Three months.

The words rattled about Jo’s mind like an arrow broken in its quiver. And try as she might to fix that arrow, something always seemed to break it again. Sometimes it was a passing thought, brought to life at the forefront of her mind. Other times, it was the stories that Pavel shared with Doriyah, squeezing her chest like a vice. And sometimes, it was a glance at Werond, shoulders still slumped, that reminded her of just how long they’d been gone for.

Three months.

So much could have happened in three months. So much probably did happen in three months. Just the very idea that time dare march on while she was unaware put her in such a horrid mood, it took all of her energy not to scream at the sky. This had been her job, back in the day, to keep track of anything and everything that was happening – when had she slipped up? When had she gotten this bad, to let…

Three months. Gods damnit.

No matter which way she thought on it, there remained too many loose ends and too many unanswered questions for her to be satisfied. And it seemed as though all of them centered around Jarlaxle. Aside from what Werond had told them, their information on the Drow, and what he wanted from Serena, remained limited, and there was no use in conjecturing anything based on that limited information. Even the most pressing of questions – why had Jarlaxle cut out Werond’s tongue? Why leave them unguarded in easily escapable stone building? Should they still care about the Dragon Cult? – couldn’t be properly answered, and the fact alone tightened Jo’s chest in a way that she hadn’t felt in years.

She signed and leaned her head against the tree at her back; maybe she shouldn’t be overthinking first thing in the morning. It was hard not to when there wasn’t anything to do though.

They had stopped right where the forest ended, the rough path halting at the edge of the tree line. Beyond it, more of the bog stretched out as far as Jo could see, with only a scattering of trees breaking up the monotony of the landscape. At least the sun had burned away the fog, and with it, the sullenness of their plight. Feeling a little bit of warmth had done wonders for everyone’s mood as they had woken up, even though they had spent the night in the dirt.

Well, everyone save Cruck’aa. But blessedly, the miasma that was his mood remained absent, gone on the winds that took him soaring through the air. How long he intended to scout for, she didn’t know. But it had been hours already…

“You didn’t change anything…well it doesn’t look like it…yeah, I know you made them, but – gods damnit…”

Jo glanced down the path where Serena stood with her back turned, hands on her hips. Doriyah and Werond stood facing her, their hands held up to their chests, fingers twisted in odd ways.

“Maybe you should have made them easier to learn then.” Doriyah grunted, towering over both Serena and Werond. “Because this is stupid, you can’t twist your –”

Serena’s hands flew up, though Jo couldn’t see the signs. Werond smirked and glanced at Doriyah, who pursed his lips.

“That’s cheating.”

Jo chuckled as Serena threw up her hands; Werond waved away Doriyah’s words, motioning for Serena to continue. That simple hand wave was more than enough to get Serena to straighten up and continue the lesson with a vigor that was noticeable even from behind.

Though she hesitated to say that her words had helped, it had been obvious that something had happened between Serena and Werond after Jo had fallen asleep last night. They weren’t the same as they used to have been back in Waterdeep, but during breakfast and the walk towards the edge of the forest, Werond no longer seemed hellbent on staying away from Serena. And though she still seemed crestfallen, plagued by something that slumped her shoulders and darkened her eyes, having Serena at her side seemed to lessen it all, just a little. There was a distance still between them, of course, but that distance seemed to have shortened.

The canopy shifted overhead, sunlight leaking through, illuminating the signs Werond suddenly stringed together; she smirked as Serena nodded vigorously, ignoring the curses from Doriyah as he fumbled his attempt.

Try as she might, Jo couldn’t get a read on the fiery manned giant. He seemed half-way decent, if a bit simple, but something must have happened to get him sent to the stone prison along with them. At least he got along with everyone just fine, save Cruck’aa. If anything, she would have though he and Pavel were –

Jo flinched and pushed off the tree, moving across the way towards Pavel, who leaned against his own trunk not far from the path’s edge. Despite the sun overhead, the watery depths around them remained shaded, highlighting him as he stood against the dark backdrop. He grinned as he watched the lesson, but glanced at Jo as she marched over.

That smile – Nine Hells, when was the last time she’d checked in on him?

“Never occurred to me someone else could learn her signs.” Jo said, cocking her head towards Serena.

“I…” Pavel frowned. “Yeah, never occurred to me either. I thought you had to have magic to use them?”

“No, it’s Serena’s magic that projects the words. Don’t need it to learn. Still, would have been helpful if we knew.”

“Sure.”

Werond got another sentence right, her shoulders straightening just a bit as Serena nodded once more. Pavel chuckled as Doriyah leaned his head back, his smile a bit too wide.

“You good?” Jo asked.

The smile never left Pavel’s face as he met her gaze.

“Yeah, bit tired still.” He said. “Nothing too bad though.”

