Chapter 2: Things corrupted

Raven, Sera, Newt and Dar team up to find out what is wrong in the forest north of Tethford with the hope of saving a life or two and restoring peace to the area. What they find can not be ignored.

For a moment there was silence around the Greenbottle camp. “Missing? How could a child go missing and no one notice?” Nana asked alarmed.

“Apparently it’s just the Mayor and his daughter and everyone assumed that some other neighbor was watching Gwen. She’s 14 after all not really a child but perhaps missing is not the right word. She was taken by the troll Blodd and in trying to get her back that’s how the fire started and mayor Evans got so badly injured.” Dar explained

“That doesn’t make sense, trolls don’t kidnap people and isn’t taking the princess more of a dragon thing?” Newt said scratching his head.

Sera scoffed. “That only happens in stories, there’s not one record of a dragon ever kidnapping a princess. But i’ve never heard of trolls doing that either.”

Raven had been about to agree with Newt on this being more of a dragon thing but held her tongue. “So what’s the plan to get her back? I mean he took her but didn’t kill her so we should be able to get her back right?”

“I offered to go.” Dar says without hesitation. “Blodd is clearly acting against his nature so he may be sick or injured. He may have taken her hoping she could heal him. Hopefully this can be solved without any more blood shed.”

“That’s a good plan A but you’ll need a plan B and I might be able to help with that.” Newt offers. “I’ll need to see what gear I can get here but I’ve run into a few trolls in my day. I’m not fluent but I do know some troll speak.” Newt looked like he didn’t think that the peaceful path would work but wasn’t about to stop Dar from trying to do that.

“I’ll come too.” Sera offered double checking her spell component pouches to make sure she had everything that she needed.

“Maybe Garrett should go with you too. He does have some experience with these kinds of things.” Nana offered but she glanced at Raven as she said it.

“But Uncle Garrett is still helping the militia right?” Raven jumped on what she knew was a thin excuse.

“Raven...” Nana began but was cut off.

“I can do it Nana I can. Uncle Garrett has trained me and I’m good, good enough to try. I know it may not be fully safe but I’ll be careful and stick with my friends. I need to get stronger if I’m going to face my past some day and if not now than when...”

She yelped as Nana bonked her with her walking stick only then realizing that she had been so focused on getting out her prepared speech out that she hadn’t realized Nana had been trying to say something.

“Child did you really think I didn’t know what your uncle was teaching you? More than any of my grandchildren you will need to be strong in ways that we may not be able to teach you. I have not looked forward to this day but that doesn’t mean I can ignore it when it finally comes. All I ask is that you come home safe and tell us all about the grand adventure you’ve had.”

“Of course.” Raven says just able to hold back her tears as she hugged Nana tight glad to have her blessing for this.

“I actually have a gift for you child that might be of help to you.” Nana goes into one of the carts and comes back a short time later with a pair of good quality leather boots. They were black with soft soles that would muffle her footsteps. Nana showed her that each heal had a secret compartment in it and the one in the left boot had a small brass key in it.  “This key is the only clue we have to your past Raven. It was sewn into the hem of your tattered cloths. I don’t know what it opens or where it might lead you but someone hid it so it has to be of some importance.”

Raven did cry now as she hugged Nana tight for a moment. This was a step towards finding out who she had been before but in Raven’s heart she’d always be a Greenbottle. There wasn’t time to get emotional now they were going to have to move if they were going to have a chance of saving that girl.

“I’ll need to get some stuff together but I’ll be ready to go as quickly as I can.” she says nodding to her friends.

“I’ll get with Mrs Cookie and get some food and water for us to take in case it takes us a couple of days to do this.” Sera offers knowing her gear was pretty much ready.

“I will speak with Liam and get clear directions to Blodd’s lair.” Dar offered knowing he just had to grab his stuff as well.

“Well I need to go shopping and hope that the store here has something I can use. As sharp as it is I can’t slay monsters with my wit alone.”  Newt quipped as the four of them parted ways to see to their tasks.

It didn’t feel real to Raven that she would finally be going out on a real adventure and helping people. As she gathered her things she started to laugh nervously wondering if she was really ready for this. She wouldn’t be alone and that helped it not feel so daunting. How many times had uncle Garrett told her that if you adventure with people you trust that things were a lot easier. Sera and Dar she trusted and Newt she needed to know for a little longer but they all were interesting if nothing else.

