Isa took off running toward her friend. She hadn’t expected to ever need it, but she’d been reading about her spell spare the dying. If Lund were close to death - and Isa had to admit that they had both come too close to death 30 seconds after encountering the wyvern - her cantrip would at least stabilize him until she could heal him.
Isa skidded on her knees, coming up beside Lund in the dewy grass. The wyvern was keeping aloft, but its blood dripped everywhere, and everywhere Isa looked she saw the remnants of battle. She tried to say her spell, but it was hard to breathe, both from the sprint across the open space and the acrid smell.
Finally she choked out the words: “Lockwood spare you, spare your life.” She laid a hand on Lund’s heart while the other pressed her medallion to her own chest. She was rewarded with feeling Lund’s chest rise and fall with steady breaths. He was alive.
A groan sounded to her left, and Isa saw a wounded gnoll in the grass about 10 feet away. With a quick glance at the battle (the wyvern was still occupied by the gnoll captain and his group) Isa crawled to the gnoll. His eyes went wide as she approached and one bloody hand reached for his knife.
Isa stopped short and held out her medallion. “Healer,” she said. “Athay. Athay.”
The gnoll growled out a response. His hand didn't move from his knife, but he didn't slash at her.
Isa grasped his leg and said, “Lockwood spare you.”
Gently the gnoll pulled free from Isa’s grasp. He said something and pointed over his head. Isa followed his arm and saw another gnoll on his knees, panting. Both of his arms were curled to his midsection.
“Athee,” the first gnoll said. He touched his chest. “Athee.”
Isa nodded and crawled toward the second gnoll. She glanced at the wyvern and saw a patch of white blossom on its hide. Alice? Sure enough Isa saw her girlfriend at the treeline hurling her hand toward the wyvern again and again. Those trees would not protect Alice if that wyvern decided to charge, but she was too far away for Isa to even yell - and that might just draw the wyvern's attention.
“Lady helps us,” Isa muttered, not so much as a prayer but as curse.
She focused once more on the second injured gnoll. This one had garlands at his? her? wrists and ankles, and in a flash she understood: this gnoll was also a healer, a healer in danger of dying.
In a moment Isa cast her healing word over the gnoll. It immediately whipped around to face her. “Athay!” Isa held up her hands, one still clutching her medallion.
The gnoll said something and with a snarl loped away from Isa and toward another injured gnoll.
Just then the wyvern let out a roar. It shook its head back and forth like a dog emerging from the water. The motion moved through its whole body down to the still-bleeding stub of its tail. Black blood streamed through the air bathing several gnolls. The gnoll captain called out to his squad, waving his sword and gesturing with his shield.
Isa saw another white splotch hit the wyvern. In another setting it would have been comical: Alice’s one-sided snowball fight.
Alice had ice; Isa had light. She clutched her medallion once more and spoke the words to cast her sacred flame spell. Light seemed to rush up from the ground and envelope the wyvern.
It let out another roar and lept into the air. Several gnolls rushed in, including the captain, and jabbed at it as it took to the air. The creature dodged most of the blows and, with a few strong wing-beats, it moved toward the river. Several gnolls chased after it. The captain and the strangely dressed gnoll that Isa had healed stayed behind.
These two moved toward Isa, and she suddenly felt afraid. Sure, they’d had a common enemy, but that enemy was gone. Would they attack her?
“I didn’t mean to scare it away!” she called. “I was trying to help.” She stepped toward Lund, pulling the healing potion from her bag. In one smooth motion she thumbed the cork from the vial, knelt, and poured it into Lund’s mouth.
Almost immediately he threw his arms over his face and pulled his legs toward his chest. When no attack came Lund lowered his arms.
“It’s OK. Wyvern’s gone,” Isa said. “But we have other company.” She looked at the two gnolls who’d stopped about 10 feet from them. The captain, Isa noticed, had sheathed his sword. She stood slowly and spread out her hands. “Thank you,” she said to the both. “You saved us.”
“You,” the captain pointed at Isa, “saved Grynmar.” He waved his hand at the gnoll beside him. “Grynmar saves others. You save others.”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Lund stood, tugging his leather armor back into place. “We were-- Where’s Alice?”
