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Travelling was almost always nerve-wracking after seeing certain things. The Grand creator knows that after the fight against the Demon king, none of them could sleep soundly for at least two full weeks. Saho– despite his attempts to show differently– was still afraid of the gigantic demon, and Rio hadn’t stopped shaking even when he was asleep.
The experience at the mansion had left both Fuyuko and Rio in a similar panic, and with only each other to keep themselves company, it had taken a while to calm. Certainly, seeing Saho had helped (Apparently he was a god now? Both were still somewhat confused about what exactly happened there), but such experiences were not easily forgotten. Fuyuko had taken to keeping her daggers on her when she slept so that if she were to be attacked, she would have something to defend herself with. Rio’s hands would twitch at every sound or movement in the night, ready to grab at his shield and staff. He might not be much good at fighting, but he was still decently strong.
After a few days of travel, they had calmed slightly. They were still ready for an attack– Skaven raids were not uncommon, especially not near the outskirts of the dwarven queendom– but they weren’t tensing at every noise.
Now they could enjoy the sights of the dwarven lands, from the great hills and the grassy plains to the enormous mountains and the grand waterfalls. Trees came in patches around rivers and lakes, and now and again they would spot a rare aboveground dwarven outpost, where they would have an exchange with the guards no longer than a smile and a wave.
Because most dwarven towns and cities were underground or carved high into the side of a cliff, wildlife was abundant. Great herds of bison stalked the plains and massive bears prepared for their annual hibernation. Even the monsters of the area were numerous, with enormous cancers lounging on the shores of rivers surrounded by newly hatched young, and the only recently recorded bird-monsters perching on rocks and trees, grooming their feathers.
The birds didn’t have an official name yet, but they were large, dangerous, and were rumored to have human faces hidden behind their beaks, although both Rio and Fuyuko thought that it was unlikely. The birds would attack with wings covered in blade-like feathers, either in a melee or by launching the feathers like arrows– a fact that several rangers and mages who believed they could attack them from a distance learned very quickly, and with some injury. No one knew why exactly so many new monsters were appearing, from the cancer and fenrir that appeared shortly after the death of the Demon king, to the new bird monsters that seemed to come from nowhere at all. Some believed it was corruption left behind from the invasion, and others, a punishment from the gods for an unknown slight.
Thankfully, neither the birds nor the cancer seemed particularly interested in attacking them, at least not at the moment, so they passed without issue. Cancer would eye them, hissing and flashing their huge claws dangerously, and the birds would puff their feathers and stretch their wings in just the right way to imply a threat, but no attack came.
So Rio and Fuyuko continued their journey peacefully, though not without apprehension.
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Around one out of every ten travellers that passed through dwarven lands were likely to be attacked at some point, with greater risk but also greater safety in groups. Considering that Rio was travelling back to the dwarven lands with Fuyuko at his side, he was expecting a small attack at some point. He thought it might come from the cancer, or the birds, or perhaps from a hungry bear that was looking for a meal.
He was not expecting to stumble across an enormous skaven raiding party camping not even three days walk into the dwarven territory. From the size, this had to be at least three or four smaller parties grouped, with dozens of skaven in a single area not much larger than the ballroom where he and Fuyuko had reunited.
He could see what looked to be hundreds of different weapons, from serrated longswords and battleaxes, to double-bladed daggers, and haphazardly assembled spellbooks full of uneven pages. He could even see a stolen ballista, recognizing it as one designed and assembled during the invasion to protect the capital of the dwarven queendom.
In one corner of the camp, he spied a small number of skaven poring over a notebook. Behind them, not even a full stride away, was a pile of skaven corpses in varying conditions and states of decomposition. Every few minutes, one of the skaven would look up, wave a glowing hand at the pile while chanting something he couldn’t hear, wait, and then return to the notebook. Rio thought he saw one corpse twitch once, but he quickly brushed it off as a trick of the light originating from the flickering campfires scattered across the area.
Thankfully, he and Fuyuko had not been noticed yet, so they still had a chance of passing by without a fight that they would not win. But the thought of why exactly so many skaven had formed such a large group shook him to his core. Even just one or two skaven raid parties could destroy a dwarven town with ease, and there had to be at least four parties in the camp. He did not want to imagine what their purpose was, but he did anyway.
With a silent look, he and Fuyuko returned to their travel, resolving to warn any who would listen about the threat on the horizon.
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Ret watched the dwarf and beastkin leave. They were not being as stealthy as they thought they were– at least, the dwarf wasn’t– so perceptive skaven had spotted them quickly. He, along with one other, had been sent to keep an eye on them while the main force prepared.
They would not escape his vision. He was smaller than average for a skaven– even as far as males go– making him slightly slower but more stealthy. Besides, his speed didn’t matter when trailing something so slow. His companion, Gij, was also quite stealthy, although they were slightly larger than the average skaven.
The leader of the camp had picked them personally, and they would not fail her. She wanted them tracked, so they would track them to the ends of the continent and back again, without being seen even a single time.
Dwarf tasted very good– usually tough and full of flavor– and went well with plenty kinds of side dishes. This dwarf smelled particularly delicious: savory and tender meat with a slight tangy undertone. Perfect when paired with elven wine– whether it be elf-made or. . . elf-made.
Beastkin didn’t taste all that bad either on average, although the kind did affect the flavor somewhat. This one looked to be a vulpine, meaning more tender muscles and less fat. Good meat like that would need some preparation before being a good meal. And perhaps a vegetable side of some sort, to help the little ones grow big and strong.
Ret was not a chef, but he was an eater. He might not know what exactly made for the best meal, but he did know what tasted good, and believed that this would taste very good.
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