Name: Charisse Race: Human

Ht: 5’6, Wt: 130, Sex: Female,

Archetype: Rogue

HP: 7 / 7 Mana: 0 / 0

Stats:

Physical : 2, Moxie : 3, Spiritual : 2, Luck : 3,

Agility : 3, Magic : 2, Mental : 2, Energy : 2.

Relevant Skills: Agility – Shortsword, Archetype - Awareness, Archetype – Trapmaking, Deduct Rationale

__________________

"I don't like this shortcut," Charisse said in a low tone to Mark. "We barely know the guy." She gave a glance at the bald trapper Henderson fifteen feet ahead of them. Jax was walking by his side with Todd in tow. Reggie followed behind Charisse and Mark.

"Jax says we can trust him until we find out otherwise; I say we give him some slack." Mark paused, glanced behind them. His eyes squinting a little as his face became tense.

"Just enough slack to hang himself?" Charisse said. "I'm guessing that's why you're putting those force walls behind us."

"Constant vigilance," Mark said as he stared at Charisse with his left eye.

Charisse rolled her eyes so far back it took a second before she could see again. Clenching her mouth shut, she focused on the game trail ahead.

The trail wove between trees but maintained the same general direction. The forest had thickened around them once they had gotten an hour from Junder. Hundreds of little places for ambushes where tall trees loomed over the woods blocking out the sky with a wall of leaves. An occasional breeze brought a wave of rustling leaves.

"What if someone is following us to ask for help?" Charisse said.

"I guess they are screwed," Mark shrugged. "Odds if anyone is back there, it's not to bring us cookies."

"I haven't seen anyone behind us, have you?" Charisse said, looking at Mark then looking behind them.

"No, just being cautious." Mark turned, stopped, and stared at a point in the trees behind them, right around shoulder level, before turning back around with a nod. "If it works, we'll probably never know."

"Then let's hope it works." Charisse looked ahead. "I'm gonna swap with Todd."

Even if Todd doesn't want to swap, Mark and I will be fine. As long as you guys don't go too far ahead." Reggie said.

Charisse sped up a little and quickly caught up to Todd. Todd didn't turn around and kept the focus on Jax and Henderson a few feet ahead. Instead of announcing her presence, Charisse just followed behind.

It took Todd an hour before he realized Charisse was following behind him. He jumped a little and cursed as he glanced over his shoulder. One of his hands went to the sword he carried on his back; the other hand went out in front to block an attack.

"Whoa," Charisse took a step back from her friend. "Just me."

"Fuck man," Todd exhaled a big breath before lowering his hands. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just walking a little closer to the front."

Todd turned and started walking, moving over to the side a little bit so Charisse could walk beside him. He raised his chin toward Jax and Henderson.

"Jax seems to have an innate sense in finding good people," Todd said softly.

Charisse shrugged and walked beside Todd. Her eyes were scanning the trees, waiting for them to walk into some trap.

Several minutes passed with no attack; Charisse caught herself growing lax and would immediately scan the trees again. Hyper focused on spotting any minute detail before time passed, and she would grow lax again. She repeated this cycle until it was time to find a camping spot.

"Another hour, if we hurry, there is a cave nearby," Henderson said, pointing off to the south.

"I thought you said the cave was within a day's walk," Charisse said. She tensed her muscles to keep her hand from drifting toward her dagger.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"Aye, but you guys amble. I swear that one was dragging his feet." Henderson pointed toward Todd.

"An hour at our speed or hour at your speed?" Jax said.

"Your speed,"

"Twas not my feet I'm dragging," Todd said as he grabbed an invisible rope from between his legs. Everyone laughed, except Jax.

"Let's stay focused. Otherwise, we won't reach the cave before nightfall." Jax said while rolling his eyes at Todd. Jax turned and started walking in the direction Henderson had indicated. Todd hung back with Charisse and Mark. Reggie went ahead.

"Odd," Todd said.

"Don't take it personally; I think a sense of humor isn't allowed in the Paladin archetype," Charisse said.

"Maybe he is just stressed, either way, probably a couple of years of therapy for us all once we get out," Mark said.

"I swear no more short jokes," Todd said. Mark and Todd started walking; after a few feet, they stopped and looked back toward Charisse.

"Give me a minute; I'll be right behind," Charisse said.

"I doubt anyone is following us," Mark said.

"Yeah, I need a moment," Charisse forced a smile before she waved her friends off.

Once her friends were out of sight, Charisse looked up to the sky. The blues were already darkening as they started the change to purple. She couldn't see anything up there that would indicate someone was listening, nor was there anything to focus on in the clear patch above.

"There are some things that won't change when we get out, and there are things I hope don't change." She said to the heavens before chasing after her friends.

Less than an hour later, the forest opened to a mound of massive rocks next to a cliff, near where the rocks and the cliff face, a small hole lead under the pile. Henderson stopped near the entryway, pulled a small vial out from his pack, and started smearing a liquid across the stones.

"What is that?" Charisse asked.

"Bear piss, a friend of mine, collects it, and I buy it off of him. Keeps some bears away."

"Some?" Charisse took a step away from the cave entrance.

"Once in a while, you get a beer that is just looking for a fight. So it isn't a guarantee, but should keep away most smaller predators."

Charisse nodded her head before going over to a nearby tree. "I'll set a trap or two just in case then." Pulling out some rope, she found an excellent spot to place some traps.

Charisse looked at the tangle of ropes and knots she created after a few minutes. A bent tree branch strained against a tiny stake in the ground. Up close, the trap was evident, and far away wasn't much better. She started trying to hide it with parts of nearby foliage.