Most of Raven’s cloths was garish and made to draw attention on stage but she found one outfit that was a muted earthy brown. Some leather armor would be nice but there was no way her uncle’s old armor would fit her. This would do for now, loose enough that she could move freely with nothing too loose to snag. She tied back her long hair with a dark blue hair tie that Jillian had given her for her last birthday. Her bow was in decent shape but she wished she had a proper sword, even though she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to use one properly. She did have her uncle’s old dagger and lock pick set and a good knapsack to carry some camping supplies.

She slipped on the boots that Nana had given her feeling a switch near the toe as she stood. Pressing it caused 3 slightly curved spikes to come out of the toe of the boot and then retract when she pressed the switch again. She smiled thinking that Nana really did think of everything. These would make climbing or walking over slippery ground a lot easier and in a pinch could add a little extra bite to her kick if someone got too close. Her feet somehow felt lighter with them on like the love of her family was keeping her footing sure.

She started to leave but noticed herself in the mirror and paused just looking at herself. “I look like a proper adventurer.” She says in a hushed voice to herself. Unable to help herself she spun around with a flourish and struck a hero pose in front of the mirror. “And thus the adventures of Raven the cunning Rogue began.

Meanwhile Newt was remembering why he hated shopping so much. The Thetford general store had more variety than he had expected for such a small town but it seemed to be no order to how things were placed. Well that wasn’t really true one part of the store was really organized dealing with the day to day items that the villagers likely bought a lot but the side room was just full of things that people had traded there to get ship fare. Newt knew he needed a weapon a shield and some sort of armor. Nana had offered him a bed roll and some basic supplies but there was no way they had anything like that for him to use.

“You find anything you like?” Jackie the shopkeeper asks poking her head in. “I know there is some swords in there somewhere.”

“Well i found one that will do but i was really hoping for a battle ax. I think I found some plate mail that should fit me.” Newt motioned to the stuff he had pulled out giving the older woman a charming smile as he did.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been sold an ax, well outside of the wood chopping kind. Are you sure you want that armor it’s in horrible shape.”

“It’s been not so gently loved yeah for sure but it should do. Just need to cover over all my squishy bits. Oh what do we have here...come to Daddy.” Newt saw something wedged into a corner and giving it a good tug pulled out an oak shield with iron branding on it. It was a lot dusty but was sturdy and with good balance and was a lot better than what he had expected to find here. “Yes I think this will work.”

“Okay then you think 50 silver for the whole lot sounds like a fair price.” Jackie asked.

Newt silently cursed as he remembered ever coin he’d had on him had been taken by the sky pirates and he didn’t really have a way to access his savings right now.

“Could....we perhaps talk about some sort of credit? I wouldn’t mind working it off when I got back, I could kill rats or chop wood or do busy work. I got robbed before i got here you see and the only thing I have right now isn’t even mine.” Newt says pulling out the satchel he had found in the woods.

Jackie gasped when she saw it and snatched it from his hand. “That my nephew Neil’s bag he had it with him on patrol. Where did you find it?”

“I found it in the woods on my way here. I was hoping I could find who it belonged to figuring the compass at least would need to go back to it’s owner. I ate the bread that was in there but I’m glad I can get it back to it’s owner.”

“Neil has been missing for two days now.” Her hands trembled slightly. “I raised that boy like he was my own and I knew something had to be wrong. Blodd took him I just know it...you’re going to find the mayor’s daughter right? Could you try to find out what happened to Neil too? There’s no way he just got lost. Even without his compass he knows the woods too well. I need to know either way, If you promise to look for him I’ll let you have those things for free.”

It didn’t sit right with Newt to take advantage of the woman’s grief and desperation and he knew he couldn’t promise to find her nephew. “How about I just borrow these from you and when I come back I’ll either return them to you or we’ll work out some sort of payment. I don’t need any special treatment to agree to look for him.”

“Thank you.” Jackie smiled feeling a little hopeful but trying to be a little realistic about this as well.

Newt gathered up his new gear and was about to leave when he paused. “I don’t suppose there’s anywhere in town that I can send a letter?”

