Chapter I: Betting Starts Now
Hans Weissman/Harry Baldman:"We can't really pass judgment on an infant, can we?" You turn and walk back to the mother. "We keep it for now - you can have it back, but I would like regular updates on what it is doing and how it is behaving, if you will."
The mother's eyes brighten up and grabs the baby, cradling it in her arms. "Yes! Don't worry, milord, I'll raise him to be a fine lad!"
You then arm yourself and bring your Masque, attaching it to your belt. Apparently it only works when you wear it, and even children have no trouble looking at the Masque if no one's wearing it. You instruct the settlers to be on guard and protect themselves. You instruct some of the men you've grown to trust over the time you've been here to patrol and guard the settlement. After your preparations you finally leave for the elfwoods.
You take quite some time finding it, despite it being vastly large and overgrown. When you finally find an entrance to the woods, you suddenly feel an eerie feeling, as if you're being watched. You place your hand on your sword, ready to strike when you can. You find no trouble whatsoever, and your path is actually quite peaceful. You look around for any sign of danger, but you can't see anything.
You decide to take a rest and enjoy the unnatural tranquil for a while. Suddenly, as you take a swig from your flask, three figures jump out from the bushes! Fortunately, thanks to your superb training and enhanced senses, you manage to arm yourself in time to parry a strike from one of the attackers.
You look at your attackers. They look like goblins! Deformed and outcast Fey, they are used by elves as thugs and assassins to do their tasks. They are nearly your height, with grey skin, though most of their bodies are covered in furs from dead animals. They have grossly large heads, which you imagine they have a hard time keeping up. They have large, round, completely black eyes, and their mouth is stretched as if they were grinning. They each hold a knife.
Goblins are known to the the ones that kidnap children, so the sudden appearance of these attackers was extreme luck, ironically. Maybe you could find the child, but that would be a problem with monsters pointing knives at you.
Jonathan Markson/GreatWyrmGold:"I would appreciate the help greatly. Thank you, Gnar."
"Don't mention it Jonny. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have to go."
You turn to face Gnar again. "So soon? But I just got ba-" He's gone again. "Ugh. Guess politeness isn't an instinct. So, I'm Jonathan Markson. What're your names?"
The elf speaks first, with a bright, typical elf face, unlike Gnar's cunning, mysterious one. "My name's Ruut. I come from the Grove, and Gnar sought me out to help you. I don't know why he'd send me though. I'm not much good at fighting, but I can see well and I'm fast."
The beastman speaks next. "So this is the Apex Predator of the Grove? Tch." He scoffs. "Whatever, I'm Warrick. If you can't live up to your name, I'll protect you myself."
The faery speaks last, telepathically. "Forgive Warrick. He's just insecure when someone's actually stronger. My name is Aeri, and I am the Queen's Trickster. I specialize in illusions, so if you ever need to hide or change your appearance, I can help."
"Great! Now all we've got to do is kill the Plaguespitter."
"Not yet," says Aeri, gesturing to what looks like three creatures attacking a warrior. "My illusions are fighting something."
Bets:Lo bets that the two will cooperate.
Feros accepts the bet.
Author
Topic: The Hand You're Dealt [5/5] (Read 3302 times)