wizard do something against his or her will, but The Sage did.
"The wizards came in force and numbers far greater than the Orcish warriors and mages. Falling in their hundreds, the Orcs were forced back to the city of Su'un and the wizards razed everything, anything in their way. A terrible injustice, it is to be sure, but a necessary evil at the time from all accounts. The wizards went as far as to reduce much of Su'un to rubble, and it only now begins to re-emerge from the ashes of The First War today. Su'un sits on the edges of the Scarred Plains, and nothing grows there, no life is supported there but for the Orcs which scratch a living from the few creatures that live on their boundaries."
Turning back to Ghudhi, there was a spark of anger hidden well below the surface, but definitely there. He kept it well concealed, but the fire burned in his eyes. Clearing his throat, Tethis returned his attention to the road, "Is there anything I haven't covered in enough detail for you?"

"Oh no, I think you describe it perfectly well." Ghudhi said. "Although I can't say I know the place. Perhaps we should go visit the Wayfearer's Guild, or the Plainshifter's. They mighth ave heard from it. But the nearest Guildhouses are quite a long way from here, and I've never really been there... 't would be a splendid travel to go there!"

Tethis smiled, genuinely pleased, "Well, if you don't mind trekking all the way to wherever these guilds are, I'd be more than happy to give it a shot. I need to find out what's happened to my men, after all..." Tethis suddenly stopped dead in the road, mouth agape, "Oh, good Gods! My men! They could all be slaughtered by now!"

"They'll be okay." Ghundhi said. "You look like a capable fellow, I'm sure you trained them well. They're probably halfway of the them ess already, talking about the fight and wonderign where you are. And I'll be glad to accompany you to the Guilds, right after we finished walking down this road and asked directions in the next town. At least, I hope it'll be a reasonable town. Villagers are fine people, but they tend to know less."

Tethis kept his voice low as he grudgingly started to plod on again. "I know they've been trained well. Most of that outfit had over ten years' experience with me. It's just... Nikarath are tough, y'know? I need a couple of the lads with me to pull one down, and that means a lot where I come from." Shading his eyes once more from the Sun, Tethis looked down the road and sighed, "Any idea how long it'll take to get to the next town, Ghudhi?"

"Well... no, I haven't got any idea, really, but it can't be that far away. We'll be okay." Ghudhi said. "So will be your men, I'm sure. I've never met these Nikarath before, what are they?"
And, as he saw Tethis shade his eyes. "You need a hat?"

Tethis glanced sideways at Ghudhi, "No, thank-you. I don't like the feel of them on my head. My bandana is as close as it gets to head coverings.
"Have you really never heard of a Nikarath? I thought they were everywhere these day... Maybe it's only on my island, eh? They're eight-foot tall insectoid demons. No-one really knows that much about them, apart from they appeared three years ago, they don't seem to think for themselves, and they're like trying to fight mountains. They're slow, unintelligent, for the most part, but incredibly tough. Their chitin carapace defies even the strongest steel, and they don't havee to carry weapons, they have chitin blades on their forearms, all four of them. It takes about five men to bring one down - That's four to distract it long enough for the fifth to slip a blade into it's joints and sever the nerves." Tethis shook his head as memories of the demons flickered into his mind, "Be glad you've never seen one, friend. They're pure evil."

"Good thing we've got lads like you cleaning them up then. If we find them in time, I might even lend a hand myself. All for the good cause aye?" Ghudhi said, grinning. He looked at the horizon. Suddenly he fished a spyglass from his robe, and took a look through it. "Well, there seems to be a small town down the road. At my usual pace, I'd be there in a few hours, but now, I think erm... by nightfall, maybe a little later. Human settlement, I reckon. I'm sure they'll have some food to spare for us. Our nightrest is secure, my friend!"
Ghudhi gave Tethis a friendly smile, and already seemed to have fully accepted Tethis being in his company. Ghudhi seemed to be quite trusting.

Tethis shrugged, "Hey, don't let me slow you down. I figt for a living, I can run for miles, so if you'd like to speed up for a while then be my guest."
Tethis then stopped to think about what Ghudhi just did, "Hm, how could that spyglass see for miles like tht? The ones we have at home only see for maybe two, three at best."
Tethis wasn't sure why, but this man seemed to be getting on his good side rather quickly.

"Well, rather naturally, it's a fine quality spyglass madde for travelling long distances. It's also a little bit magical. And these flat plains I like to travel, so I've got a few of these things." Ghudhi said. "Travelling can be quite dangerous when one doesn't know where he's going. But let's make a little haste then."

Ghudhi casually walked on, but even so seemed to pace up. Tethis had to push himself into a forced march to keep up. It didn't bother the man much, he was used to such things.
Several hoursl ater, about an hour before nightfall, they reached the village. The village was a usual human settlement. Huts on the outskirts of town, but bigger, more lasting structures in the centre, a few two-story buildings, mostly shops and an inn, a mill and a small Temple of some local God. There also was a tower, which seemed to be the only military/protective structure of the town, save for the strong fences around the outer huts. Those were mainly used to keep the cattle in, rather than enemies out, though. The village appeared peaceful and quiet.

Ghudhi stepped into the village, and looked around. Two members of what seemed to be the local militia, a young man and an older one, looked at the guests entering there village. "Greetings. You walk with great speed, do you bring important tidings?"

Tethis looke at the men's armour. It was uncared for, garishly coloured and had the feel of something worn on a festival day rather than in real military use, "No, friends, we do not. But perhaps you could part with us a little information? We need a place to stay, somewhere preferably cheap."

"Well, there's only one inn here." the younger one now spoke, with much clearer voice. It was obvious he was still enthusiastic about his job. His armour looked slightly better than the older one's too. "You see, when you walk down the road, the mill's on top of a small hill. At the foot of the hill, near the town square, you'll find the inn. It looks pretty much the same as the shops, but it has a sign saying "Grassy Roads Inn". I'm sure you'll find it."

"Alright, thank you dear lad." Ghudhi said. "Here's a little something for you doing your job so devotedly."
He reached inside his cloak once more, and pulled out a small doll, shaped like a goblin. He threw it a the guard, who caught it. The small statue, which looked like a toy for kids, began making weird sounds, somewhat like those made by goblins. As Ghudhi and Tethis walked down the road, Ghudhi said: "I had been carrying that thing around for miles! Perhaps he'll be happ with it. Or show it to local kids, they love magic toys."