“Yes, it’s not one of the fancy ones but I do have a post box. Three coppers to send off a letter including the paper and ink if you need it. Want me to put that on your tab?”

Newt knew that Sera likely knew the spell to deliver letters and could do it for free but he’d rather not have to ask her. He nodded and soon was scratching out a letter that began ‘You guys are not going to believe this...’

Around that time Dar and Sera were already waiting for the other two to show up having needed very little time to get ready.

Sera had checked and rechecked her components and gear. A simple sling and a dagger were all she had in terms of weapons but that should be more than enough if she needed them. Mundane weapons were never a mage’s first choice but were sometimes needed. She wondered yet again if she should have sprung for a crossbow but figured she’d be fine for now and high quality spell components really had been a better investment.

Glancing at Dar she noticed something surprising. “You don’t have any weapons. Does your order practice unarmed combat?” Off the top of her head she didn’t know of any order of the Church of Light that fought that way. I few orders of the Church of Shadows perhaps and who knew when it came to the Miasmic Church.

“I do have a little defensive unarmed training but when i have to fight this is what I use.” Dar pulled a knotted stick from the top of his bag. It was smooth and almost 2 feet long looking like a very simple cudgel. “The wood that this is made from came from a very special tree meaning that it can never be used to kill. I have taken a vow to never fight unless to defend myself or others and do everything I can to avoid taking a life.”

Sera looked surprised by his words. It wasn’t that she didn’t agree with the idea in theory. They were good and noble ideals for sure but this was not a time or place where she could see being able to live by such ideals. “You do know that we’re likely going to have to kill the troll don’t you? If some sickness is causing him to act this way he may be even too far gone for divine magic.”

“If that’s the case than I will support the rest of you in protecting this area but it will be left to one of you to put him out of his misery. I will always look for the non violent answer yes but sometimes there is not one. The primary tenet of my order is that all life has value to it and that value must always be considered.”

“Sort of like the Quini order?” Sera liked to understand things and had perhaps a better understand of the different orders of the church of light than the average layperson. Enough to tell the major orders apart. “Oh but the Quini are vegetarians.” She was pretty sure that she had seen Dar eat meat at breakfast.

“Yes they are but my order see such things as natural. After all except for plants all living things consume other living things to survive. There is a difference between cutting down a tree to make wood to build a home and cutting it down just to get it out of the way. It’s the same kind of thing.”

“I’m not sure I understand...” Sera knew that getting into a discussion on such deep issues was perhaps something left to another time but had certainly given her something to think about. “I’ve never had to kill a living thing before so I’m not sure how I’ll handle it for sure until it happens. The academy tries to prepare us all for that. Each year we have a surprise test where one of our teachers enchants a construct to attack us. The students are never in danger but it’s supposed to feel that way. I always passed with flying colors even if the teachers cheated but I was never fooled once into thinking that i was fighting something alive.” Sera shrugged wondering if these tests had really prepared her for any of what she was about to face. “I still think that if something pounces on me out of the shadows I wouldn’t hesitate to kill it with fire.”

“Remind me not to pounce then.” Newt says giving her a cheeky grin as he does. His armor wasn’t much to look at but wearing it made Newt look like a proper fighter with a short sword on his hip and a round shield strapped over his pack on this back. “Wow, I thought for sure I’d be the last one ready. Did Raven get lost or something?”

Sera was pretty sure that Newt was making fun of her with that comment so she chose to ignore him.

“I believe she’s still saying goodbye to her family.” Dar said with a faint smile. He had noticed her head this way at least 3 times now each time getting waylaid by a member of her family.

“Hey Raven we’re burning daylight here. Hurry up or we’ll leave without you.” Newt shouted towards the carts risking seeming rude to give her the opening to leave.

A moment later she came running towards them and then right past them into the forest. “Come on slow pokes we’re burning daylight.” she says with a laugh.

“Oh no she didn’t...” Newt says with a miffed sigh. The three of them followed after her heading north towards the troll’s lair to find out what the cause of his strange behavior was and if the mayor’s daughter and the missing militia guard could be brought home.

Dar and Newt were familiar enough with the forest to have little trouble as they traveled and Raven was energetic and adaptable enough to have little trouble but Sera was not used to walking on foot over such rough terrain.  She was too stubborn to slow her friends down though and surprised herself with how well she was able to keep up.