"Well, if a blind, drunk, and dumb orc walked by, I'm sure it'd catch it," Todd said with a slight chuckle.

"Think you can do better?" Charisse said.

"I could try; it wouldn't hurt to have multiple traps." Todd walked a dozen feet to the side and started pulling out his rope.

"In the dark, it should be quite effective," Henderson said as he walked up to Charisse. "Maybe also set a tripwire linked to a bell, so whatever avoids the trap will still alarm us."

Charisse nodded her head and had to force herself to not smile at the man's words. Reminding herself he couldn't be trusted, she still pulled out some rope and started making a tripwire to the side of her trap.

After the first tripwire was set, there was too little light to put up a second. Warm light from inside the cave welcomed her as she entered. An old blanket was secured against the opening to keep most of the light from escaping. Everyone was sitting except Henderson, who was standing with his arms stretched out wide.

"So the last bandit finally made it up the rope; I dropped my backpack and climbed up to the next level. The bandit seeking to cut his losses, grabbed my pack and started climbing down the rope. The whole time was holding a crossbow aimed in my direction. However, the difficulty of the climb and weight of the pack was too much, causing him to lose his grip and fall to his death." Henderson laughed at the end of the tragic ending for the bandit. "So I tell everyone, don't let your greed keep you from rising above others."

Even Charisse joined in the laughter with her friends. She tapped Todd on the shoulder to get his attention. "You should tell him the slime story."

Todd briefly choked on something before sputtering out. "Uh, um, it isn't much of a story."

"You guys have faced great danger and perils, any tale of your survival; I'm eager to learn," Henderson said while sitting down on a nearby rock.

"Um, we found a large slime, about as big as a house. I ran into it, and my friends had to cut me out." Todd said; he quickly stood up and went to the entrance. "I'm gonna pee be right back."

Henderson and the rest of the group followed Todd's exit with their eyes. A couple of seconds passed before Henderson spoke again, "So what happened?"

"Giant slime had consumed someone; since you can see inside of them, the skeleton looked like it was animated. Todd charged in at full speed. I had to cut him out; it took him a few weeks to regrow his hair." Charisse said. She looked toward the direction Todd had gone and clicked her teeth a few times. "Probably not as funny for Todd."

"Aye, probably something he wants to forget. Still, there is a lesson to be learned if you don't mind me guessing." Henderson paused and looked around, meeting the eyes of the remaining group members. "Always be wary of surprises, for they can be hard to digest."

Charisse was happy she hadn't been drinking anything else. She would have spat it out. Everyone laughed, but she managed to get control before everyone else. Once people started calming down, she began relating the tale of her running out of a town and accidentally taking the shitty way out. She didn't have to force a smile as, in hindsight, the story was humorous. Once everyone was done laughing, she excused herself to also use the restroom.

Stepping out of the cave, darkness had settled in, the tree's now formless shapes against the black. A hand briefly touched her shoulder. Charisse didn't scream, but she pulled out her shortsword and stabbed behind her as she jumped.

Stabbing behind her, she felt her blade skip off armor before she turned around. Todd stood behind her, both of his hands quickly going up into the air. As he jumped a couple of feet back, he raised a finger to his lips. Charisse put her shortsword away.

"I appreciate you telling your story," Todd said.

"You're welcome, but seriously we all screw up in funny ways; we need to look upon them and be able to laugh." Charisse felt something tugging at the back of her mind. The lack of memory for all the times they ended up back in the glade but have no idea how. "Each one that we can laugh at means we survived."

"Thank you," Todd gave a slight bow before heading back into the cave.

Charisse wandered over to a nearby bush, finished her business, then went back to the cave entrance. Henderson was standing outside the doorway when she got close.

"A person who can laugh at their mistakes does not let their pride get in the way of survival," Henderson said softly. "I respect that."

"Better to laugh than to be dead," Charisse said, trying to think of something witty.

"Still falling upon a metaphorical sword for your friend is admirable," Henderson said. He stood up tall, his chin above Charisse's eye line. He looked off in the distance before looking at Charisse. "I wish I was half the man you are."

Charisse scanned Henderson's eyes and watched his movements during and after he spoke. From all that she gathered, his words seemed genuine. A smile started forming on her face that she quickly squashed.

"I'm gonna take the first watch; you can catch up on some sleep," Charisse said.

"Nope, I'm gonna take it with you; I figured you guys still don't fully trust me, so I'll take first watch with you and leave my safety up to your friends," Henderson said.

"It isn't necessary, and I can watch without you," Charisse said.

"Maybe, but I can see somewhat in the dark, can you?" Henderson said.

"If you're seeking to kill me first, you'll find I'm not an easy prey." Charisse hissed as she rested a hand on her shortsword.

Henderson stepped back with both hands in the air while shaking his head. "No, I do not mean any harm or threat." He quickly unbuckled his swordbelt and held it to the side. "If you want to hold my weapons, I'll be nothing more than an alarm."

Charisse bit her lips as she contained her mirth. More and more, Henderson seemed like an easy target than some possible spy.

"Keep your weapons sheathed and stay at least twenty feet from me and the entrance of the cave," Charisse said. She flashed an inch of her sword and, in the faint light, met his eyes. Henderson stepped back and nodded his head. She watched him take up a position twenty-five feet from the cave entrance, near an indent of rocks.

Charisse turned away before finally allowing herself a smile. She shook her head a little as she found a darkened corner to hide. There wasn't much to choose from, a tiny nook above, a little hole to the side, or in a tree. Choosing the alcove above, she couldn't see the cave entrance but could tell if someone was moving toward it.