*******************
It was the first of slate, in '64.We found ourselves in the heated land of the Wilted Steppes, to the south of our previous position. This part of Enomon was largely overrun by the most corrupt humans you've met, and the damned Avari, winged men with a love for purging we 'lesser' races from existence.
We had proceeded here at the suggestion of the Tigermen, to depart the human politics of Bonepicker's region for an area of less stability, and more work for a stout blade, swung by an even stouter dwarf.
The town of Earthbow was our first stop in the new territories after checking ourselves in at the Dwarven frontier forest retreat of Pantherhailed, a conquered site once held by Elves in the Whiskered Jungle (aptly named for its ferocious feline presence).
This human empire was one of the good ones, at least according to the local Dwarves, being known as The Nation of Dress (A terribly odd name). They largely followed a goddess of fishing, though the lady mayor we spoke to worshipped Lekla the Courage of Actions, goddess of both youth and longevity.
The lady mayor Kozi Roundsaved was a seasoned hunter, and had spent much of her life in the wild before coming to lead the Council of Generals from the Smooth Bristles.
We discussed with her our trade, and she immediately told us of a feared enemy. The Cyclops Edem Breachedoils the Dutiful Bristle, slayer of sixty one citizens, among them her aunt.
Eager for glory, we gladly accepted her offer of work. Hopefully we could earn our reward by taking the treasures the monster would have accumulated over these long years.
We didn't need to travel far, as the beast was only a day's travel to the west, in a cave known as Rooterdeeps the Beetle of Ivy (for reasons unknown).
Prior to our leaving, we did a quick shout out for any brave souls to join us. It seemed, however, that our fame was not great enough to stir them to action, and we convinced not a one.
It would be Bonepicker and myself for yet another battle, it seemed.
As we neared the site, however, we were met by a bedraggled Kobold.
"Me, Budalus!" it yipped. "No kill!"
I had few dealings with Kobolds, not usually friendly, so I kept my guard. "Relax kobold, we've only come to destroy the Cyclops of Rooterdeeps."
"Clops? Kill many! You die, probably!"
"Thank you for the vote of confidence. We, however, feel we are adequately prepared. Is it just the one cyclops here?"
"Clops alone, yep yep." nodded the Kobold with a mix of fear and excitement.
"Feel like coming to watch us beat it?"
"Me not stupid. Me live." replied the kobold shaking its head, and sitting down determinedly.
Shrugging, we entered the cave. We had to work fast because we'd arrived late in the day, and nobody wants to fight a cyclops at night. For a nice change, it wasn't scorchingly hot, merely warm, so I was looking forward to working without sweating gallons.
We had a quiet wander around the cavern, finding nothing. We decided to head back to Budalus and get some more info, if that were possible with a kobold.
Night had fallen by this stage, and he had probably moved away from where we had last seen him.
As we wandered around his last position, however, a Gargoyle crept upon us, it's claws dripping in fresh blood. Bonepicker and I had seen worse, however, and demolished it handily.
We had another look around and unfortunately, though not surprisingly, discovered poor Budalus' corpse nearby, its severed head laying a few feet away from his mauled form.
With little recourse, Bonepicker and I decided to sleep. We took turns keeping watch, and whilst Bonepicker slept I managed to get the drop on another Gargoyle that had foolishly decided to try its luck.
As day broke, we once again entered Rooterdeeps, and after some time of searching, we happened upon the beast.
It spoke to us, in great boasts, of its previous kills. Numerous leaders of the Fellowship of Fortifications, of whom I had not heard, but also one leader of the Council of Generals, of whom Kozi was the current leader.
The creature was bigger than we had been expecting, and we immediately wondered if we had bitten off more than we could chew. After all, this creature had slain many would-be heroes.
We battled it with all our bravery, despite it's ferocity and size. With clever footing, we managed to outsmart it, and trip it over.
Bonepicker was on it in an instant, plunging his sword into its heart. We continued our assault, despite its mortal injury, because a monster like this can cause great havoc in its death throes.
Once again, I must credit Bonepicker with a mortal wound, as he thrust his sword into its throat, straight through its jugular. He truly is an excellent protege.
With that, the monster shuddered and breathed its last.
Overjoyed with our good fortune, despite the lack of treasure to be found, we returned to Earthbow, expecting a heroes welcome.
And we received one, by way of a feast. Despite the lack of monetary reward, the renown for killing such a beast would only do wonders for our reputation in the area. And despite Kozi's declaration of quiet existence in the area now, I was certain our new fame would attract others to our banner.
Author
Topic: Nist Akath - The Complete Story (Read 609089 times)