As they traveled Raven took point while Newt guarded the rear. It was going to take most of the day to reach the troll’s lair but long before that they noticed things were not right.

“It’s too quiet.” Sera said speaking up. “Not only is there no bird sounds but no insects either.”

“That’s what’s so off. Things haven’t felt right for a while.” Raven hadn’t been able to put her finger on it but she had been on edge for a while.

“The smell doesn’t help. It’s faint but the smell of rot is coming from all around.” Dar was unsettled too. This felt like something much more than a sick troll.

“Oh I thought one of the ladies had cut the cheese so i wasn’t going to mention the smell.” Newt said with a grin of pure bravado.

It took most of the day to reach Blodd’s lair, a rough cave on a hill side. All the plants near the cave were dead, torn up, trampled and left as a rotting mush. There was no way to get close to the cave entrance without being seen. There was also no sign of Blodd when they arrived.

“Let me try to speak with him first.” Dar insisted to the others. From his strained look even he didn’t  think that this could be solved peacefully but his code demanded that he try. The others backed him up but let Dar take the lead.

They were about 25 feet away from the cave when a large figure lumbered out it. It both was and was not a troll. Almost 10 feet tall and bulky with muscles yet not right. Most of it’s hair was going only a few oily clumps remaining. Every visible patch of skin had red weeping welts many ruptured and spewing green pus. Worse of all black ichor leaked from glassy lifeless eyes.

“My name is Darcyn  Lightstrider and I am a cleric of the light. I would offer you aid from your suffering.” Dar summoned a tiny aura of healing energy to his finger tips hoping that even if the troll could not understand his words that the divine light would make his meaning clear.

Blodd Noticed. With one powerful leap forward he closed the distance between him and Dar. Meaty fists grasped together over his head were brought down towards Dar. Ready to smash the cleric before Blodd had even regained his footing from his jump,

But the fists didn’t connect with Dar instead found hardened oak and tempered iron with a deep earthy thud. Newt took the blow on his shield having expected this outcome since they left Tethford. The force of the blow drove his heels into the dirt and he had to bend his knees to take the force but he wasn’t moved back an inch. Bouncing back like a spring he pushed forward hoping the keep the beast off balance. “So, plan B then?” he says glancing back at Dar with a grin that said that the cheeky halfling had no problem with this outcome.

Sera didn’t move as quickly as Newt but she too knew that keeping something so big and strong off balance was their best bet. She took the coil of rope that she had hanging on her belt and tossed it in front of her casting a helping hand spell with each hand she grabbed both ends and started quickly weaving it around the troll’s legs. Glad for the precision that she had worked so hard on she tied one leg to the other as they were. Her spell lacked the strength pull his legs together and honestly she didn’t know how long the rope would hold but showing him down even a little was worth the effort.

Raven had already let fly one arrow as Blodd had lept but had misjudged his speed and missed wide. A rolling tumble backwards had put some distance between her and the troll. She’d have to try to break herself of the habit of doing a flourish when she landed but such things were too ingrained in her to even notice when she did them half the time. It surprised her how calm she was. This was the first fight Raven had ever been in yet she wasn’t afraid. She calmly notched a second arrow drew in a slow breath as she waited for her next shot.

Dar hated that they were going to have to fight but knew if not for Newt he might not be breathing right now. He touched the halfling fighter on the back of his shoulder and cast a blessing of protection on Newt figuring that no matter what happened Newt would be staying in the thick of things and drawing the beast’s ire.

“Was that supposed to be an attack you smelly piece of trash? My old gran can hit harder than that you walking cest pit.” Newt shouted with a kind of glee as he swung his sword in a horizontal slash at the troll’s side. He managed to wound Blodd’s arm but wished yet again he’d been able to get a battle axe. He could have taken the arm clean off with a good weighted axe and didn’t know if the wound would slow Blodd down much. It probably didn’t matter as long as the troll’s attention stayed on Newt.  His shield was already braced for another strike.

However more than steal and words what seemed to get the troll’s attention was magic. Dar was out of reach behind Newt but Sera was off to the side slightly. Seeing the Troll shift his weight Newt didn’t think he’d get there in time. The rope around Blodd’s legs slowed him a little and made him stumble. Falling forward his wild flailing arms were still going to reach Sera.

