The farmers had finally been riled up by Lanther, the man I and Baen had met back when we came to Haen. Over the course of the month he had proselytized a philosophy of hatred, cultivating an us and them mentality. When Jerrin disappeared he fanned the flames, ascribing his death to the gnolls, preaching retribution.
I gritted my teeth, screwing my eyes together as I heard that. Jerrin died by my hand. I thought. I should have known what it would lead to. If I had taken him out then, would it have been better? My breath hissed through my teeth silently, and I continued to listen to the man.
“Th-there was a scout that t-to-told us to stop, tha-that we risked execution. Lan-Lanther and the others tried to kill he-her, but she got away. W-We were p-p-pushed back by the gnoll sham-man. The winds k-kept us from coming close, he, he told us to back away, that we d-didn’t need to fight. Then Lanther broke out his own m-magic.” The man stammered out. “He burned down the g-gate, smashed past the shaman’s wind and ice…” He quietened.
“After e-every-th-thing settled, they slaughtered everyone. Hestly said that this was wrong, Lanther and the mob t-tore him apart…” He shuddered. “Afterwards he told us that we were marked now, thanks to the, the injustice of Hrothan and Stoneward. That if we wanted to stay alive, if we wanted to be able to continue our ‘justice’ we would have to leave home, go to someone who would support us.” His head drooped. “Everyone agreed, they practically worshipped him. Just needed a bright halo.” His hollow laugh echoed.
“But you ran.” I prodded, as he silently lay there, my death threat seemingly forgotten. “Why did you do that so much later?”
“I was afraid.” He mumbled. “When they killed Hestly… I couldn’t. A few people were already watching me, I…” He fell silent, perhaps he realized that I wouldn’t care about that, that I still thought him a coward. “Please…”
I deliberated for a moment while patting him down, looking for parchment or any curious baubles of any kind. Delving quickly told me he had nothing of magical significance, which meant I just needed to make sure there was nothing hidden anywhere. He didn’t resist, which made it much faster.
I let him go after I finished, letting him limp off on his wounded leg. I hadn’t forgiven him, but perhaps that haunting shadow behind his eyes was penance enough for his complicity… I stared after him, sighing as I turned back to the forest. The scout was awake, groggily propping herself up on her elbows. As I approached they turned to me with alarm. “You saved me?” She asked.
I nodded. “Haen’s population just uprooted, not sure what they intend. One person claims they’re going to descend into banditry.” I explained. “He also seemed to suggest that they would seek a patron…” I cupped my chin. Hmm, wait, that… seems like a strange thing to mention…
[It does suggest at least that there is some entity supporting banditry, though none of the other bandits mentioned a patron…] Page said thoughtfully.
“We need to tell Hrothan, nip them in the bud before they get entrenched.” The scout said, her teeth gritted. “Can you come with us? We don’t have the manpower for the assault.”
I paused, then shook my head. “I’ll join you in a moment. I need to search the farm.” I explained, walking towards the farm itself. She followed after me, limping a little to keep up. I ran past the houses, Delving to scan them. I found no one else, hardly unexpected I mused to myself.
“Aren’t you going to search inside the houses?” The scout asked, puzzled. I shook my head, leading her out of the farm towards Hrothan.
“Teal will probably be able to tell us which direction the farmers went.” I said, walking briskly towards Hrothan. “It’s shadowing them, we’ve got a hunch that their leader is being backed by someone.” I stopped, turning to see her limping, and grimaced. “Sorry.” I said, walking over to provide a human crutch. “We’re hoping that he will try to contact them soon, either in person or by proxy. Teal will poach whoever it is, and then put a bit of fear in them to get them to spill. Or maybe it’ll bring them back to Hrothan.” I shrugged lightly. “We didn’t really agree on a plan.”
She seemed too exhausted to answer, nodding weakly as I guided her along the path. She trudged along, stable but still limping. I pulled out the potion, and she refused, pushing it from her. “It’s too expensive to use that much on me, I will heal in time…” I stared for a moment, nodded, then gestured to the road ahead.
“Can I carry you then?” I asked. “We’ll make better time.”
She balked at the suggestion, her face twisted for a moment. I didn’t watch her face, the shadows were growing longer, evening was approaching. “Fine.” She said, her face inscrutable, I nodded, and swept her legs out from underneath her, breaking into a jog. My eyes fixed on the road ahead, and while I could feel the occasional squirm, I didn’t look down.
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I stopped partway back, setting her down so I could lean against a tree. I took deep breaths, struggling against the urge to simply breathe as quickly as I was able. My Sense extended outwards even as I did this, the goblins had left me paranoid, more and more I found myself activating Sense whenever I was able. Nothing stirred in the forests, but I was still left on edge.
