I hit the ground hard, skidding slightly across the cobblestone street. It mostly didn't hurt. Well, my entire body hurt, just not from the fall. I didn't have a helmet, the Guild didn't have any that fit my horn structure. Lioran came trohmping back in his own suit of beat to shit heavy armor. He reached down to help me up, the face visible between the break of his helmet a deeper purple than I could have imagined. His ragged breathing whistled across the metal. A hand pushed him away.
"I didn't say you could stop! Go! Move! Move! Move!" Yelled our instructor as his strong hand grabbed my cuirass and hoisted me to my feet. "Move bitch!"
Unlike the past two days, we got a break after this torture. Which is good, because I thought I might die, but I should back up about a week.
I did not escape the fever as I had initially thought and Lioran was doing really bad. I had contracted Filth Fever before and didn't expect it to get worse this time. Someone came in to heal Lioran and unfortunately I needed the same magic spell a few days later. Why do they make you suffer through the fever until you get close to death? Simple, because it cost a full Silver Dek and apparently that's the cheaper Guild member fee. I woke up in debt and the Guild was now going to take a full half of everything we made. Life just got harder. Not just for us apparently. The cute acolyte was screamed at for not doing something only to have someone else screamed at for not teaching the acolyte whatever that something was.
Day after I could move again, training started. Day one started with an explanation of light armor parts, which I mostly didn’t understand, and our next fitness routine. The exercise was hard, but on day one I clearly didn’t know what hard was. We then learned how to use a variety of ranged weapons. Crossbows, bows, javelins, darts, etcetera.
Day two started the same way, except I was already sore and we were wearing medium armor. The Sawtooth Isles aren't exactly known for being hot, but at a full run in armor, it was damn hot. Weapons training for that day was lighter weapons. Swords, daggers, axes, and the like.
And that brings me to day three, with my face against the street, my throat and lungs and body on fire, and trapped in full fucking plate. Today we got a break though, that was new. Weapons training of two handed weapons in plate was a new kind of hell. That night in the bunks I stripped out of my clothes and flopped into bed without even worrying about what Lioran might see. I grunted goodnight to him, but as I stared out at the other side of the room, I realized he wasn't there. Where the hells was he? He was there yesterday, right?
Day four was back to light armor. Which was amazing. Light armor was so… light. I almost didn’t feel like dying. After exercise we had a test. Get into and out of medium and heavy armor by ourselves, then back to light. Polearm training, followed by shield training, followed by some actual sparring practice with sword and shield on account that Lioran actually owned a sword. Apparently the reason training was hell was because it was supposed to take eight days. Not four.
“Why you no eat?” I asked Lioran as I shakily spooned my stew. I was starving.
He lifted his head up off the table and gave me his usual, if not extraordinarily tired grin. “Out of money.”
“Huhaa?”
“No money.”
Oh, holy shit. Come to think of it, I'd only seen him eat bread the last couple days. I had just assumed he was tired of eating the same damned thing every day. Wait a moment. “Where you, ah.” I mimed laying my head on a pillow.
He shrugged and pointed out the door. “The alley.”
I thought of him painting through his helmet as he tried to help me up. This guy had drive. I fished out a Dek and handed it over. He tried to push it back. “Eat.” I ordered. Thrusting the coin back at him.
***
I was tired and sore, but too broke to not go into the damn sewers again. Only one of my traps had a rat, well both did actually, but only one had a Dire Rat and we were only getting paid for those.
Two intersections in, we were hit by a group of three Dire Rats. I took a bite to the leg, but Lioran cleaved down a rat with every swing.
"Wow. Okay. You okay?" Lioran said between breaths.
I looked down at my leg. I'd have to rinse and wrap that, but I should be fine so long as I don't get sick again. "Yes. You more good."
"More good? No. Ah better."
"You better?" I asked. I think he was trying to correct my language and not asking if I was okay again.
"Yeah, well, turns out I've been doing it wrong. First time actually fighting the rats."
"Dat dree."
"That's three." Lioran corrected.
"Yes, dat dree."
"No, THree." He said, focusing on the 'th' sound.
"Dr, Dr, tr?" Apparently I just couldn't make the damn sound.
"No, you got to put your tongue… nevermind, this can wait until later. You ready?" He pointed down the tunnel, I gave him a nod and we continued.
***
My heart was pounding, practically slamming into my ribs as I pointlessly yelled. "LIORAN! LIORAN!" It didn't help, he couldn't hear me, and my now blood soaked hands were too shaky to hold pressure on his open wound. I took a single, long breath in and forced myself to think. He needed a bandage. Something I could tie tight to his neck and stop the bleeding. I stared at the torch. No, he just needed to stop bleeding. I fumbled for an unlit torch, once it was lit I took the old one and shoved the burning end into his neck. Lioran’s eyes shot open as he let out a raspy hiss of pain. His head rolled to the side. I think that worked.