From behind them came Alice’s voice. “Right here.”
Isa turned to see her girlfriend give a small wave. “That’s Alice. I’m Isa; he’s Lund.” She and Lund exchanged glances, and he shrugged. Isa said, “We’re, uh, the Lockwood Pack, I guess.”
“I am named Vikk Fastclaw.” The gnoll captain stood tall. “Pit champon, leader of Fastclaw Pack. Blood pact between our packs.” He waved his hand back and forth in the space between them. The gnoll beside him, the one he’d called Grynmar, snorted. As if in response Vikk raised his voice. “Blood pact. Truce for common prey, but you go now.”
“Yes,” Lund agreed. “May you drink your enemies’ tears by the light of his hearth fire.”
Vikk opened his mouth and let his tongue hang out. “Yes. Yes!”
Isa and Lund took several steps back and joined Alice. In the distance they heard a crash, a wyvern roar, and the clamor of gnoll barks. Softly Isa said, “What do we do now?” She kept her eyes on the gnoll healer Grynmar.
“Gotta turn our backs on them sometime,” said Lund. He let out a grunt and turned toward the treeline. Alice and Isa did the same. They both had to trot to keep up with Lund’s long stride.
“Are they following?” Alice asked.
Isa tried to hear extra hard. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. I won’t be sure until I’m back at Lund’s. And even then I might check under the bed.”
“They’re not hubgubbins,” Lund said.
“Hubgubbin? What’s a hubgubbin?” Isa grinned at Lund. Now that the immediate danger had passed she was starting to enjoy herself again. “And what was that you said to the gnoll? Drink your enemies’ tears? What?”
“It’s an orc blessing. Something a mother might say to her daughter or son before they journey into battle.”
“Definitely sounds like something my mother would say,” said Alice. Quickly she added, “She’s not orcish, just… fierce, maybe. Maybe that’s the word I want.”
Isa glanced at Alice. She knew that Alice’s parents were divorced, but past that, Alice’s family situation was a big unknown. They hadn’t met each other’s families yet, but Isa knew that her mom would adore Alice and vice versa.
As they tramped through the wood back toward Lund’s, Isa thought about her two lives. On the one hand, there was Portland. Friends, family, job, school, future fulfilling employment. But then there was Varana. Magic, adventure, meaningful quests - most of them anyway - and friends. They weren’t her Portland friends, sure. And she especially missed Marissa, but Alice was here, and if the goddess was to be believed, Isa had the most meaningful quest of all at hand.
They broke through the trees near Lund’s Tavern. It was early yet, so maybe they could get a few more provisions, leave a note for Mery and be back in Lockwood tonight.
Spoiler: Isa's Character Sheet
Name: Isa Chamberlin
Race: Human
Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs
Class: Fighter Level: 4 / Cleric level 1
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Background: Stranger in a Strange Land
Domain: Nature
Hit Points: 34 AC: 16
Current Hit Points: 8 + stunned for 1 round
Combat: +6 to Hit / +5 on staff/shillelagh
Weapons: +1 Quarterstaff with shillelagh +5 to hit 1d8 +5 (one handed)
STR
11
0
DEX
16
+3
CON
11
0
INT
13
+1
WIS
13
+1
CHA
12
+1
Saving Throws: Str and Con +2
5
Acrobatics* (Dex)
1
Medicine (Wis)
1
Animal Handling (Wis)
4
Nature* (Int)
1
Arcana (Int)
3
Perception* (Wis)
0
Athletics (Str)
1
Performance (Cha)
1
Deception (Cha)
1
Persuasion (Cha)
3
History* (Int)
1
Religion (Int)
3
Insight* (Wis)
3
Sleight of Hand (Dex)
1
Intimidation (Cha)
3
Stealth (Dex)
1
Investigation (Int)
1
Survival (Wis)
Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Class Features:
Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.
Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.
Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter
3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.
Cleric Spells: DC = 12 Spell Attack +4
Cantrips – Shillelagh / Spare The Dying / Sacred Flame / Thaumaturgy
Level 1 - Animal Friendship (domain) / Healing Word (USED) / Bane (USED)