She was reaching into her spell component pouch to ready her next spell when she suddenly realized the danger she was in. There was no time for even a cantrip and she didn’t know if she could get out of the way.

Suddenly she was being pushed back . Newt had been able to move just fast enough somehow though not fast enough to get himself out of the way too. Blodd’s wild flailings somehow managed to launch Newt into the air  back towards the toll’s cave. “Ohhhhhhh Fuuuuuuuuuuu........” Newt cried making surprising hight in the air before he dropped back to earth slamming into the large bolder by the side of the cave with a sickening crack.

At that moment Blodd jerked from where he had fallen to his knees. Raven’s arrow slammed into his left eye all the way to the fletching driving into his brain. More black pus spewed from the ruptured eye and his body slumped forward as it slowly figured out that his brain was already dead.

“Newt you Idiot.” Sera blustered as she scrambled to her feet to rush over towards him to make sure he was okay. If he had killed himself protecting her she’d never forgive him.

Dar was closer and able to get to Newt first.

“Did I ever tell you guys about the time i wrestled a baby troll when i was a kid? You’d think I’d have learned my lesson then.” Newt said with a groan and a cocky grin to Dar and Sera. He was banged up and a little dazed but would probably be fine. As he tried to sit up his shield fell to the side in three pieces. “I just bought that.” Newt said with an annoyed sigh.

Sera let out a sigh and then took a few steps back not wanting to look too concerned or give into the urge to smack him when he had saved his life. He seemed to be mostly fine but Dar was giving him some mild healing to be on the safe side.

Glancing over her shoulder Sera saw the Raven was examining the downed troll and carefully prodding him with the end of her bow to make sure he was good and dead and not about to pop back up.

“Hey Dar do you think it’s safe to loot him?” Raven asks. Her uncle had taught her to never leave potential resources or treasures behind and that a real adventurer should never be afraid of getting messy. Raven wondered what would have to be worth digging through this soup.

“Don’t touch him.” Dar warned. “I still don’t know what is wrong with him or how it is spread. Newt would you please hold still? You’re lucky you didn’t break more than your shield in that fall and your armor helped but you still have some serious bruising going on here.”

“Look out! There’s mo....” an unknown female voice suddenly cried out, her voice echoed from the cave loudly before being cut short. A few seconds of warning was all they got before small forms spilled from the cave mouth. They were kobolds and yet not. Like Blodd there was something off about them mostly in the jittery way they moved. They didn’t look diseased like the troll had but all had black scars against their metallic colored skin. They all had on armor of fire treated wood plates bound with leather and most of them were armed though they didn’t seem aware of that fact.

Each kobold was was shorter than even Sera but there was already more than a dozen of them swarming the group. Even with the shouted warning Dar and Newt were right next to the cave entrance and had no time to react. Newt’s sword had been dropped on the ground when Blood had tossed him leaving him no choice but to try to head but the kobolds as they tried to grab him.

Dar could tell that the kobolds were trying to capture their group not kill them and tried to reason with them and offer healing yet again. The kobold he tried to heal started to throttle him.

Raven had been further away from the cave mouth and had an arrow notched and ready before the enemy could get to her. She didn’t hesitate and soon that arrow was in the throat of the kobold choking Dar. she dropped the bow and drew her dagger knowing no showy acrobatics would keep them away from all her foes. She didn’t want her story to end here but knew how dangerous their numbers were.

The kobolds had made one mistake though, they went for Sera last. What danger was a halfling girl muttering into her cupped hands after all. They hadn’t seen her take the oil vial from her component pouch, hadn’t seen her make a half star ruin on her palm and didn’t hear her utter the trigger incantation for the magic. She only needed a few, uninterrupted seconds to clear her focus and the kobolds gave it to her.

A ring of fire formed around her and spread out in all directions with a second forming right after it and then a third and more like ripples from a dropped stone. Dodging the fire was impossible and yet as the flames reached Raven, Dar and even Newt they parted and then reformed.

Author's Note

this chapter is only about half finished right now but i wanted some feedback on the action scene with the troll keeping a clear sense of location during an action scene with so many moving parts can be hard for me and that one scene took longer to write than the whole first chapter