A new morning, and I have resolved to scour the bandit caves to the north in search of answers. I feel not a trace of doubt, and am filled with confidence in my choice. My sword rests silently within its sheath, but I feel the cold blade's yearning to be bathed in hot blood.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
My journey takes me first to a dank hole called "Thazicafafi" by the locals. It is said to be haunted by ghosts who steal away small children and various trinkets. Such local rumors indicate a rather low level of activity, if there are indeed any bandits in the place. What this means, I am not sure.
At the very least, I will be clearing out a vermin infestation. Peasantfolk seem to enjoy that sort of thing.
My prediction of a vermin infestation was proven more literal than I may have hoped. Venturing into the cave, I was challenged only by the inquisitive chirps of numerous rats, and the scurrying of cockroaches and other carrion creatures underfoot.
The candle of hope was growing dimmer with every passing step, and the cave's opening seemed an ever-more promising alternative.
I turned back the way I had come, but was stopped by a flicker of light on one of the walls. Taking out my sword, I made my way closer. Nearing the wall, the sound of muffled coughing met my ears. The coughing sounded deep, more than mere irritation from dust. Whatever was making those sounds was sick.
Very sick.
Standing up taller, I strode defiantly into the lit encampment. The sight before me was a sorry one indeed. A Shuge'fer, a horned warrior-beast descended from the great cattle flocks of the World Nurturer, lay on a mat surrounded by meager bowls of food and several empty or half-empty Sakil flasks. The horns atop its head were comparatively small, and its coloration a mottled combination of milky-white and tan, both signs that this specimen was female.
Seeing me, the Shuge'fer started to crawl away backwards. Mustering what little amount of strength she had left, she spoke to me in an authoritative bellow that had all of its power stripped away by the ragged quality the voice had taken on after such a long period of illness.
"Fool! You enter the lair of Kug-Ibeshos, bandit queen of the Slazaslud wastes! I will slit open your stomach and bathe in your flowing entrails! I will tear the ribs from your chest and wear them as a crown! I will, I will... I-"
She begins coughing again, sounding as though the wind were trying to tear out the poor beast's lungs. As the fit subsides, she loses the last remnants of her facade and slumps to the floor.
"Uuuhhh... A common performer can conceal his sickness from those around him, but not even the greatest trickster could fool the disease itself. So warrior, fate has deemed me too wicked to spin out the last threads of my life in hiding, sending instead a witness to watch this pitiable creature shiver and cower in her final days. What is it that has drawn you here? Have you come seeking the boundless treasures I have gathered over the years? Have you come to take of my hoard?"
She gestures at the broken bowls and tipped flasks that surround the mat.
"Or is there some nobler cause that drives your heart? Have you come to return some trinket that was taken from your family's temple? Do you wish to avenge some peasant farmer's death by matching it with my own?"
"I seek vengeance, yes. But not from you. I require only knowledge of you, and I shall leave you in peace when I have that knowledge"
Intrigued, she took on a slightly less cynical tone.
"And what knowledge might this be, swordsman? What wisdom could I possibly possess that you would have need of?"
"Lord Nobuznagak"
She sighed as deeply as her wounded lungs would allow and shifted her position to rest against a nearby rock
"Lord Nobuznagak. Several years have passed since I last heard that name. But it is not an easy one to forget-"
She glanced at me for a moment, then continued
"-as I'm sure you are quite aware. Very well, warrior, I will tell you what I know"
Pausing, she attempted to find some comfort for her fever-aching bones in her rocky seat, and perhaps gather her thoughts, before carrying on.
"During the early periods of Lord Nobuznagak's conquest, my company of bandits were the fastest and most brutally efficient raiders in the valley. We were feared, and I was blind enough to call myself 'Queen'. Due to the fame created by a 'Bandit Queen' and her raiders, we were contacted by an emissary of Nobuznagak, who offered us a deal we would be fools to turn down. He would pay us great sums of gold, in addition to providing us with arrows and weapons forged from the black steel of his own smiths. In return, we were to supply his armies with food stolen from caravans and farms"
She paused to take a drink of Sakil from one of the flasks before continuing
"It was easy. Too easy. We grew soft, as the caravans and peasant farms provided no challenge for us. We relished our newfound luxury, spending our gold on things we had not even known were available for purchase. Some of these luxuries were purchased from the goblins, as many of my men achieved some strange satisfaction from flaunting the goblins' own money in their faces."