The Goblin Dog had come out of nowhere, one of the smaller side tunnels. It hit Lioran in the side and they both went down for a moment. Lioran jabbed it with his sword, but the thing launched itself at his face, inevitably sinking its rat-like teeth into Lioran’s neck. I threw myself at the creature dagger first and held it against the ground until it stopped moving. That's when the panic seeped in, when I realized Lioran wasn't moving.
I picked him up under the armpits, awkwardly holding the torch, and started dragging him toward the entrance in a semi panic. It felt like forever, though it was likely only a few heart pounding minutes.
"Help!" I yelled once out of the sewer, but there was no one there. A gray sky with crisscrossing clouds promised an oncoming storm and the fishing boats were coming in. I continued dragging Lioran, his tail trailing behind like a smear of disappearing black blood. "Help!"
The few people I saw quickly walked away when they saw me. What the fuck was wrong with these people? Why would no one help? Droplets fell on Lioran's purple face as I unceremoniously dragged him down the cobbled streets. I gave up calling for help. I just needed to get him to the Guild. It was a surprise when Lioran’s weight shifted. I thought I was falling, but my feet kept their pace and I didn't hit the ground. I looked up into the deep pale blue eyes and a wizened pale purple face of a rail thin man of Lioran’s race. Or at least whatever race that Matron lady at the Order or the Silverwood was. He didn't say a word or make any movement that would signify he noticed me looking at him, but he had Lioran by the waist and legs which meant we weren't dragging him anymore.
"Help!" I yelled for the last time as we pushed through the Guild door and stumbled onto the stone floor trying hard not to drop Lioran. I heard someone yell for Korah. "Dank y…" I started to say to the pale purple man, but he was gone. Disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. Part of me wondered if I imagined him. Three people pulled Lioran up and through the doors to the infirmary. I soon followed to find Korah over him chanting something with one hand on the Tel'ani's chest and the other on his wound.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"What happened?" Asked the receptionist. I'd have to try to remember her name sometime.
"Goblin Dog." I said. She stormed away as if I had said something that offended her. "He okay?" I asked Korah while twisting my fingers nervously. The cute Acolyte turned his head and gave me a reassuring smile.
"He will be fine in a few days. The burn will be permanent though."
I nodded, though I didn't quite catch everything he had said. Lioran would be okay. That's what mattered.
"Are you okay?" Korah asked, pointing down at my blood covered foot.
"Yeah." Honestly I had forgotten about that, but it was bad.
I left the infirmary while being hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion. I was relieved, but shaky. Holding onto the receptionist's counter to steady myself as I waited for her to get back.
"Can I help you?"
"Tails." I replied. The woman grimaced and headed for a back door. I walked out the building and around the side to the turn-in table. The receptionist was putting on a pair of gloves as I upended my bag of rat tails onto the blood stained stone counter. I'm pretty sure she hated this part of her job.
"What about the Goblin Dog?"
"Dead." I said and considered how to ask a question. "Goblin Dog, tail? Head?"
"You mean what part to bring? Uh…" She looked out at the yard where rain was just starting to fall. "Head, I guess. There really isn't supposed to be any Goblin Dogs in the sewers. You can’t go collect it now. The sewers will be swamped." She looked at me and frowned. "Do, not, go, to, the, sewers." She stated firmly.
I assume she was talking about right now. With Lioran as backup I'm not sure I could survive finding the dog's head. Also the place would probably be flooding soon. Oh shit the traps.
"I'll pay you for the Goblin Dog." She moved the rat tails off the counter and into a bin with a disgusted scrunched up look on her face. It was almost funny.
I met her back inside as she sorted small wooden chips on the counter. We had done this routine many times. Though I guess this would be a bit different as I had debt and Lioran’s share.
"Of course the Guild is taking half…"
"Two." I interrupted.
"Excuse me?"
I sorted the wood chips into two equal piles. "Lioran." I said, pointing at one of the piles.
"Right, of course." She pulled back Lioran’s share and I pushed two ten-chips back toward her for the room. With that complete I stored my items, checked on Lioran, and walked out into the storm.
***
I had intended to collect my traps before the sewers flooded. It might have been dangerous to go alone, but I rarely saw anything prior to where I set them. The issue wasn't rats though, it was water. The sewers were really more of a storm drain and the water from an entire city was currently rushing out into the sea with some serious force. My traps were likely gone by now, even if it was possible to get into the damnable drain. Loss of the traps hurt, moneywise at least, but I was out her for other reasons.
A covered gazebo was situated near the docks. I think it was used for short sales and spur of the moment passenger contracts, I wouldn't want anyone to quote me on that. Point was it was a roof that currently had water sheeting off of it near the docks which, due to the weather, had no people. The boats tossed, turned, and bucked in their births. The few small trees close by bent and rocked in the wind and the waves crashed into the shore with determined violence. I picked up a few gritty stones along the way, stepped under the gazebo, and stripped off my tunic. I set to scrubbing it under the stream sheeting off the roof, followed by my skirt, followed by myself. The rain was cold, not particularly freezing, but the sharp gusts of wind off the ocean made a cold cleaning near miserable. Once I was washed I put the soaking clothes back on. It didn't help with warmth, but cutting that wind was needed. I sat my soaking wet ass on an equally soaking wet stone and started scrubbing my shoes. They weren't going to last much longer. If we didn't find a way to make more money, we were screwed. Ha, we. When did I start adding Lioran into my internal issues? A while ago I suppose. Shoes done, it was time to work on something I had been putting off for far too long. I pulled my braid around and started untying. This was going to take a while.