Tethis smiled. As much as the toy revolted him (he hated goblins with a passion. Very disgusting creatures on his island) he found it somewhat amusing. "you know, I do think that those two were the only guards here. Strange, I would have thought there were more in a place like this. It's in th middle of nowhere, a prime target for bandits."
Looking side-long at Ghudhi, Tethis again flashed the smile that made his face seem twenty years younger, "But then again, who'd need to pillage a little community like this?"

"Exactly." Ghudhi said. "There are more guards, probably, but they're not all on duty at the same gate, I think. Besides these farmers can often hold their own in a fight. Although they'd get slaughtered when a trained band of warriors'd pick this town as a target. But I haven't seen those in ages, this village here'll be fine."
He walked over to the Inn, and went in.

The inn is small, but comfy. Chairs and Tables are shattered across the room, a counter on the right wall and a large fireplace in the back. several windows on the left side let enough light in so to keep things visible, and the fireplace wasn't burning. Behind the counter was the door to the kitchens, and next to the entrance were the stairs up. A chubby but tough-build barman was standing behind the counter and gave them a friendly nod. The only other person in the inn seemed to be a bard, who had been talking to the barman and practising on his harp at the same time.

Tethis cast a glance at the bard and barman, unconsciously once again checking the men for weaponry. The barman probably wouldn't need any, form the look of him, he thought. "Gods, a man that size would give even the Brawler Soldiers back home, Ghudhi. They make them big around here." He muttered under his breath, picking his way to a relatively comfortable looking table, close to the fire. If the barman decided to light it later, they'd be the first to feel the benefit.

Ghudhi chuckled. "Yes, I doubt we'll have any trouble with bar fights here." he said when he followed Tethis and sat down at the table. To the barman he said "Dinner for two please." after which the man dissapeared into the kitchen.

"Travelers ey? Where hail you from?" the Bard suddenly asked the two.

Tethis gave the man a perfunctory smile, turning in his seat to better face the bard, "I hail from the Isle of Bilymas, good sir. Does the name mean much to you?"

"Well, I might have heard of it. Does sound a bit familiar, but doesn really ring a bell, y'know?" The bard said, hitting a few notes on his harp. "Tell me more about this Bilymas, if ye please good sir."

Tethis raked a hand through his hair, a little agitated. If the bard said it sounded familiar, he might have heard of home! "Well, what would you like me to explain? The royalty? The geography? The people? Animals? Culture? The last ten years of my life I've studied every aspect of Bilymas, I know a lot about it."

"Just tell me a bit of everything, lad. We bards know little stories about a bit of everything, we don't study." He grinned, and played a little riff again. Then he stood up from his table and sat with Tethis and Ghudhi, who was now listening with interest. "So, start off."

Tethis looked at the table for a few moments, ordering his thoughts. The bard might know a little of everything, but it was really more of an issue of whether Bilymas existed here or not. He decided to go with the most obvious choice, and launched into rhetoric about the Nikarath once again, their hive mentality and blistering capabilities in combat, their alliance with the dwarven peoples of Bilymas and the Nikarath city located in the swamps. Tethis spent maybe an hour filling in landmarks and events surrounding the last thirty years or so, from when he was twelve to the very day Anthony's spell cast him to the Plains. By the time he'd finished, Tethis felt slightly out of breath from the information he'd crammed into such a short time, and concluded soundly, "So now, my platoon is somewhere on the Scarred Plains, I'm cut off here, the King of Bilymas is sat on his fat arse in Bilyroth, our capital, the Nikarath are slowly gaining the upper hand and to cap it all off the Orcish people are standing off in their little city of Su'un to wait and see who they should join."

"A lands with troubles, without doubt." The Bard said. He sipped his drink, which he had ordered halfway the story. "By the landmarks you mention, I might have heard of it. It's a faraway place though, and little people go there. I would even go as far as saying it's an entirely different Continent than what we're on right now. If you seek to return to your land, I'd suggest you find a harbor city and try get aboard a ship which heads for Bilymas. However, I wouldn't know where you should seek such a harbor, Norths, West, South, East... I have never travelled to seaside towns before, so I know nothing of destinations outside the mainland."

Tethis cursed quietly, then thanked the bard for his help. "I think you're right about it being another continent... Bilymas has almost no contact with the outside world nowadays, it's large enough that it grows everything it needs to support it's populace."

"A blessing not every realm has." the Bard said, and he looked outside the window. It was getting dark and the tavern keeper had made a warm fire in the fireplace. "It's a quiet tavern this. We all might need to seek out our beds soon. Unless of course, you wish to stay awake all night and drink for good years to come. What do you say, shall I sing a song for the three of you?"

Tethis smiled, "Well, I confess that I'm not tired as yet, and a song is always welcome in a new town. It soothes the spirit. Aye, sing us a song, friend." With his back to the fire, soaking up a little of it's warmth, Tethis waited for the bard to begin, feeling marginally happier that someone knew of his home, if only vaguely.

Ghudhi nodded, and said he wished to hear a song as well. So the bard took up his harp once more and settled himself. With a few strokes he checked once more if his intrument was still in fine condition, and he began playing. Having just talked about a land such far away, he picked songs of travels far and wide, how some were happy and full of joy, and some were epic and full of tragic. The bard sang well, and the tavernkeeper even brought them all some beer, on the house.

"Far and wide, shall my feet go
To places of wonder no one knows
Through the burning sands of South
Full of dangers and adventures no doubt
Into the cold and winds of the North
The lands of the free and the worth'

Destiny of wanderer young and old
Goal of seekers shy or bold
Home to landlubbers and sailorkin
They all go back to the good ol' inn

See the East under shining sun
Travel the road from where it begun
May the streaming waters take you West
Were food and wine are at their best
Go to the Shining City, great and old
The center in the world of stories told."

Tethis listened, his senses all enwrapped in the bard's song. This place was Bilymas, it sounded so much like it. The Shining City... The Southern Sands and Western culture... He could imagine it all, see it all as the bard described it. Tethis suddenly felt very homesick, but happy for the knowledge that a song he could relate to his home existed.

The bard saw Tethis dreaming away, and decided this'd be enough for today. "My friends, it is getting late. The sun is setting and will soon be replaced by the mirror moon, and tomorrow is another day. I suggest we all seek the comfort of our beds, for who would want to start a new day with weary feelings?"

