[Bee Blueglade][Session 2 - Level 1][Part 1]

[Bee Blueglade] sits in a small cottage on the outskirts of town as night draws near. An old crone, the wife of Haren, is there changing his bandages. Bee idly fiddles with the orcish dagger he found in the water mill.

It’s been three days since the fight with the rats under that old water mill. He’s been told that his wounds are healing the fastest. Claw marks across his chest, a bite taken out of his shoulder, bruises across his chest and back. It was all trivial to Bee as he considered his companion who lost an eye.

“You’re worrying about him again.” The old woman, Lilac Groth, said. “You both get the same look when you do that.”

“Haren taught me how to shoot a crossbow and how to shave. He’s one of the many father figures I have in this town.” Bee said with a smile.

“Well my husband is alive because of you. Don’t you forget that.” Lilac said warmly.

The door to the cabin opened and a young woman entered. She had frizzy blonde hair and a tawny complexion. Bee was still trying to figure her out since she moved to the village only a few months ago. She was carrying a bucket that sloshed with water.

“There you are, Ada. Could you bring that over here?” Lilac spoke.

“Yes, mam.” Ada said. “How’s the patient, dead yet?”

“I don’t know. Might have to amputate.” Bee smiled.

Lilac was the resident nurse and Ada was her apprentice. While it was a small town, he knew both of them. These last three days he had gotten much closer to them. Lilac had grown more doting and Bee appreciated that. Ada started to open up to Bee a little more and he liked the playful side of her personality he was finally getting to see.

Lilac dipped a rag in the clean water before she started to dab at Bee’s wounds. She cleaned them thoroughly before reapplying a medicinal salve and bandages.

“Alright, don’t go fighting any more monsters.” Lilac said before standing up with a creak of her old bones.

“Maybe just one harrowing adventure a decade.” Bee called out as Lilac left.

“Hopefully it's further from town next time.” Ada said with a glance at Bee before she turned to leave.

“Wait,” Bee barely was able to get the word out.

“What is it?” Ada quickly turned to face him again.

“I think you’re pretty and I want to get to know you better.” Bee summoned all his courage.

“That’s it?” Ada had a soft smile on her face.

“Well, life has been put into a better perspective for me recently.” Bee shrugged. “I did, you know, die.”

“Alright, why don’t you meet me at the grove tomorrow night.” Ada said as she sidestepped towards the exit. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

She opened the door wide, stepping out, when a strange sound reached Bee’s ears. A scream

from far in the distance. Bee looked past Ada and saw a glow upon the horizon.

“What’s that?” Ada questioned as she took a few steps out of the house.

“Orcs.” Bee muttered.

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The glow arced through the night sky. Bee focused on it, spotting hundreds of small lights flickering in the wind. He stood up so fast his seat fell backward and he reached a hand out towards Ada.

Hundreds of flaming arrows pelted the village. Ada fell back, an arrow pierced through her chest, and flaming tar splashed across her.

…

“Orcs.” Bee muttered, wondering why he was saying it again, when he noticed Ada standing outside the doorway.

Something happened, time went back a few seconds, he had a second chance. He jumped to his feet, this time he pulled back his hand that held the dagger, as the flaming arrows flew closer. Everything seemed impossibly slow, even his own actions were slow, like he was trying to push through molasses.

As he processed everything around him, imagining every possibility, he began to see threads through the air. All leading to different outcomes for this moment. Different fates. But there was one thread that went from his hand to the space over Ada’s shoulder.

He threw the dagger as time started to speed back up. The arrows flew down, the dagger sailed through the air, and it slammed into the shaft of an arrow inches from Ada.Both the dagger and the arrow were knocked away and slammed into the ground in different directions.

Ada let out a sharp breath before turning to Bee.

“What was that?” She questioned.

Her eyes were wide with fear. She had seen certain death, and yet it did not come to pass. Bee struggled to find the words, there was no proper explanation, what he did was impossible. Yet, it was a fantastical feat he felt proud of.

“I don’t know, but I can save the village.” Bee clenched his fists with determination.

He grabbed his other dagger off his table before heading outside and retrieving the orcish dagger. He noticed flaming arrows were lighting up the thatch roof of his house. He couldn’t dwell on lost property, if he didn’t act, everyone in the village would lose their lives.

“What are you going to do?” Ada asked.

“I’m going to fight.” Bee paused and then turned back around. “You should go to the estate of Alerias, it should be far enough in the opposite direction, you’ll be safe if the village falls.”

“I’m not leaving my new home.” Ada said as she grabbed a shovel from the side of the house.

She walked back towards Bee and nodded to him. He knew he wasn’t going to talk her out of it. He grumbled as he and Ada charged towards the village.

There were houses burning down, people wounded being dragged by loved ones, a child face down in the mud with an arrow in their back, and a horse that ran past with its backside aflame. Bee closed his eyes as he ran, hoping he’d go further back in time, and save everyone.

He opened his eyes as heard the sound of metal clashing metal. Six militiamen were up ahead with leather armor, wooden shields, as well as an equal mixture of spears and shortswords. They were attempting to hold the line against ten orcs who were wielding clubs that had bone and rock fragments in them.

“Cover me.” Bee ordered Ada before he charged into the fray.

Bee slipped past the side of the shield wall, and quickly closed the distance between him and an orc. He stabbed both daggers into the orcs chest, twisted, and then removed the blades. The orc blinked in surprise before falling back dead.

An orc swung a club at Bee, but Ada stepped forward jabbing the shovel head into his throat. She pushed the orc back, before Bee ran forward and stabbed a blade through his head. He retracted the dagger as the orc fell to the ground dead.

Another orc looked over his shoulder at Bee, and in the time he did that a militia member stabbed him through the cheek. Ada swung her shovel, taking out his legs, and the militiaman helped finish him off.

One of the shields on the far side shattered as a club bashed against it. The orcs surged forward killing two of the militia men with deft blows to the head. Another orc grabbed a militiaman and raised him up by the throat.

Bee tossed his smaller dagger and it went right through the side of the enemy's eye. The militiaman quickly seized the opportunity and stabbed the orc through the gut.

The shield wall shifted around to partially enclose the orcs. One of the orcs raised his club over the shield wall to slam it down, but Bee grabbed the weapon with his free hand. Without putting any thought into it he felt energy flow through him into the club. It glowed brightly, like the sun, and the orc dropped it. Two militiamen quickly stabbed him.

Bee used the opening to get into the action and stab another orc in the side repeatedly. He, Ada, and the four village militiamen that were left cleaned up the rest of the orcs. Bee collected his other dagger, sheathing it, before picking a shortsword out of the hand of a fallen fighter. Ada strapped a shield to her arm before.

“They're coming from the watermill.” One of the militia told Bee.

“Alright, save as many people as you can, get them to Alerias’ estate. I’ll see what I can do about the orcs.” Bee patted the fighter on the shoulder.

“May the Gods be with you.” The man said.

“I think they are.” Bee replied.