I admit to staring when I reached the Guild. I had chosen a secluded place out by the docks to get cleaned because I thought this country frowned upon public nudity. Finding a line of adventurers under the eaves scrubbing themselves just as I had was a bit of a surprise. Though I suppose adventurers came with the pragmatic sort of mindset that deemed the rain an opportunity and public nudity a small price for a good soak.
"Problem? Or do you just like what you see?"
"Huhaaa?" I asked the man who had just spoken.
He looked at me confused for a moment. "You speak Sawis?"
I gave him the Trade Common gesture for so-so. He grinned.
"Talk'a port?"
"Aye." I answered, possibly too excited to have an actual conversation that I could understand.
"Got'a open middle if ya wash'a clean?"
I looked between him and a dark skinned human woman who was focused on removing something disgusting from one of her long deadlocks. She was going to be there for a while. I shook my head and moved under the gable overhang where I wouldn't be taking valuable shower space. "Wash'a clean did near'a dock. People wash'a in da outside surprise me, dat's'a only." I replied while removing my skirt, folding it over, and wringing a truly impressive amount of water out of the fabric. I was freezing, but bathing in fresh water was totally worth it. Salt water always leaves an annoying film.
He laughed. "Aye. People this isle be a fucking prude."
I wasn't sure what a prude was, but context said it had something to do with nudity. I took off my tunic and repeated the wringing procedure.
"There'a fire hearth in the end farther down the food prep. They hang'a sheet an keep'a burn going."
"Ah, dank ya." I gave the man a bow and entered the Guild Hall less dripping wet than I could have. Sure enough there was a room just past the kitchen with a large lit hearth and a half dozen ropes. Wet clothes dripped onto the flagstone floor. What a thoughtful service.
End of chapter…
I broke my rule. Lioran originally died in this chapter. The natural 20 came with a maximum damage roll. I went to bed upset, unsure if I should let him live or kill him off. The issue is a problem with narrative versus the system. It is okay for Lioran to die, just not until his death would be impactful. So I've changed my rules. Injung, as the main character, now has some plot armor, as do other characters to a lesser extent. Lioran has been "marked for death" He will die. Whether or not the dice demand it later.
In some ways I'm sorry for charging the rules, in some ways I'm not.
3 Rat encounter
Combat Starts…
Initiative:
Rat 3: 21
Rat 2: 20
Lioran: 13
Rat 1: 13
Injung: 7
Rat 3 bites Lioran. 10. Miss.
Rat 2 bites Lioran. Nat 1.
Lioran Swings at Rat 3. 14. 5 Damage. Rat 3 Dies.
Rat 1 Bites Injung. 16. 4 Damage.
Injung Fort Save DC 11. 22. Saves
Injung Stabs at Rat 1. Nat 1.
Initiative:
Lioran: 19
Rat 2: 17
Injung: 16
Rat 1: 12
Lioran Swings at Rat 2. 14. 10 Damage. Rat 2 Dies.
Injung Stabs at Rat 1. Nat 1.
Rat 1 Morale Save DC 10. 10. Rat 1 Stays.
Rat 1 Bites Injung. Nat 20. Confirm? 3, No. 2 Damage.
Injung Fort Save DC 11. 17. Saves
Initiative:
Rat 1: 13
Injung: 7
Lioran: 4
Rat 1 Bites Injung. 8. Miss.
Injung Stabs at Rat 13. Miss.
Lioran Swings at Rat 1. 18. 10 Damage. Rat 1 Dies.
Combat Ends…
Single Goblin Dog Encounter
Lioran Perception Check DC 16. 15. Fail.
Injung Perception Check DC 16. 15. Fail.
Combat Starts…
Goblin Dog Bites Lioran. 17. 9 Damage.
Lioran Fort Save DC 12. 10. Fail.
Lioran is affected by Allergic Reaction. -2 to DEX and CHA.
Initiative:
Injung: 9
Lioran: 8
Goblin Dog: 8
Injung Stabs at Goblin Dog. 9. Miss.
Lioran Swings at Goblin Dog. 22. 7 Damage.
Goblin Dog Moral Save DC 10. 10. Saves
Goblin Dog Bites Lioran. Nat 20.
Rolling to Confirm. 13. Confirms. 10 Damage.
Lioran is unconscious.
Initiative:
Injung: 23
Goblin Dog: 16
Lioran: 0
Injung Stabs at Goblin Dog. 14. 4 Damage.
Lioran loses 1 hp.
Combat ends…
Injung Heal Check DC 15. 5. Fail.
Lioran loses 1 hp.
Injung Heal Check DC 15. 16. Pass.
Lioran is Stabilized.
Does Injung Escape with the body? 11. Yes.