Tethis smiled at the bard, snapping back into the there and now. Looking towards Ghudhi, Tethis shrugged, "I'm willing to retire. For some reason, I suddenly feel the need to sleep." His eyes were feeling somewhat leaden, and Ghudhi could see that Tethis was swaying slightly in his seat, the price of travelling by arcane means over such a great distance.

"It be 5 silver for all of you." The tavernkeeper lazily replied, being quite tired himself, scratching his belly.

Ghudhi paid for the three of them, and they went upstairs while the keeper was cleaning their table. Upstairs was a corridor, with 2 rooms on the left and 2 on the right. The bard picked one on the left, while Tethis and Ghudhi both took one on the right. Tethis' room had a window lookign out on the main street of the little town, which was now deserted, save for a pair of patrolling town guards. In each of their rooms was a bed, a chair, a small table with a lamp and a small chest with a lock to put their stuff in.

Tethis took a quick look around the room, then a glance out of the window. The place was quaint, not unlike a lot of small villages he'd been through. Even the smell, it never changed. He thought about that as he pulled off his armour and undergarments, forsaking them for some bed-clothes he found in a small drawer. Trimming the lamp, Tethis lit it and sat on the bed, letting his mind wander for a while, relaxing as he'd learned to do on those rare nights when he wouldn't be on watch, before laying back and drifting into a dreamless slumber, the candle still burning merrily in it's glass jar.

Tethis slept for hours, before waking up in the middle of the night. He thought he heard something, but everything was quiet. He listened closely, but didn't hear anything, and sleep soon took him over again, not as dreamless this time. He dreamt of a battle. His mercenaries were all around, as were the Nikarith. He fought and he found, and blood was everywhere. His mercenaries and friends fell, as did the Nikarith, but the fighting wouldn't end. Blood covered the ground, ever more and more, until he finally foudn himself in blood up to his neck. Panicing he waded around, battle still around him, when a Nikarith jumped from the crismon waters, ready to rip his head off...
Tethis jumped up from his bed, covered in sweat and sheets. All was still dark around him, although a faint, yellow glow seemed to be coming from the window. He threw off the sheets, and suddenly stood still. The sounds of battle hadn't ended...

Tethis had spent years honing his martial instincts, and cursed himself for a fool for allowing himself to relax before going to sleep. He didn't bother with his undergarments, throwing his armour straight over skin, stopping only to pull on some breeches and snatch up his sword. Cautiously, he peered out into the hallway and saw Ghudhi's door was closed. "How could anyone sleep through that racket?" He mumbled, wondering how he'd managed himself. Tethis crept, low to the ground, towards Ghudhi's room, and knocked forcefully on the door, "Ghudhi. We have to get out of here, now!" He called, softly enough that Ghudhi would here but hopefully not loud enough to carry out towards the street, where unfriendly ears might catch it. As a precaution, his rapier was already unsheathed, the stabbing weapon more inclined to close quarters such as the inn's hallway.

Ghudhi opened the door, fully dressed. He seemed to have heard the noise as well. "So it seems. We should wake our friend the bard."
He walked over to the door across the hallway, and knocked hard. "Wake up!"

The bard came out, yawning and only wearing a pair of pants. "What is it..? And what's that awful noise in the middle of the night?"

Tethis grabbed the bard gently yet firmly, "What's going on is that there's a commotion outside, probably involving lots of sharp objects, and you're neither dressed nor armed. I'd advise against both." Feeling his point had been made, Tethis took up a position at the head of the stairs, the most easily defendable position on the staircase. "Now, are we going outside, or are we going to let them come to us? It sounds like they're coming this way."

Tethis was right, more or less. Actually, it sounded like everything was everywhere. The sounds of raging battle had now been supplemented with the sounds of helpless victims. Screams, cries, and sounds that didn't seem quite human. The bard had goen into his room and stormed out quickly enough, dressed, armed with a crossbow and a shortsword, his harp strapped firmly on his back. Two members of the city militia ran into the inn, and barricaded the door. They seemed quite stressed, both had blood soaked tabards. One had been lucky, or more experienced, as his tabard wasn't covered in his own blood, but the other was bleeding from his arm. The barkeeper yelled from behind the counter: "What's going on!?" Tethis could see the man was armed with a large butcher knife.

Tethis barreled down the stairs, trying to think as fast as possible. Thankfully, merecnaries came in all shapes and sizes and from experience he could see that the barman was perfectly at home with the knife. Nevertheless, he took the injured militiaman's sword and gave it to the barman, giving the militiaman the knife, and began giving orders. His voice had taken on a gravelly, flat edge spiced with experience, a voice a veteran would recognise as belonging to a man used to being listened to. "You, militiaman! Help your injured friend to the table at the back. He can watch the back door while you tell me what's going on. Barkeep, get over here and mind the door. Anything comes through it, you'd better hope you can stall it for a few seconds. Bard, get behind that table over there, the one near the wall. Flip it over and get behind it, you're out of the barman's way and you can put that crossbow to use! Now, where's Ghudhi?" Unable to see his companion, Tethis cursed and drew his second sword, the longsword hissing like a coiled snake as it cleared the scabbard and he took up a position close to the barman.

Everybody blinked for a few seconds when Tethis took command, but they all followed his orders, glad there was somebody who seemed to know what to do. The bard flipped over a table, and loaded his crossbow. The uninjured Militiaman installed his comrade on a table and tried to put on a bondage made from a ripped piece of cloth, while informing Tethis. "They attacked in the middle of the night, man! There were so many of them, we couldn't stop them. They killed... they... they killed Eric! Eric, man! By the gods..."
Ghudhi had been at the stairs the whole time, and was now coming down. A raven was sitting on his shoulder. "I'm here, Tethis. Although I do not know how much I can be of assistence, I only know a minor attacking spell."

Tethis nodded to the mliitiaman, the man was panicking so Tethis walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to steady him, "Hey, how many are there? And who are they? You've got time to get some water if you need it." Hearing Ghudhi, Tethis smiled wolfishly, "Well from the sounds of it, these buggers are meeting with steel, so any magic will scare the hell out of them. Just to be sure, you'd be better off with the injured man at the back, where you'll be able to do what you can without getting yourself into the thick of it. Does that sound okay? Anyone got any objections? This is your only chance to speak up, it's going to get ugly if they make their way into here."

