The crisp, early morning sun began to peak over the Hanak mountains as a particular group of adventurers began to stir in their sleeping bags. One by one, each member began to pack their belongings into bags that lay tucked away in the wagon off to the side where the horses had been sleeping.
Their leader, an elf named Faun, had been the last on watch for the night so he had already gotten both a fire and breakfast started.
“I feel like I slept on a rock,” a young man near the corner of the camp complained, kicking off the sleeping bag.
“Well, are ya stupid enough to sleep on a rock?” Asked another voice from the other end of the camp.
The young man sat up and glared in the direction of the voice before getting to his feet. Picking up the scabbard that he had kept next to him during the night, he wrapped the hilt’s strap around his waist.
“Don’t start you two. Jack, help get the horses all set and ready to go. Willow, please don’t get him riled up, and make sure everything is strapped tight on the wagon. Another one of Stock's accidents and we'll go broke replacing those chests again," Faun said with a pointed glance at the girl he was warning who had finally crawled from her sleeping bag.
"You promised not to hold that against me! I'll pay you back I swear," Stock pleaded as Willow walked away giggling.
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Stock was amongst some of the shortest halflings there were, but she was the most clumsy. The week beforehand, the girl had knocked over one of the railings holding their recently claimed treasure from a dungeoneering quest, and completely smashed one of the chests containing a good amount of gold and silver which spilt out into the road they were traveling.
The cost had been upward of fifty gold to get it replaced. It HAD been an older chest that would have had to be replaced at some point, Faun knew. But teasing the poor girl was something that cheered him up from time to time. She would get red in the face and cross her arms, much different from the evil, almost demonic state that would possess her during battle.
And Stock was only their rogue.
Each person in their group had a very specific talent that they possessed, some born with it and others beaten to it. Stock, having grown up in a rural village filled with halflings of many different races, was kidnapped and sold into slavery. There, she met Faun, the elven man who rescued her from her captors.
Once the two escaped, they met Willow and Jack, Morgan and Gregory. But their tales are for another time.
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Willow went about her task of checking the tightness of the ropes, Morgan began her morning meditations while Gregory grabbed a plate of food. Shoveling a mixture of oatmeal and fruit into his mouth, he kept his eyes on the fields ahead of them to look for signs of life.
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"See anything last night?" Gregory asked with his mouth full.
"No, no movement from anything other than field mice. Dogar didn't spot anything from the sky either, so slow down and chew with your mouth closed you heathen," Faun jested, dodging the small swipe from his friend in annoyance.
The morning went by without issue, and the group began their treck once more to the famous city of Hanak. Their wagon full of things to sell, from jewelry to books, weapons and silverware. Their guild Pheonix Wings had sent them to recruite and sell a few things from their collection so they could work on expanding the guild halls in Trolluc and Segantum Valley.
The path from Trolluc to Hanak was a dangerous one, so they naturally sent their strongest team. The six friends weren't far from the city now, for they could see the tops of the church and castle from where they were. It wasn't the fastest of travels, taking six months with the wagon and goods, but the sight of the church was a welcoming sight indeed.
The path was smooth from all the travelers the city had. People came from all around to see and learn of new races and experience the festivals each day, so even with the constant stream of newcomers it wasn't a surprise there had been nothing suspicious happen from the night before. It was one of the most strong held cities on the continent, there was a constant group of guards on the route from the outbounds of Felika, the Waterfront City.
"Once we get there I think I'll take a bath," Jack sighed longingly.
"Gasheetha knows you need it," muttered Morgan. Jack shot her a glare before knicking his heels into the sides of his horse to catch up to Faun.
"How much longer? I've never seen Hanak, I've heard the women there are as beautiful as the sun rise, and...." Jack stopped at the pained expression that came across Faun's face for a split second before turning back to his stony expression he normally wore.
"Don't worry Jack, I'm fine. She's fine. We're....just don't worry. Check on the cart, make sure it's all tight and nothing is falling loose in there," he instructed.
As Jack slowed down to walk to the cart, Faun's mind wandered for a minute. He shook himself out of it and scolded himself for daring to do so even on a safe path as this one.
"That woman...she will be the death of me. Death by a human at that," he thought to himself. He kicked his own horse into a faster pace to scan ahead for any bumps or rocks in the road that might create trouble for their wagon.
Gregory glanced at the group as Faun went further into the distance. Turning to Willow, he asked, "hey, so what's with Lori and him? DId he make her mad again or?"
Willow shook her head, her eyes still on Faun. "I don't know, but it doesn't seem like it's getting better the longer they are apart. We have another six months to travel back, who knows what could have happened in that time."
Jack nodded in agreement, Morgan staying silent on her shared horse with Stock. At the size she was, it was easiest to have her with Morgan than on her own horse. It also helped her to not cause as much trouble with breaking things.
The silence stretched on for an entirety of fifteen minutes until they heard a loud yell from up ahead.
Jack pulled his sword from his sheath, Willow stopping the wagon and Stock leaping from the horse and dashing off in towards the sound.
"It was Faun! Hurry, he's in trouble!" She yelled, her eyes darkening and blades flashing in her small palms.
Another cry was heard, this time more guttural. Morgan strung her bow and pushed her horse into a gallop. Jack looked at Willow with a worried expression before following with Gregory on his heels. Willow pulled her staff from the floorboards of the front of the cart and cast a protection spell to keep others from touching it. With a glance upwards, she saw Faun's hawk spiraling in the sky before diving for attack.
"Please be safe Faun, for Lori, for us," she begged under her breath as she spread her own wings and began to fly towards her friends, the sunlight making her brown feathers seem almost a creamy white color.
Then she saw it. Willow almost froze mid flap at the bloody sight that stood in front of her. Almost 12 kilometers away was what looked like some kind of warzone, bodies torn, limp from limp with Hamak city guard uniforms hanging on for dear life.
Faun stood at the edge of the massacre with a pale expression. Stock stood besides him, her daggers still ready in her hands but her face solem as she stared at the death in front of her.
In the middle, a spear with a crisp, white cloth with a red ribbon tied around it to keep it stuck to the wood stood out amongst the scene. With slow, deliberate movements of her wings, Willow flew over and plucked the cloth from the weapon and glided over to her teammates. Unwrapping it, she read the words written in black.
"Lord Vallor Rises, To All Is Death."