Chapter 5 April 22, 775 FF
Kiln stared down at the group on the road. It was gathered around the remains of a fire. Raiyu, the Green Moon, was setting in western night sky and the sun was showing the first rays of light in the east. Kiln sat in a cluster of small boulders where he had spent a portion of the night in a trance. The early portion of his night had been covering traces of his friends as they had climbed another hill, descended then climbed another. The terrain was both a blessing and a curse. The stony hills made it less likely to leave traces of passing, but slowed the progress of travel.
Once Kiln had gotten his friends underway, he had doubled back to watch if they would be followed. Late in the night he had seen the group of pursuers sweep into the camp and discover the bundles that Kiln had arranged around the fire. Immediately the group shouted in anger and set off at a run down the road. Now they were back and the archer was examining the camp more intently. Kiln suspected what that meant.
Even as the light grew the man was slowly circling the camp. After about thirty minutes he waved his party over and pointed. Then they followed him as he slowly began to climb the hill. Kiln cursed to himself.
“Creator of the Thirteen, he’s a tracker.”
The man appeared to be in his thirties, which meant he was possibly more skilled than Kiln. Humans were Skilled at whatever vocation they chose and their skill sets were often more specialized than other races at the equivalent ages. If this man was a dedicated tracker it would not be easy to lose him. However, one thing that Kiln’s parents and mentors had often stressed was that having Skills did not always mean having skill and when it came to skill in the wilds, the elves, having lived alongside nature for millenia were among the best in the world of Herald. Kiln smiled as he slipped quietly down the hill following his friends’ trail, erasing their traces as he went.
The wind ruffled the leaves and his cloak as he moved stealthily amongst the crags and rocks, erasing a footprint here and there. Every now and then he would turn back and set a false trail. Over the course of the morning he worked and occasionally would head back to track the progress of the other party. They were moving slowly. The other scout was having a tougher time following the trail, but Kiln had to grudgingly admit that he was following it, rather well. The tracker did fall for the first false trail Kiln had set at first, but soon realized his mistake and backtracked. After that the tracker became much more wary about the path he should take. He did not fall for another false trail. Each one he came to did make him pause and consider for several minutes, which was a success in Kiln’s estimation. Every little bit of time Kiln bought for his group to get farther ahead was helpful. All Kiln could hope was that whatever Icepaw had done, it was not enough to inspire this group to pursue them for more than a couple days. As the evening approached, Kiln abandoned his attempts at dislodging pursuit to meet up with his companions and plan out the next day’s travel plans. Kiln did not see any deer to hunt on his way back, but he did manage to nab a couple of rabbits and a fox. That would be entertaining.
April 28, 775 FF
Kiln blearily opened his eyes. It was morning once more. The night had been long and Kiln knew he had not rested nearly long enough. He looked around. The others were already up and packing their belongings. Dan and Icepaw looked to be in decent shape. Their wounds were still only partially healed, but they were better rested than Kiln was. Hydrozeno’s wounds had healed entirely days ago. His temper was getting steadily worse though. As Icepaw had stated, the hydrablood needed a lot of sustenance and despite their best efforts, there simply had not been enough game to hunt to keep the bottomless pit that was Hydrozeno’s stomach satiated.
Kiln had alternated one day scouting far ahead of the party and the next trying to slow down their pursuers, leaving very little time for him to hunt anything big. Surprisingly, Icepaw was a decent tracker and guide. He could not shoot a bow very well. Hydrozeno, on the other hand, was an excellent shot with a shortbow. He was most definitely not a good hunter though. He was far too loud and impatient. The two made an excellent pair and did manage to find enough food to keep Hydrozeno from doing more than growling irritably about food.
Other than that, Hydrozeno was a solid traveling companion in Kiln’s book. He did not complain about the harsh pace, the terrain or even the pursuers. Actually, he did not talk much at all whenever Kiln was around, which was admittedly rare. On the other hand, Icepaw rarely stopped talking. He would chatter constantly and give his advice on what they should do next. Kiln had to admit that the kitsune’s opinions were not bad. In fact, If Kiln was not around then Icepaw would probably be the best to lead the group. Apparently, Icepaw grew up on the harsh frozen tundras of the Northern Continent and knew how to survive in some rather bleak conditions. Kiln just resented the fox for two reasons. First, he talked way too much for Kiln’s taste. Kiln did not hate talking, but he still liked his quiet. Dan could get very talkative at times, but would also go into long periods of contemplation of reading that let Kiln just enjoy the quiet. Icepaw never stopped talking and Hydrozeno was apparently the world’s most patient listener, at least when he was not hungry.
Fortunately for Icepaw he now had Dan to talk to, who did not seem to mind the chatter too much either. Dan would even add to the conversation when he was not out of breath. Kiln had to admit privately that the trip was starting to take its toll on Dan. He was easily the least physically fit member of the group.
As if Kiln’s thoughts had summoned him, Dan appeared and handed Kiln a bowl. It had a thin soup of rabbit meat and the last of their vegetables. Maybe if he was lucky Kiln would spot a farm he would be able to raid. He knew it was unlikely as the rocky hills became even larger and more difficult to navigate as they went farther and farther south, closer to the mountains. It was hardly prime farmland.