While they were talking, a brick was thrown through the window, soon followed by two burning torches. Outside was more yelling of the inhuman voices, which seemed quite enthusiastic as the torches flew into the building. One had landed on the carpet, which was starting to catch fire. Meanwhile, Tethis heard something heavy was pounding on the door, and he saw the tavernkeeper had noticed it as well, standing ready with the blade.

Ghudhi quickly ran towards it, kicking it away. With some stamping he tried to put out the fire.

The injured militia man pushed out some painful words: "Goblins man! An entire raid! They surprised in the middle of the night, we didn't even see them coming!"
His comrade was still in shock, and had sat down himself, the large butcher knife laying next to him.

Tethis took in the militiaman's state and scowled. "Must be some bloody big goblins, the ones I'm used to couldn't do that if they could figure out which end of the sword to stick in you." Grabbing the second torch, Tethis hurled it into a half-empty flagon of ale, pitying the drink in a strange sort of way. Bringing his mind to bear, Tethis limbered up his arms and told the barman to stand back from the door a little. "If they get through, I want all hands on deck. You might be good with that thing but I reckon I'll be more effective with the rapier, that door's too small for them to swing. Anyone have any idea how many there are?"

"Seemed like a whole friggin' tribe to me..." the militiaman said softly, intimidated by Tethis outburst.

Ghudhi came down the stairs, after he'd taken a look up. "They threw torches through the windows, two rooms are on fire already, and the roof will soon be, too!"

With that the tavernkeeper lost his temper. "Those bloody scoundrels! Bandits! Foul little pests! I'll have them all! Give me back my good ol' chopper! I'll slaughter them!"
He ran around his counter, towards where the mercenaries lay, and grabbed the butcher knife. With the angriest look Tethis had seen in ages on his face, he walked for the door, which was now cracking dangerously.

Tethis kept his distance from the barman, thinking that this was turning out pretty badly. He was used to being listened to in a situation like this, and the barman was going off on his own. That never ended well. He whistled to the barman, trying to get his attention, "On the count of three, open that door! If we're lucky, we'll catch them off guard and we can gut a few before they know the door's open."

"Right. One. Two. Three." The barman said, making a count a each step, barely giving Tethis time to ready himself. He kicked open the door, squating at least three goblins underneath it. Outside Tethis could see several houses on fire. In the ligt of some burning home far away, he saw a small group of militiamen fighting off a squad of goblins, but other than that, he didn't see anything but goblins, who were scattered across the main street in small groups, plundering and seeking more victims.
As the tavernkeeper jumped onto the door, yells and cracking sounds could be heard, the small goblins bodies not being bale to lift the heavy bartender. One was only halway underneath it, with his legs, but couldn't get away. The barkeep made quick work of him with his blade, and chopped around with his 'chopper' in the meanwhile, splitting at least one other goblin's skull as it jumped towards him.

Tethis could barely believe it, "That man's going to get us killed, people. Alright, new plan: Anyone who can lift a sword, and is brave enough, follow me. We're going to head towards that group of men over yonder, they look like they could use the help. I'd advise coming with me, as this inn's going to burn down in the next fifteen minutes or less, and you now have no door between you and those goblins." Saying so, Tethis made his way out of the door, crushing a searching goblin's hand under his boot soundly before gutting a second with his broadsword, his rapier flashing in the fire-light as he engaged a goblin to his left whilst dragging his broadsword clear of the gutted goblin's torso.

The two militiamen got up, one still supporting the other, who was holding their only sword. The bard came from behind his table and stayed with the two city guards. Ghudhi went before them, taking a quick look before jumping out the tavern. Bright colours shot from his hand, and several goblins were dazed and blinded from the spray. Meanwhile, the bartender was still furiously chopping in on them. Ghudhi grabbed a long walking stick from his cloak and gripped it firmly, knocking over goblins with it. In the confusion he succeeded in guiding the troupe through the goblins, and they stood in the middle of the main street, surrounded by a fair amount of goblins. The bard shot down one, and anxiously started reloading his crossbow. The two militiamen were trying their best, both walking on their own feet now, the injured one still carryign the sword, as the other was still on the verge of panicking.

When their mates were stabbed down, three goblins attacked Tethis, two with a spear, one with a short sword, keeping his shield in front of him. Tethis was surprised to see these goblins actually seeming to know what they were doing.

Despite his surprise, Tethis kept his cool. They were smart, but he'd seen smarter. He batted one spear into the other with his broadsword, the sweeping motion leaving his chest open for a moment. The third goblin sought to take advantage of this and lunged with its short-sword, only to meet the business end of Tethis's rapier. It was a risky maneuvre, but it had paid off andthe other two goblins took a second to check themselves. Definitely smarter than the ones back home, mused Tethis. A dead calm had settled on him, and he could almost imagine the men of Hen Tek behind him somewhere. Calling to the others, Tethis couldn't spare the time to look for them, "Keep together and make your way to the militiamen! There's safety in numbers, and for gods' sake get a hold of the barman!" As Tethis relayed instructions to keep the group alive, the spear-wielding goblins struck simultaneously, forcing him back a couple of paces before a vicious backhand with the broadsword turned one spear into a stave, and a follow-up thrust of the rapier turned it's owner into a kebab. The final goblin fairly intelligently backed away, leaving Tethis be for a few moments to catch his breath.

From the corners of his eyes, Tethis saw something quite disturbing. A small figure was sitting on a rooftop, it's silhouette lit by the flames coming out of a burning house behind it. Two batlike wings spread out from his back, and it seemed to be yelling orders. Not much later, the goblins backed away from the barman, who had chopped several into pieces. The barkeeper, still raging, charged the goblin line formed before him, and was quickly eliminated by a deadly rain of arrows, fired by a goblin archer squad in front of him.

Ghudhi yelled: "Nooo!" and threw four magic missiles into the group of goblins, killing two of them. This only made them turn hsi way though, and he quickly noticed the others to make haste.

The bard shot his crossbow bolt towards a goblin standing in their way, but missed. The militiamen walked towards their mates, the injured one now dragging along the other, who was becoming panicked again. Meanwhile, the injured man, tried to grip his sword tight and slashed at some goblins who got closer.