Another drink of Sakil, emptying the flask this time. She grimaced slightly and let it roll away limply
"But the goblins were the ones telling the greatest joke. When Lord Nobuznagak had enough supplies to fuel his campaign, he set the other free people loose on us. Barbarians from the eastern mountains, other raider groups like ourselves, and even the wild beast clans were told of how the mighty 'Bandit Queen' wished to dominate the free people, taking them in under her self-appointed crown in an attempt to challenge the monarchy for rulership of the human towns and cities. Since Nobuznagak had been such a dear friend to them, they were almost forced to believe his tale."
She gave another ragged sigh, coughed a few times, then continued
"Maybe, maybe when we were strong, we might have been able to hold them off. But we had been spoiled by Nobuznagak's pampering, and were utterly incapable of fighting against the horde we found ourselves matched against. Some stayed and fought, and their bodies covered the ground like autumn petals. Some tried to escape, find some other land to make their home in. But we were not fighting against the slow and predictable columns of drilled soldiers, we were fighting our own kind. I do not know what happened to them, but I hold little hope that a single one was spared. Several surrendered. I would rather not chance a guess at their fates."
More coughing, followed by a disturbingly wet wheeze. The effort of speaking for so long was obviously taking their toll, but she seemed determined to carry it through
"As for me, I hid. I was a shadow of what I was, but I still knew the bandit mind. I was able to avoid detection. I did not call myself 'the Bandit Queen' for no reason, after all"
She gave a wry smirk, then attempted to hold it as her body forced more air through her tortured throat. After a few moments she managed to compose herself sufficiently to continue
"They sent the hunter Umazi-shag after me, and I sensed a faint glimmer of hope. Umazi-shag had been dear to me in a time long before that, and it was that friendship I called upon. When he found me, I struck a bargain with him. I would tell him the location of all my private stashes, all my worldly wealth, and in return he would let me live out my life in hiding. I settled here, and he continued his 'hunt' for me in order to keep up the charade."
More coughing followed, and her body shuddered as she was wracked with pain. After several minutes, she regained the composure to continue. While she spoke, she started looking for another flask of Sakil to ease her troubles
"I am uncertain as to what happened to him after that, but I believe that the hunt for me was called off a long time ago. You should be able to find him in a cave to the west of here, at the base of the Barbs. Go there, and he will surely be able to lead you to Lord Nobuznagak. We were always satisfied to deal with the emissary, but Umazi-shag would never be at ease without knowing where his employer spent his nights. I no longer have any ornaments to give you as proof of speaking with me, so earning his trust may be difficult. However..."
She gave my sword a quick glance
"...I don't believe that will be much of a problem for you to deal with"
I offer my respects, and begin towards the door
"Wait! There is one thing I would ask of you"
I stop, waiting
"Fate would not have me live much longer, and so I will never see Nobuznagak die the coward's death he so richly deserves. But I ask for the chance to be involved, however slightly, in his undoing."
She motions to her chest briefly, and then elaborates
"Kill me. End my suffering, and let me die to a blade rather than this infernal sickness. Let my blood be spilled by the same sword that shall put an end to Lord Nobuznagak's reign"
I bow deeply, raise my sword above me, and strike the killing blow. She dies easily, as her mortal pain is left behind to allow her soul an unmolested journey to whatever judgement awaits it.
I leave the cave, and make my way towards the western caves.
Author's note:Yes, I eventually realized that the story she was blathering had absolutely nothing to do with anything, and that it was essentially just a bunch of pointless words until she got down to the "real deal". However, I am *very* tired, and I'm not feeling a particularly creative spark in relation to this story.
Also, &"%! tenses.
Inspiration: I wander around in a cave for a bit, finding only large rats and triggering a roach swarm. Eventually I come across a female minotaur who is constantly passing out due to having lost a toe some years before. Then I get the brilliant idea to make it significant. Why, oh why do I have to keep doing that?
Author
Topic: Death and Glory! (Read 58223 times)