When we finally reached, Teal had already arrived before me, the chimaera dropping a body at my feet. A crowd had gathered at the gates, staring at the spectacle, the guards themselves seemed nervous, though at my approach they seemed to relax. The man shuddered, getting onto his hands and knees from the foetal position he had been in. I stepped forward, grabbing him by his neck and dragging him into a standing position. “Teal, was he carrying anything?” I asked.
The chimaera nodded to me, nudging a scroll towards me. I unfurled it, the text was fortunately still legible, unaffected by water or smudging. The man panicked, lunging towards me, and I kicked him once in the crotch, and sent him stumbling back against the wall, where he fell, groaning in pain. “Don’t get up, I know far too many ways to make you suffer.” I growled.
“That’s a chimaera.” The scout said, staring up at Teal with wide, fearful eyes. “How is it listening to you?” She asked, warily inching away.
“It doesn’t really…” I answered, glancing back with a grimace. “It’s a long story.” I said with a shrug and began to read the parchment. The script was flowing and written in a manner that suggested a certain high upbringing.
It is done, I have traded one for another, we may yet achieve our goals. I will be with the group over the position we discussed. Send us the supplies we need to begin, and I will begin with the “distractions” we have planned.
It was signed Kinth instead of Lanther, which wasn’t surprising, though if no such person existed in Haen it would strengthen our hypothesis. I walked over to the man, he stared up at me, his eyes filling with growing recognition. “You’re him.” He tried to curl into a ball. I grabbed him and handed him back to Teal, who once again carried him in her mouth. The four of us made our way to the barracks, and I handed off the scout, who was immediately taken for medical treatment.
Cain stared at the chimaera outside, even as I dragged the Haen villager into the office. “I need a quiet room.” I said, my voice a dull growl. “He was sending a message, and I need to know who, where and when.” I continued. Cain stared at the prisoner for a moment.
“Would you please just tell him what he needs to know?” Cain asked the man. “It seems to me that you’ve been used by someone…” He continued soothingly, he was very convincing, the man seemed to crack a little, but clammed up almost as quickly.
“No. I wasn’t used.” He said, softly. “Lanther spoke the truth, the gnolls… they nearly slaughtered us. You… you weren’t going to do anything about it. Not even you.” He said, looking up at me, though he avoided eye contact. “We took it into our own hands! They’ll never hurt us again.” He said, his confidence rising with every word.
He turned to face each of us in turn, defiant, but when it came to me, he seemed to pause. I removed my faceplate, staring him down. My face was nearly impassive as I wrestled with my emotions. The massacre had been seared into my mind, I stepped forward, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the wall. “Did, you, kill... the children?” I hissed through my teeth. He stared into my eyes, starting to quail in his boots. “Tell me what I want to know!” I almost snarled, my tone belying a threat that I didn’t need to explain.
He shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head, his lips sucked into his mouth. “You think what you did was justified?” I hissed again. “I should gut you the way you did them. Does Stoneward suffer for Arei’s sins?!” I slid him sideways, back onto the ground, disgusted. I turned to Cain. “We don’t have a lot of time.” I said, forcing calm back into my voice. “We need this.”
His eyes turned sad, and he nodded mutely. Turning to one of his assistants, he called for a questioner. His assistant hastily rushed out the door, relieved to be allowed reprieve from the scene before her. I replaced my faceplate, walking off to the side to take a seat. I sat down, clasping my hands, sagging forwards in my seat.
[This really has you shaken…] Page observed cautiously. [Are you going to be alright?]
I sighed. They slaughtered civilians, engaged in rape, pillage and burning. My mind flashed to the bodies dangling from the trees, their tongues and grisly faces forever seared into my mind. My hands shook for a moment. Dammit. I thought. Dammit…
A man walked in soon after, mousy and quiet, but he seemed possessed of a great intensity. He looked to the man, and the captive shuddered. Two guards came over, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him off further into the barracks. He kicked and screamed, but it was too little, too late.
I went outside to breathe, Cain promising me that he would tell me once they knew what was needed. The chimaera followed me, watching me with worried eyes. I walked over to the lumberjacks, managing to get a piece of spare wood they would otherwise have used for firewood. They had simply handed it to me, clasping my hands and smiling. I had thanked them, wandering back to the barracks, where I leaned against the wall, my carving knife out and working down the wood.
I concentrated this time, no intention of making a corpse dangling from a tree. Not like last time. I thought vehemently. Still, the wood formed into the shape of a gnoll. He stood with calm assurance, a confidence that belied a person who had seen much and learned a great deal from his experiences. He clutched a staff in his hand, planted against the ground, nearly hidden against the cloak that draped across his body. Rough though it was, I had managed to capture Arrgyk’s form.
I stared at the shape for a moment, and whispered an apology. “Sir!” Someone called from the barracks. I turned to see one of the guards. “We have the information you need!”