Tethis had, by this time, made his way back to the group. He saw the barman go down in a hail of shafts and his heart went out to the man, but recklessness never worked for those without proper training. Concentrating on as many things as possible, Tethis parried a surprising able goblin's attack whilst attempting to restore some semblance of order in the group, "Bard, forget the goblins, get rid of that one on the roof, with the wings. It looks like that one's in charge." Seeing the militiamen in such a state, Tethis shouted for Ghudhi to keep an eye on them, whilst he covered the bard against the goblins.

While looking over the situation once more, Tethis saw a bright side: not every goblin was well trained. There were a few walking around in simple armor, carrying reasonable weaponry, small blades or axes, or weapons looted from dead militia. The rest was much alike the goblins he knew: equipped with spears, and simple weaponry as maces or clubs, running around like their whims guided them. Then, noise at the end of the street. Another band of militiamen, probably those who weren't assigned on nightwatch and had finally equipped themselves, came round the corner and charged the goblins. Although slightly relieved, Tethis could see these men were little more than armoured and equiped farmers, and none of them seemed to be even near as motivated as the late barkeeper. A line a goblins formed between them and the new militiamen, and once again he found the group separated from direct help.

The bard had reloaded the crossbow, and took aim at the winged creature. He shot, but missed again. The creature had been watching the newly arriving militia, and now turned it's head once more towards the small group, it eyes burning red in the darkness. The bard anxiously started reloading again.

Ghudhi had seen a spot where there were only a few goblins blocking them from the group of militiamen at theo ther end of the road. He jumped forth and blasted them with bright colours again. He ran through, knocking wildly from side to side with his staff, and motioned the others to follow.

The two militia members in the group got on their way again, the injured one now merely dragging the other along by his tabard, while keeping his sword at the ready.

Tethis pulled his rapier out of a goblin throat as Ghudhi motioned th group forwards. Grabbing the seemingly inert militiaman under the arm, he hoisted the man over one shoulder and ran full-pelt towards the line, leaving the injured man a pace or two behind but clearing his path as best as possible of goblins. Giving the man to Ghudhi, Tethis went back to the injured man, supporting him under one arm, while fending off one ill-equipped goblin who had nothing but a dead goblin's arm to try and beat him with. Tethis could no longer see the bard, but could hear him shouting not too far off to his left.

Tethis got the shocked militiaman safely to Ghudhi. When he went to Ghudhi again with the injured militiaman, he heard a distinctive sound: the sound of an incoming arrow. Now this sound had been around all the time, but he was experience enough to know when one was comign straight at him. The militiaman didn't give him enough time or space to dodge though, and the arrow hit him in the side.

Ghudhi had made it to the militiamen who were still makign a stand against the goblins, although they were clearly outnumbered, and probably outmatched, even though these militiamen seemed to be veterans - compared to the newly arrived group, which was having a rather hard time versus the ranged goblins, anyway. Ghudhi yelled "I'm a friend!" to make sure they weren't chopped down, although their height made it unlikely for them to be mistaken for goblins.

Meanwhile, the bard yelled: "It flew off! I can't see it anymore!"
He hurried after Tethis, trying to reload his crossbow while running, but dropping the bolt due to a corpse he had to jump over. Cursing, he met Ghudhi at the group of militiamen they had been going towards.

Tethis grunted heavily as the arrow hit him. The tip had buried into his abdomen, but the burning pain was somewhat dulled by adrenalin. However, he could feel the blood running down the inside of his shirt and from the volume he knew the wound might be serious. Snapping the shaft, Tethis bellowed, animal-like, and charged through a group of goblins to get him back to the group of militia Ghudhi was now standing with. The bard had somehow got in front of him and Tethis made it his only goal in life to get to that bard. He paid no attention to the myriad small slashes that now covered his forearms, his broadsword sweeping back and forth in an arc of steel death. His rapier slipped between armour plating, darting into unprotected flesh and soft organs as he walked in a straight, un-erring line forwards.

Tethis arrived at the group of militia at the same time the bard did, and so did several other things. The militiamen had beaten a group of goblins on the other side (opposite to where Ghudhi and Tethis arrived) and now turned to the main street. Just in time to see a rain of arrows, fired by the goblin archer squad, rain down upon them. At least one third of the men fell, and in the light of burning houses, Tethis could see the goblins notching their bows again. Even more distubing was a corridor formed in the line of goblins Tethis just ran through. The goblins seemed to have stopped their assault, for now, and were all looking at the corridor. From it, a goblin walked, a head taller and more muscled than the others. He wore a light, but well-made piece of equipment, as well as a standard on his back, a human head was staked on it, and under that waved a blood stained flag with a crude symbol, which shedded a faint crimson red glow. The goblin was carrying two broad blades, and was obviously an elite fighter within the goblin forces. Now, he was storming towards the militia forces.

Tethis summarily backed around the corner, shouting for the militia and the rest of the group from the inn to come with him. As the goblin in decent armour was still someways off, Tethis decided to ask a stupid question, "Anyone ever fought one like that before?" Even before he asked it he knew what the answer was likely to be, but with an arrow in his side he felt like the point had to be made.

"They've never been organised like this before. Yeah, there have been decent warriors n stuff, but nothing like this one!" was a panicky reply he got from one of the militiamembers.

Tethis sighed heavily. This was not a good day. The goblin elite warrior was still a good few yards away, so Tethis stood up, ignoring the slight twinge in his side as the arrow grated against his armour. Wincing as he did, Tethis hacked away the splinters of the shaft that were still poking out of his breastplate and let out a grateful whoosh of air as the pressure on his ribs decreased. From the way he was breathing it was likely he'd spared his lungs any damage, otherwise he'd be coughing blood by now. "Right, we need everyone back here to form a defensive line. There's a lot of those goblin twerps, but only so many can come around that corner at once. When the big lad gets here, leave him to me. He might be a better soldier than the rest, but he's still only a bloody goblin."

The militia carried out his order as well as they could, forming a loose line of defense. Ghudhi had backed off towards the centre of the group of still standing militiamen. They could see the group on the opposite end of the street had been defeated. They were either dead or running away from the goblin horde. Tethis focused on the elite goblin, who seemed to do the same. Within seconds, Tethis noticed he was the only thing between this goblin and the scarcely trained militia. The goblin warriors had ceased battle for now, and were carefully watching the elite and Tethis.