“Feel you.” Jo said, crossing her arms. “Sure though? Feel like you and I haven’t had a real conversation in a while, haven’t had the chance. You’ve been too busy chatting up with your new buddy.”

“Who, Doriyah?” Pavel glanced at the giant man. “Well yeah, I like him. We think the same, you know? I guess getting knocked a bunch of times in the head will do that to a guy.”

Pavel burst out laughing as though his joke were the funniest thing he’d ever heard; Jo cocked her head and squinted as the sound carried on for a bit too long, drifting through the trees like the twanging of a cord strummed by green hand.

“But yeah, he’s great.” Pavel finished, smile dropping just as quickly as it came. “Always get each other laughing, you know? He –”

“Cut the shit, what’s wrong?” Jo interrupted.

Pavel’s mouth hung open mid-sentence, head twisting to the side.

“Hmm?” Was all he said.

“Don’t hmm me. You’re acting all worked up, same as when you heard about the tournament. And last time, you were covering for guilt that you shouldn’t have been feeling. You’re doing it again. So, what’s wrong?”

“I mean, can’t a guy just be happy for once? I know we’re in a horrible bog-forest thing, and it smells like ass, but I can still be happy despite that.”

“Pavel.” Jo said.

He held her stare, cocking an eyebrow. The façade fell under her glare a moment later, his smile fading, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head.

“Can’t get much past you, huh?” His voice, jovial before, now sounded horse.

“Was my job back in the day. What’s going on?”

“Oh, you mean aside from me failing again?”

Jo sighed, heart plummeting. “Pavel –”

“No, don’t Pavel me, it happened again.” He pushed off the tree and stepped towards her; not for the first time did Jo respect how he could loom over someone. “I messed up the caravan, I screwed up fighting Harshnag, and I fucked up taking down Jarlaxle. All it’s been is one mistake after the next, I – gods Jo, if I could have taken him down then we wouldn’t be in this mess now! I just couldn’t. I should have been able to, but I couldn’t. He was so much better than me Jo, even with all that fire. Gods, I should have been able to beat him, I shouldn’t have failed again, I- damnit!”

Pavel spat the curse and ran a hand through his now light brown hair, stained with dirt.

“Every time I’m needed the most, I always fuck it up. Just…constantly.” He sighed. “So excuse me if I don’t want everyone seeing that. Especially Cruck’aa.”

“Pavel.” Jo stepped forward until their shoes almost touched, voice lowering to a whisper. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I said before – everything you think is your fault is not.”

“Jo –”

“No, listen to me,” She jabbed a finger into Pavel’s chest. “because it’s the truth, and we don’t need this right now. None of us expected you to take on someone like Jarlaxle by yourself and come out on top. No one in this group could have done that, no one. But you held out as best you could, for as long as you could, and that’s all any of us asked for. To sit here and think that you failed is bullshit, and we both know it. No one else thinks that but you.”

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“But –”

“Did your superiors expect perfection from everything you did? Was that an expectation laid on you?”

“Yes! It was!” It was Pavel’s turn to jab a finger into Jo’s chest. “And don’t pretend like yours didn’t, every outfit is the same!”

“Then you should know at this point how ridiculous that mindset is! You can’t be on top of every fight, you can’t be on top of everything you do Pavel, you just can’t! You’re only human!”

“A human who should have done better.” Pavel growled.

“Gods damnit –”

But the rest of her curse cut off under the flapping of wings, and the whispering of the canopy; Jo and Pavel both turned just as Cruck’aa dove through the branches and landed on the path beside Doriyah, scaring Serena and Werond in a flurry of feathers and crunching dirt.

He straightened up, folding his wings, and glared at everyone.

“There’s a town about an hour walk from here.” He said. “Everyone’s dead though.”

Given how Cruck’aa liked to complain, Jo had hoped that his words were nothing but an exaggeration; it was because of that expectation, then, that the crushing realization that he was right stung so much.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to arrive at the spot Cruck’aa had squawked about once he calmed down after finding out about Werond’s lessons. The trudge had been a bit better now that the sun was out, but whatever positivity the lack of fog had brought them fled before the sight of the ruined town.

Jo bit her lip as they approached the outskirts, Serena and Cruck’aa at the vanguard, Pavel and Doriyah bringing up the rear, behind her and Werond. Silence had fallen over them, everyone tense as the ground slowly rose out of the water, forming what could have been a dirt road. She couldn’t help but feel naked without a weapon, a sentiment she was sure Pavel and Doriyah shared.

“Nine Hells…” Pavel breathed, voice carrying on the wind.