Kiln downed the soup quickly and stood up drawing his cloak around him as the chilly wind rustled the leaves. Dan looked up tiredly
“Are you scouting ahead today?”
Kiln nodded and started off.
“Yeah, don’t dawdle too much. They are slowly catching up.”
The others nodded dismally, before they turned back to the task of breaking down camp. Camp was a generous term. It was basically just a ring of blankets around a cooking fire. They knew what to do and would be moving out after him in just a little bit. Kiln leapt down a small ledge and began to pick his way nimbly down the slope. He had noticed a particularly large hill a few miles ahead of them that might be a good place to lose pursuit. It was almost entirely made of stone and might have a small cave system that Kiln hoped they could use to confuse their pursuers if they were lucky.
After about two and a half hours of steep climbs and descents Kiln reached his destination. He stood at the base of the large hill and studied the surroundings. Something intriguing caught his eye. It was a large tree standing alone near the base of the hill that interested him. He studied it and grinned. This could work. He crept up the hill and eventually found the cave and peered in. This could be just the thing they needed. He backed away from the cave and spent a little bit studying everything, then he turned and hurried back to his friends. They would need to time this carefully if it was going to work. Two hours later he had his friends march into the cave. Then everything was up to him. That night Kiln set to work erasing all traces of tracks and other signs, then he found a decent spot to hide and wait.
April 29, 775
The group of men did not reach the hill until early the next morning. They marched past the fallen tree at the base of the hill and continued up the hill, following the trail of Kiln’s group. The six men paused at the entrance to the cave and Kiln listened as they conferred with each other.
“They went in here.”
“How long ago do you reckon?”
“Yesterday afternoon by my best guess. There aren’t any tracks leaving. Either there is another exit or their man covered their tracks again.”
“Still three of them?”
“Three sets of tracks, plus their woodsman. So four of them total.”
“I am telling you we killed one. There are only three left.”
“You killed the one who supposedly can heal any wounds. We never found his body so I think it is safe to say he is still alive.”
“Maybe they buried him.”
“Right, and I just missed the signs of a massive grave entirely.”
“You said you haven’t seen any signs of their tracker. So maybe you missed this.”
“Their tracker probably has a skill to erase their own tracks. That’s why we haven’t seen their tracks. It doesn’t seem to give them any abilities to hide their friend’s tracks.”
“Fine, so what now?”
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“I am going to go in there and see if the cave keeps going or if it's a dead end. It may be they spent the night there and their man just made sure to cover their trail going out.”
“What if the cave goes out somewhere else?”
“Then we double check to make sure it isn’t a false trail and that they doubled back anyways. Now sit tight and let me check.”
Kiln nodded in appreciation as the scout entered the cave Kiln had led his friends into yesterday. The man was smart.
The roar that emerged from the cave was deafening.
Unfortunately, Kiln was smarter. He was not stupid enough to enter a bear cave alone while the creature was home. Instead he had made sure that the creature had been out when he marched his friends into and then out of the bear’s den. Then he had carefully erased all traces of them leaving. Lastly, he had erased all signs of the bear’s existence. He had even taken the time to knock over and position the rub tree at the base of the hill, which would have been an obvious signal to everything nearby that this was the bear’s territory, so that the markings were no longer visible.
The results were a panicked and bloodied scout trying to sprint away from the largest bear Kiln had ever seen. The enraged bear caught the poor man and tore him apart. Ten minutes later, Kiln nodded in satisfaction as the remaining mage and two warriors fled north as quickly as they could, the massive, bloodied bear in hot pursuit.
Kiln slipped quietly away. That would almost certainly be the last time they had to deal with those men again. With a cheerful spring in his step, Kiln wondered just how far away the road might be and if there were any nearby settlements. It would be nice to get a full night’s sleep in a warm bed and fill Hydrozeno’s stomach for once.