Tethis grinned at the goblin, his broadsword idly slicing the air whilst his rapier hung limp at his side. He wasn't happy that the broadsword was on the injured side, as he'd need less energy to swing the rapier and so he switched them. With a slightly sarcastic wave to the goblin, Tethis shouted, "Come on then, you stupid son of an orc's dog!" and charged it, broadsword angled forward and up at the goblin's chestbut covering his own midriff.

The goblin crossed his blades and took a readied stance, and when Tethis got near him, he slashed out, hitting away the broadsword with one of his own and striking towards Tethis' rapier-arm with the other.

Tethis's training saved his rapier arm from coming away in two pieces. Rolling his shoulder to match his retreating broadsword, Tethis pulled his rapier back as well, forcing him to retreat a step. This gave him just enough time to bring the rapier forward again in a spear-like thrust to the goblin's seemingly unguarded midriff. He thanked the fates that he'd snapped the arrow shaft earlier or he'd have just ripped it out completely.

As Tethis stepped back this gave the goblin enough time to pull back the sword that had struck at Tethis' rapier, and when Tethis thrusted the sword at him, the goblin used his idle blade to block the blow, while taking a step to the right to get out of the sharp rapier's piercing way. Meanwhile, he also swung the other blade another time at Tethis broadsword, lower this time, aiming to hit Tethis' hand, instead of his blade.

Tethis let the rapier fall forward as he was blocked, driving himself into, and past, the path of the oncoming goblin sword. This let him shoulder the goblin's arm as it went towards his own broadsword, the oncoming arm swinging straight into his ribs to force Tethis to grunt in pain as his injury seemed to burn. Nevertheless, now inside the goblin's guard, Tethis was able to draw his rapier back once again and thrust it towards the goblin on it's blind side.

The goblin was alot smaller than Tethis though, and it used this to it's advantage, evading the rapier by ducking to the left. It still had Tethis within it's reach though, so it couldn't use it's swords. Instead, he pushed himself against Tethis, trying to grapple and tackle him by hooking it's foot behind Tethis'.

With the goblin being so small, Tethis took advantage of his own size and pushed back against the goblin. With his centre of gravity so much higher, he was able to stop the goblin throwing him and engage in a stalemate as their legs locked together and it became a battle of endurance between the pair. Grabbing the goblin by the back of it's head, Tethis attempted a headbutt, hoping that goblins here weren't as thick-skulled as the ones back home. Hell, if they were, it might be stunned by his stupidity in attacking it 'head-on'.

When Tethis launched his head forward, the goblin hissed and opened it's mouth, biting down upon Tethis on impact, actually sinking it's teeth into Tethis' nose. Meanwhile, it had cast it's swords to the side, and had grabbed a dagger from his belt.

Tethis grunted in pain, but the goblin's tetth were quite small so as he ripped his head away there was a minimal loss of skin. Still, a fair chunk of bone could be seen and his rage at this little beast magnified immensely. Catching the wrist of the golin's dagger hand, Tethis proceeded to place his fist firmly, repeatedly, into it's groin. The time for honourable combat had well and truly passed now.

The goblin yelped in pain and started kicking and clawing around in random directions, hitting Tethis quite a number of times. One of his hands hit Tethis in the face, and the little creature sunk his sharp nails into the side of tethis face, not planning on letting go.

Howling in pain and rage, all thought of the outside battle fleeing from his mind, Tethis gripped down on the goblin's dagger-wrist, turning it back on the goblin using his superior strength, aiming it at the goblin's midriff. At the same time, Tethis's other hand slammed it's way into the goblin's jaw with a resounding crunch.

The punch only made the goblin dig it's claws deeper into Tethis' face, but although the goblin was extraordinarily strong for a creature of his size, the punch was enough of a diversion to enable Tethis to put the dagger inside the goblin's chest. Shouting in pain and anger, the goblin threw a last punch at Tethis' face, hitting him in the eye, before he lay on the ground, lifeless, his claw stuck in Tethis' face. Meanwhile, a silence had come over the street, save for the yelling of the militia. But slowly, angry growls could be heard from the goblin raiders, and although many goblins stayed where they were, the ones who seemed more trained stepped closer to Tethis.

Ignoring the pain of ripping the goblin's claws out of his face, masking it behind the adrenaline of the fight, Tethis regained his feet slowly and shakily, but with an iron will. He retrieved his swords with a steady determination as he sidled upwards, casting a glance at the nearest goblin soldier. What he must think, looking at me, he thought. Bloody, dishevelled, holding a pair of carmine-covered swords and staring through a forming black lump over eyes seemingly filling with all the bottled-up rage, frustration and pain he was feeling, Tethis must have looked a monster stood over the body of their elite soldier. Holding his glare at the nearest goblin soldier steady, Tethis bellowed, a wordless issue of rage that echoed throughout the silent streets. Even as the goblin shrank back in terror, Tethis raised his swords into his customary guard and settled into a left-foot stance. If he lived through this, he was going to sleep for a week.

Seeing the human still had life (and moreover, rage) in him, some soldiers backed off, although three still cautiously moved closer. Suddenly, there was a shriek, and a rain of arrows. Within a few seconds, what was left of the militia was taken down, and with another shriek the goblins stopped to a halt. By this time, the whole town was on fire, and buildings were coming down. Above them, in the glow of the burning village, Tethis could see the silhouette of the winged creature. The thee goblin soldiers hissed at him once more, before turning away and running out the town, following their kin which had already left. The archers fired a few more quick arrows, which didn't really hit anything. The end of the battle and the beginning of the run for their lives was marked by the collapse of the inn, which send burning embers flying through the street.

"Tethis! We must go!" Ghudhi called out, surrounded by the corpses of militia members. As by a miracle, the bard and the wounded militiaman were still alive. The other one had died in the last arrow rain. Ghudhi ran around, helping the militia who were wounded, but not dead. "Tethis, take them out of town, I'll take care of the wounded!"
Ghudhi dragged several wounded soldiers together, and when he laid his hand upon them, he suddenly dissapeared, together with four men.

The bard had went to support the wounded man, and now yelled out: "Come on, I know where the gate is!"

Tethis blinked as if coming awake. He suddenly saw all the devestation around him and felt the incredible heat of the flames. Cursing the goblins for their attack, Tethis grabbed a wounded man, one who didn't even have a uniform, and dragged him towards the bard. The man was bleeding heavily from a scalp wound, and Tethis recognised the hammer in his hand as one a smith would use.
Reaching the bard with the man propped, unconscious, against him, Tethis shouted, "Lead on, I've got no idea where we're going!"