The town, or what was left of it, was laid out like a cross, the road beneath them a straight shot down until it intersected with another. Buildings of various sizes lined the road just like Waterdeep, packed as tight as possible, though each remained only a shell of what it used to be. Each was smashed in completely, like a skull caved in by a hammer, leaving nothing but wooden carcasses behind, bones exposed to the midday sun. Shards and fragments of wood and glass littered the road in various mounds, the wind scattering smaller debris into the sky.

Perhaps worst of all remained the complete absence of sound; the corpse of the town had been utterly abandoned, not a soul in sight, neither human nor wildlife. It was as though heavens had fallen upon the place and buried all semblance of life into the dirt below.

Jo fidgeted as their pace slowed, Serena and Cruck’aa picking their away around the mounds of rubble; depressions in the ground were scattered about the place, each perhaps a few inches deep, longer than Doriyah was tall, always somewhat close to one another. As they followed, formation tight, Jo couldn’t help but notice larger piles of rubble much further into the town at the cross section, hills that dwarfed the buildings they stood beside. Before she could cock her head in confusion, however, Cruck’aa suddenly halted and puffed up, starting Serena – fire igniting across her hands – and forcing the rest of them to stop.

“Why we stop?” Doriyah asked, voice echoing through the ruined town.

“Hey!” Jo said, looking back, voice low. “Keep it down! We don’t know what or who’s here.”

“Uhm, probably no one.” Werond cringed and looked back as Doriyah raised his voice. “Place is burned, don’t know –”

“Trolls.”

Jo looked back to Cruck’aa, now crouched in the dirt, hovering over what she now saw was a large footprint, perhaps larger than her torso. It was almost in the center of one of the large depressions.

“You sure?” Jo asked.

“Am I sure,” Cruck’aa grumbled, dragging a talon across the print. “of course I’m sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Checking.”

“You shouldn’t be.” He paused. “I didn’t see these from the air.”

Jo rolled her eyes and bit back the retort that shot to the tip of her tongue; wouldn’t do anyone any good to start an argument now.

Cruck’aa remained crouched over the print, mumbling to himself. As he did, the rest of their group slowly pulled closer together, everyone glancing about, save Serena, who stared firmly at the ground as she edged closer to Werond. Jo pursed her lips but didn’t say anything.

“Figures that the first place we find is wiped off the map.” She said to no one in particular.

“Makes sense to me.” Doriyah said.

“How so?” Pavel asked.

Doriyah shrugged. “I mean, we all seem like shitty people.”

Pavel opened his mouth then closed it, brow scrunching in thought.

“Hey uhm, I’m not an expert,” Serena signed. “but do you think this happened recently? Everything doesn’t look…old, I guess.”

“What makes you think that?” Jo asked, glancing at the ruins.

“Well, if this happened a while ago, wouldn’t nature be retaking it? Or something like that? Isn’t that how that works?”

“Not far off, but I’m not sure how much that applies here.”

Serena shrugged and edged closer to Werond, who, after realizing their shoulders were touching, inched away slightly. Jo looked away at the tiny frown that Serena’s lips pulled into, and stared at Cruck’aa, who remained crouched in the road.

“Well,” She said slowly. “doubt we’ll find anything, but we may as well poke around a bit. Figure out what happened here. Who knows?” Jo waved around them. “Stay in the general vicinity. Just poke into the buildings that still have the insides somewhat intact. Yell or make noise if something happens. Don’t stray too far, alright?”

It occurred to her, as her question hung in the air, that she’d fallen into old habits, assuming that she had authority over her friends. Before she could correct herself though, Doriyah and Pavel nodded almost in unison, before breaking from the group, both heading off in opposite directions. Serena and Werond glanced about, both looking rather confused, before slowly making their way towards what looked to be the shell of a tavern, wooden sign dangling off walls that barely stood against the wind.

The sight of seeing her orders followed almost filled Jo with a sense of pride, one that clashed with the sparking of guilt at her friends letting her take command. Cruck’aa leapt up just as her skin began to prickle, offering her no time to overthink.

“Not right.” The Aarakocra mumbled. “Trolls don’t come out this way. Somethings wrong.”

“Aren’t they scavengers though?” Jo asked. “Or at least, can they be? I thought I’ve heard –”

“They don’t come this close to settlements. That’s not how they act. Somethings wrong.”

“Are –”

Cruck’aa whirled towards her, fast enough to start Jo.

“Even if there’s the smallest hint of life,” He said, eyeing her. “trolls stay away. They don’t like people, don’t like settlements. If there’s tracks in the road then, that means that the giants annihilated this place weeks ago. Only explanation.”

“Alright,” This was the most cordial he’d been in a long while. “that makes sense. But – wait…”

“But it doesn’t make sense. Attack the village, slaughter everyone, dig a massive grave, but giants don’t do that. Why? Why?” He bowed his head. “It doesn’t make sense. Giants don’t do that…”

“Hold on, giants? How do you know –”

“The way the buildings are destroyed Jo!” Cruck’aa threw up his hands. “They’re smashed in from the top! Not to mention those piles of dirt too, too large for people! It must be giants, no other option!”