Name: Hydrozeno
Age: 18
Race: Hydrablood Elf
Mana:
Blessings:
Scimitar of Flame: Level 1 0/2 Does 1 point of fire damage
Bag of the Companion
Health Level 2 2/4 Health 2/2
Claws Level 2 2/4
Bite Level 2 3/4
Fur Level 1 1/2
Skills:
Health: 22/22
Base Defense: 4
Longevity: Level 4 3/16
Darkvision: Level 4 3/16
Bow Range: Level 1 0/2
Bow Damage: Level 3 3/8
Bow Accuracy: Level 3 0/8
Regeneration: Level 9 8/256 9/9 points used
Regeneration: Level 3 0/4
Instant Regeneration: Level 3 1/4 1/3 healing points remaining
Swimming: Level 2 3/4
Scimitar Accuracy: Level 3 0/8
Scimitar Damage: Level 3 0/8
Scimitar Parry: Level 1 1/2
Light Armor: Level 1 0/2
Acidic Blood: Level 1 0/2
Cooking: Level 1 0/2
Intimidation: Level 2 0/4
Poison resistance: Level 1 0/2
Shield: Level 1 0/2
Name: Icepaw
Age: 18
Race: Beastman
Mana:
Basic Mana 3/3
Water Mana 1/1
Blessings:
Rapier of the Frozen Level 2 0/4 Adds 2 point of ice damage per mana spent
Coat of Changing Level 3 0/8 Adds 3 levels to Illusion magic and spells
Skills:
Health 13/21
Base Defense: 0
Darkvision: Level 4 3/16
Animal Handling: Level 4 3/16
Unarmed Accuracy: Level 1 0/2
Unarmed Damage: Level 1 0/2
Unarmed Evasion: Level 2 3/4
Tracking: Level 2 1/4
Survival: Level 2 0/4
Climbing: Level 3 0/8
Basic Mana: Level 3 0/8
Crafted Illusion: Level 3(6) 0/8 3(6)/3(6) point used
Illusion Size: Level 2 0/4 Illusion has max size of 2 foot squared
Illusion Duration: Level 2 0/4 Illusion lasts 10 seconds per mana spent
Disguise Self: Level 2(5) 2/4 disguises oneself in an illusion for 2(5) minutes per mana spent
Sleight of Hand: Level 1 0/2
Sailing: Level 1 0/2
Perception: Level 2 1/4
Insight: Level 1 1/2
Water Mana: Level 1 0/2
Rapier Damage: Level 1 0/2
Rapier Accuracy: Level 1 0/2
Rapier parry: Level 1 0/2
Name: Kilnoher
Age: 18
Race: Elf
Mana
Nature Mana: 1/1
Earth Mana: 1/1
Body Mana: 1/1
Blessings:
Longbow of Sight: Level 1 0/2 Doubles your bow range and darkvision
Cloak of Shadows: Shadow Stealth Level 1 1/2 Increase your stealth level by the level of this cloak
Skills:
Health: 21/21
Base Defense: 0
Longevity: Level 4 3/16 Your lifespan in increase by 4 years
Darkvision: Level 4 3/16 You can see perfectly in the dark for up to 40(80) feet.
Bow range: Level 3 0/8 You bow range is 53(106) feet
Bow Accuracy: Level 2 1/4
Bow damage: Level 1 0/2
Nature Mana: Level 1 1/2
Earth Mana: Level 1 0/2
Stealth: Level 2(3) 0/4
Tracking: Level 2 0/4
Perception: Level 1 0/2
Body Mana: Level 1 0/2
Speed Boost Spell: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Speed increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Sense Animals: Level 1 0/2 You can sense the presence of animal in a range of up to 100 feet for 1 second per nature mana used
Cartography: Level 1 0/2
Magic Items
Boots of speed: Increases speed by 1% for 1 minute for every 99 mana imbued
Current Mana Charge: 61
Name: Dan Del Torre
Age:18
Race: Human
Mana:
Basic Mana: 2/2
Body Mana 2/2
Blessings:
Blade of Memory: Relive the past of those you have slain and gain their experience
Wand of Binding: Level 2 0/2 2/2 points used
Charges level 1 0/2 1/1 charges(regains 1 charge per day)
Binding Duration: Level 1 0/2 Binding lasts 10 seconds
Skills:
Health: 16/19
Base defense: 1
Basic mana: Level 2 0/4
Body Mana: Level 2 0/4
Enchantment- Imbue Item(Skill Enhancement): Level 2 0/4 2/2 point used(requires 12 hour ritual and 1 gold per mana used)
Skill Enhancement increase: Level 1 0/2 Increases chosen skill by 1 level per 100(99) mana imbued
Skill Enhancement Duration: Level 1 0/2 Imbuement lasts 1 minutes per 100(99) mana imbued
Imbuement Item Recharge: Level 0 0/1 item recharges 0 mana per day
Longsword Accuracy: Level 3 0/8
Longsword Damage: Level 2 0/4
Longsword Parry: Level 3 1/8
Mana Circle(chosen skill): Level 2 1/4 Inscribe up to a level 2 mana circle on an object that will gather 1 mana per day per level. The inscriber may withdraw the mana at their leisure. Costs 100 gold to create per level or upgrade. Requires 12 hours uninterrupted to inscribe
Light Armor: Level 1 0/2
Mana Sight: Level 1 0/2 Can see mana at a range of 1 foot and 1% chance to identify its type
Magic resistance: Level 1 0/2
Enchantment Magic Mana Cost Reduction: Level 1 0/2 reduce enchantment costs by 1%
Speed Boost: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Speed increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Strength boost: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Strength increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Defense boost: Level 2 0/4 2/2 points used
Defense increase: Level 1 0/2 1%
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 seconds per point of body mana used
Weapon Enhancement(Temporary): Level 2 0/4 2/2 points use
Weapon Damage: Level 1 0/2 Increased by 1 level per 100(99) mana used
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 1 attack per 100(99) mana used
Armor Enhancement(Temporary): Level 2 0/4 2/2 points use
Armor Level: Level 1 0/2 Increased by 1 level per 100(99) mana used
Boost Duration: Level 1 0/2 Endures 1 attack per 100(99) mana used
Magic Items
Sword Belt- Inscribed with level 1 magic circle
Current Mana:
8 Basic mana
177 body mana