Together they ran through the burning streets, and not long after they reached the town gates, although it seemed like ages to them. The inferno raged on, and all of them recieved some hits from burning objects. Tethis' cheek was scorched by a piece of wood, while the bard burned his hands on a heated stone wall he had to lean against to stop himself from falling over. But they all reached the gates alive, running out of the town. They walked on a while, reaching a small group of trees. Feeling marginally safe and awfully tired, they stopped.

The bard let go of the wounded militia, who sunk on his knees, and went to lean against a tree, holding his wounded arm. His chest had some burnmarks on it as well. Now that he was out of the town and the bloodshed, the reality began to sink through. Silent tears ran down his cheeks while he kept muttering: "Those damn beasts, those fucking damned beasts..."

The bard looked at the militia and the man Tethis took along with him. "They need help, and healing. We should go find help in the morning. Are you okay?"

Thinking of the arrowhead imbedded in his chest, Tethis shook his head, "We can't wait until morning. We need to find some people who got out of there alive, and fast. If there's a doctor, I'm going to need stitching up." Even as the words left his mouth, Tethis felt the last of the adrenaline leave his body, punctuated by the return of the dull throb in his ribs returned. He realised he could taste iron, which meant that the arrow had hit a lung and he was soon going to be in serious trouble.

The bard nodded and stood up. He helped the militia up, who said nothing at all, and only stared forward with vicious eyes. Then the bard walked for Tethis, and extended his hand to help him up as well, seeing Tethis' pain.

Tethis used his free hand to grab the bard's oustretched one, and the other grabbed the sill-unconscious man he was going to assume for now was a blacksmith. Grunting wit the exertion, Tethis pulled the man upwards, over his shoulder, and thanked the bard before looking around for someone, anyone, who might've escaped the inferno.

They walked around for several hours, but didn't find anyone. The bard had finally introduced himself, his name being Fwarpel Waywalker. The latter name he'd just given to himself after his family kicked him out for becoming a 'lowly bard'. Next to that Fwarpel had also expressed his opinion that nobody but them had survived. Although Tethis didn't agree at first, he was slowly beginning to do so now. Suddenly, they heard a sound in front of them. It sounded like moaning, but was followed by an angry hiss and a high pitched yell. Corcerned, Tethis sped forward, and in the little light there was from the moon and the still burning city further away, he saw what he feared. Four humans and one halfling survivor were being captured by a patrol of goblins. They'd seen two more in during their search, and their presence had raised unsettling questions in Tethis' mind. Now he knew for sure these goblins had targetted the town specifically, instead of just trying to pillage it for food. Even so, he was glad they took prisoners, instead of killing on sight.

Fwarpel crawled next to him, and from under the bush they were hiding behind he watched the same scene as Tethis did. With a whisper as soft as possible he said to Tethis: "They outnumber us, and we're wounded. The militiaman musn't see them, he'll attack and die. C'mon."
He then started crawling back towards where he left the militia with the still unconsious man.

Through the pain, te blood loss, the humiliation of being forced to run, Tethis couldn't argue with Fwarpel. But something inside him just didn't add up. These goblins were taking prisoners. that meant they thought they were safe to do so, even though it was clear some humans had escaped into the wilds. The thought rankled, and his sword was already halfway out of it's scabbard, "But they're off-guard. We could make the bastards pay."

Fwarpel, already halfway down the hill, gave him a scared look. "They outnumber us, and you're heavily wounded. They'd see you coming and stab you down. Please don't."
He held quiet for a short while. He sighed, and whispered to Tethis. "I can't stop you though. I'll write you a song if you go, but I'll give you my friendship if you stay."
He looked up to the warrior with a pleading look, and then down to the wounded men.

Tethis looked at the bard, emotions he couldn't explain welling up inside him. The men down there were going to die, but did that mean he should die to save them? His gut told him yes, but common sense told him no. There was no way he could do it and survive, but his life meant nothing if it cost more lives. Nevertheless, as he drew his sword and began to ascend the hill again, a wave of pain from his chest made him pause, look down at his feet, and sigh in defeat. He turned back to Fwarpel and walked back down. "You're right. We can't help, as much as it pains me."

"We'll help later. They're prisoners, for now they're alive. We'll try to rescue them later." The bard said. He wasn't sure if this was true, but he suspected it would calm Tethis. Together they crawled back, and went onwards in another direction.

The night seemed to last forever, as the goblins seemed to be everywhere. They managed to keep out of their hands, and eventually reached a tall rock, which they rested against. When tethis opened his eyes again, the sun was gloring over the horizon. He didn't know how long he'd slept, but everybody around him was still asleep, tired and exhausted. The militiaman had bandaged his wound, the bleeding seemed to have stopped. The bard was laying in a rather awkward position over a rock, but at least the man was alive.

Tethis was, for lack of a better term, surprised. His wound wasn't as serious as he'd thought apparently, though he'd need to get it seen to soon. He attempted to rouse the others around him, particularly Fwarpel, who couldn't possibly be comfortable as he was.
Looking around him, Tethis realised it was hopeless trying to ascertain where he was, he didn't know the terrain at all. Over inthe distance he thought he could see the road, but that was about it. And of course to the north-east (Assuming the Sun still rose in the South-West) the glow of the burning village was still present.

Everybody woke up around him when he kicked them, Fwarpel giving a yelp, the militiaman immidiatly reaching for his weapon, and the man making a rather unpleasant snoring sound, after realising he'd jsut been in a goblin raid and yelled "Don't kill me please!"

Tethis reacted with trained reflexes, clamping his hand on the man's mouth and hissing, "We're not going to kill you, but keep bawling like that and any stragglers will!" So saying, Tethis returned to standing and asked Fwarpel, "Exactly where the hell are we?" Not knowing the terrain, Tethis wanted to formulate some sort of plan, get to a surgeon somewhere and get the arrow out. Anything. He was scared of catching some form of fever.

"Hell, I dunno, somewhere in the middle of nowhere?" Fwarpel said.

All of the sudden, a voice came from behind the rock. "That, my friend, could refer to just about any place on the plains of Ayvewae."

Though it hurt tremendously to do so, Tethis span on his heel, bringing his broadsword up to the guard position. The arrowhead was digging painfully again, but he held his ground, "Who's that?" The voice seemed odd, but somehow familiar. It might have reminded him of a friend in Bilymas, maybe.