“Then where are the giant footprints?” Jo asked, looking around. “Because I haven’t seen anything –”

But Cruck’aa had already turned and taken off down the road, marching towards the massive mounds further into town. Jo cursed and sprang after him, calling to the others behind her.

“Word of warning would be nice.” She said as she caught up with him.

“No.” Cruck’aa said.

“Cruck’aa I said for everyone to stay together, this isn’t the time for –”

“You’re not in charge of me, nor anyone else in this family.” He paused. “Except that woman, you can do what you will with her.”

“Cruck’aa, I –” Jo let out a guttural sigh; it wasn’t worth it.

It took a few minutes to reach what Jo now realized were massive dirt piles, towering over the buildings beside them, like an upside archway in the middle of the street. She couldn’t stop herself from glancing over her shoulder, watching as the figures of her friends, still picking through the buildings, grew smaller and smaller.

“Should have waited.” She mumbled. “Shouldn’t have split up. Gods damnit –”

Cruck’aa’s arm shot out and pushed her back; Jo stumbled and caught herself, anger bubbling in her chest.

“Gods damnit, why –”

Her words died in her throat as Jo realized that she had somehow missed the massive hole in the center of town.

To say the hole was immense would have been an outright lie though; the gaping wound carved into the road extended to a depth unseen, thick shadows obscuring the bottom even when the sun shone brightly overhead. So massive was the size that she was sure Castle Waterdeep could have been flung down it with room to spare – a true chasm that seemed to extend to the bowels of the earth.

Perhaps even odder than the hole itself remained the narrowing of the walls, jutting into the hole like steps, with the distance between any two being thirty or more feet. Each looked large enough to house swathes of the city, and perhaps that’s what their purpose was, given the amount of wooden debris that clogged each section. Along with all the bodies.

Jo gagged and looked away. Strewn about the piles of wood and stone were the crumpled and broken remains of the town’s people – bodies thrown haphazardly into the hole by hands that cared little. Each looked just as crushed as the buildings they came from, torsos and heads flattened, dried gore and blood coating the wood where they had landed. Smaller bodies, equally flattened, were scattered amongst the corpses, twisting Jo’s stomach into knots.

“Gods damnit,” She gagged. “what the fuck.”

“Saw it earlier.” Cruck’aa mumbled. “It’s smart. Dig the hole, investigate and retrieve, throw them all down. Make it look like a normal massacre, but they didn’t do a good job at hiding everything…”

“Cruck’aa!” Jo yelled, straightening up, refusing to look back down into the pit. “What the fuck! Can’t you –”

“They pulled something out.”

“What?!”

Cruck’aa raised a talon, pointing across the way.

Wide furrows had been carved into the wall on the far side of the hole, as though something massive had been dragged against it. The furrows went up to the edge, then continued along the ground on the other side, though how far they went, Jo couldn’t tell. Though it did seem as though something had been –

“They pulled something out.” Cruck’aa repeated.

“I…gods, what in the Nine Hells…” Jo muttered.

“I fail to see what’s shocking about all of this. Save perhaps the questions, but I doubt –”

“What?!” Jo sputtered, whirling on Cruck’aa. “Pull your head out of your ass for five minutes! How is none of this,” She gestured widely. “shocking to you?!”

“It all makes perfect sense when you expect the worst.” He said evenly.

“Don’t give me that shit!”

“Then don’t do whatever it is you’re doing. You’re acting ridiculous.”

Anger bursting like a broken dam, Jo yelled and lashed out, grabbing Cruck’aa by his short chest plumage, yanking him in close.

“Listen to me for one minute without saying anything, god damn it.” Jo hissed as Cruck’aa tried to lean back. “We’ve been out here for three months, and the first thing we see is this?! Things were brewing long before we left, and it’s entirely possibly that something huge has happened, and this” She threw a hand at the hole to their side. “all but confirms that somethings wrong! You said it yourself, if this is giants, then none of it makes sense! And that’s what’s worrying me Cruck’aa, I don’t –”

“Overreacting to questions will get you nowhere.” Cruck’aa said.

The urge to hurl Cruck’aa into the hole crashed against Jo in a massive wave, dashing her common sense against the rocks. Before she could act on that urge, however, Doriyah suddenly appeared next to them, starting Jo hard enough for her to release her grasp on Cruck’aa.

“Huh.” Doriyah said, peering over them into the hole. “Didn’t know trolls could do that.”

Cruck’aa rounded on him, eyes narrowed, beak open in retort, feathers bristling – only for that retort to die away, lost under the screams that echoed in the ruined town behind them.