"A traveller" Ghudhi said, coming from behind the rock. The sight was rather odd. Ghudhi's clothing was in fine condition, and his strange jester-boots were awfully bright after the bloodshed of last night. "You look like hell, you really do." He grinned. "Do you want something to eat? I suggest you recover your strengths a bit. And I see you brought some of our friends along to! How wonderful! You must have made your men proud in Bilymas. Now please eat something, we haven't got all day you know, goblins still roam the countryside for survivors."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out several pieces of fruit, which he divided among the group.

The bard had said nothing in a while, but now that Ghudhi appeared out of nowhere, he had to spill his frustrations. Yelling and scolding at the mage for leaving them behind, he was making quite some noise indeed.

Tethis, realising he had a small amount of beef jerky somewhere on him, pulled it out and began chewing. Odd as it was to see Ghudhi so clean, Tethis was just too tired even after sleeping to register the data. He did, however, manage to shush Fwarpel, hoping the bard would listen to him as he began to chew. He was almost sure there were no goblins left in the area, but wasn't positive about his luck lately.

"Now, seeing you're all rested and such, I know a monastary not too far from here, where I also took the wounded from the mainstreet. The monks there are very friendly and willing to help. I do suggest we rest there, seeing your wounds." Ghudhi said in a friendly way. "And after that we should strongly consider helping the poor people these goblins have taken as prisoners."

"Damn right we should!" The militiaman spoke, checking his bondage and his sword. "Those little bastards are going to pay from what they did."

The bard had shut his mouth, and was now chewing on a piece of fruit with a grumpy face. After awhile, he seemed to get happier, or at least less moody. He swallowed the fruit he had in his mouth. "This is great food, really! Where'd you get it?"

"I got it from a bunch of elves. Now come on, I can't teleport you all. We'll have to walk to the monastary. Tethis, here's a very minor healing potion, mixed with some eh... juice. it should get you on your feet a bit." Ghudhi said. "Alright now, follow me, I know the road! More or less, anyway..."
He pointed towards what Tethis guessed to be nord, and started to walk into that direction in a casual pace. Again, Tethis and the others found that to keep up with his relaxed walking they at least had to march.

Tethis, swigging the healing potion, screwed his face up in distaste, "Juice? What knid of juice, exactly?" He had, however, divulged the potion bottle of it's contents and felt the magic forcing the arrowhead out of his system, knitting bone and sinew as it went. As the magic of the potion began to abate, the arrowhead fell out with it's last serrated barbs hitting the ground dully. The wound was still weeping, but a small bandage around his chest seemed to be enough to clear that up, and now able to use his lungs properly, he had much less trouble keeping up with the odd Ghudhi. It did occur to him, however, that the road wasn't likely to take them anywhere near any of the goblins, as any force that organised was likely to avoid such large byways in favour of their sneak tactics, "Uh, Ghudhi, exactly where are we going?"

As tethis had swallowed the potion, he felt some alcohol burning down his throath as well, but in an odd way, it seemed to contribute to th healing process. It did make him a bit dizzy however, and he had trouble to keep walking in a straight line. The rest jsut seemed to think it was because of his injury though, so nobody said anything. When Ghudhi was asked the question, the mage came running (or rather, walking) next to Tethis, and explained. "We are going to the monastery. There we can put off these poor chaps that have been caught up in these most unfortunate events, and we can think of something to save the others. And perhaps the monks are willing to help us, too. I doubt even you can take on an entire army of goblins. Although I'm guessing that what we saw last night was the entire tribe. The part capable of fighting anyway. Or don't you want to save these poor people?" Ghudhi asked the question with obvious reluctance, and Tethis guessed Ghudhi thought he (ghudhi, not tethis) had a responsibility to rescue these people.

Tethis nodded, blinking through the drug-induced fog. "Of course I do, that's my point. Those people in that village... They were like the ones back home, and those goblins just... Destroyed everythnig. I'm going to get these militia into shape, and we're going to take the fight right back to them, you can be sure of that." Whether the bravery was imbued by the alcohol in the potion, or whether it was actually some part of Tethis on a primal level to see justice done, these words seemed to bolster him, not to mention the injured militiaman, who cried, "Damn straight!" from a little further
up the trail, making both Tethis and Fwarpel break into wide grins.

They travelled for another 2 hours, maybe less. The monastery had come into their sight soon, although it was well hidden. The vast plains made it easier to anything, if one knew where to look. Even so, it took another half hour before they reached the gates of the building. It was a stone building, colored to match the waving grass around it, and build low so it wouldn't be too obvious to any marauders sights. Because it was so low, it was quite long and wide, giving it a fort-like appearance. The gates were made of wood, and when Ghudhi knocked a small window was opened before the door was. The porter seemingly recognised Ghudhi, for they were let in immedialty, without questions. The porter, a dark tanned monk because of many years spend in the sun, and only wearing a pair of loose pants, greeted them.

"Welcome back, Ghudhi. These are the firends you spoke of? I am glad they are alright. My name is Ahmal, and I'm happy to be of assistence, might you require any. Can I do anything for you?"

Ghudhi replied first. "Yes, please look after their wounds. Meanwhile, I am going to have a talk with those who are recovered a bit. I might learn of something. I will return to you later!"
And with that, he left into the door on the left, while the monk showed them through a door on the right, bringing them to the coo lroom inside. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Tethis, his wounds still fairly raw, pointed these out to the monk and asked for them to be healed, "I should be alright after that, it's the others who have more serious injuries. Come back to me if you'd like."

"Follow me then, we have some excellent healers in our monastary." The monk said kindly, and he guided them through a long hallway, before showing them into a large room, supported by several pillars in the center. Along the walls and next to the pillars were beds, or sometimes desks and cabinets. Several monks, dressed in robes, walked around, aiding anybody who needed help, or working at the desks. As the group entered, they could see this was where many other wounded people from the town were brought. The militiaman immediatly ran for a friend he spotted, and sat next to him asking if everthing was alright. The smith lay down on the bed the monk assigned him, as did the bard. The bard, who wasn't really wounded, was quickly examined and bondaged, before being send off, he was allowed to walk around. The monk that took a look at Tethis gave him a potion that closed the wounds he still had, and he was then bandaged to recover further from the bruises he had. "Anything else we can do for you?"

---

Back to Ayvewae Plains