Chance knew that his friends would probably not understand his reticence to take a life. He was a city kid, after all, who had never had to fight or struggle for his life, never killed anything larger than a spider in his life. Some had been big spiders, mind you, but that was something you just did without thought. And they didn’t think or talk either. Just like the undead. Taking the next step from that, to a living, thinking person, well, that was something he just couldn't do.
He was glad that they were with him though, standing at his side. He needed that, their support and help through troubling times, just getting to grips with his new, strange life and all that was going on in it. So much had happened, so much was different that if not for them, their support and at times idiosyncratic way of doing things that kept him amused and entertained, he wasn't sure just how well he would have coped.
They walked out across the plains with its long grass that rippled and swirled in a faint breeze. Small stands of trees dotted the way, scattered here or there. Off to their left as they walked, they could see the trees growing thicker, a dark stain on the horizon where the grasslands blended into the forest. Small flowers dotted the grasslands, providing a welcome variation in colours, while birds flashed and swooped across it. Wild animals grazed away in the distance, mostly various types of deer that were skittish and fled whenever Chance started to draw near to them.
The hills that they were making for stood out, just as Theras had told them they would, rising up out of the plains in a series of low, rocky rises. They were not particularly high, but given how flat and open the grassland was, they didn’t need to be to provide a vantage point to see across the grassland from. There was no way that they could hide their approach and so they just kept walking forward, leaving a trail of crushed grass behind them that marked the way they had come.
They were still too far away to make out any real details so after a while Chance halted their march at a small stand of trees, taking shelter in it. “I am going to take a closer look,” he told the others as he handed over his gear. “I’d rather not just walk in blindly and find trouble.”
“But it is so much fun,” Snarl grinned, to which Chance saw Yrip roll his eyes.
Chance shook his head, whispering Pranaq as he did. The change swept over him again and once more he took to the skies in the shape of the great wedge-tailed eagle. As he lifted up above the trees, spiralling higher and higher, he realised that he hadn’t even tried to shift into the form of any other animal yet. It was always the eagle, which was such a useful form to use for what he had been wanting to do. No doubt he would run into situations where it wouldn’t work and he would have to try other animals and he really should practise getting used to them before he did so, just as he had gotten used to the eagle from.
With great beats of his broad wings, he rose ever higher and the ground fell away beneath him. Soaring onwards, he made his way towards the hills, feeling the wind through his feathers and the sheer joy of flying rushing through him. Flying in a plane had nothing compared to it. He fixed his sharp eyes on the hills ahead, ignoring the small animals that moved through the grass of the plains before or the birds on the wing that would provide a perfect snack for a great eagle. That wasn’t what he was there for and as he got more and more used to the eagle, he found it easier to ignore its instincts and do what he wanted.
The hills, when looked upon from the air, could be seen to thrust up out of the ground as a series of rocky peaks that had not been weathered away like the land around them, an intrusion of harder rock. In among them were a number of hidden dells, sheltered by the hills around them, and accessed through narrow paths between the peaks that could easily be blocked, all the while being looked down upon by the peaks. It was a place that readily invited an ambush.
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In the middle of the hills, one larger dell existed, and as he drifted along on the thermals and looked down upon it, he could see a decent sized pool of water there, as well as a camp of tents and small huts. There were men down among them, as well as a handful of horses that were grazing away.
He let himself drift in closer, just one more bird in the sky, to get a better look if he could. Those down below seemed completely oblivious to his presence, that they were being observed. There were about a dozen men that he could see. More could be around, inside the huts or tents and out of sight. A couple were up on the peaks about the camp, scanning the plains for any movement but they paid no attention to the sky above them.
For a while more he studied the land and the hills, the path and the camp, but he could see no way to approach the place that wasn’t just walking in. Not unless they were invisible.
Or it was night.
All of those he had seen in the bandit camp were humans, who would be fairly limited by what they could see at night time, even with the presence of the moon. He was still getting used to the fact that he and his friends were all gifted with vision that worked better at night time than he was used to and kept forgetting to factor it in when making plans. If they could use that to their advantage, sneaking around to come at the hills from the side rather than the front, the chances were higher that they could get in unseen. The others were already good at sneaking, and if he chose to assume the form of an animal that could do the same, he was positive that they would remain undetected.
With a decision made, he wheeled about and flew back to where his friends were waiting in among the small stand of trees.
“I’ve had a look,” he told them after changing back from the eagle. “There is no way we can reach there without being spotted - during the day. At night we would, taking advantage of the dark to sneak in.”
“Yes, yes,” Yrip agreed. “Tall ones are blind at night.”
You plan to sneak in and then do what? Shags asked, the voice of reason as ever. Our sudden appearance among them may cause panic, and might make them more likely to attack us.
“I hadn’t considered that,” Chance admitted, shoulders dropping a bit. “I’m new to all this stuff. What would you suggest?”
Sneaking in is wise, but if we could restrain them while they slept, that would be better.
Chance nodded as he considered it. “Yes, that could work, if we had any rope.”
“You don’t need rope,” Snarl pointed out. “We have other items that can be used. Cloth, vines, bundles of grass. Here, I’ll show you.” The gnoll tore up a bunch of the long grass and started to separate it out. “Normally you’d leave it to dry first, as if you made them while they were still green, they would dry later and weaken the cords in the process, but for our needs they will function long enough.” Taking the separated grass, he began to weave them together, strand by strand, growing thicker with each one. It took form as Chance watched, and when Snarl was done, he had a length of cord that they could use to bind limbs with.
“We are going to have to wait until it gets dark,” Chance said, “So we might as well make use of the time and make a bundle more. I saw at least a dozen bandits, but there could very well have been more.”
Snarl nodded as he started on another length of grass cord. “We will have to make extra, just in case.”
Shags settled down to watch, being unable to assist, while Chance and Yrip helped Snarl. The little kobold’s nimble fingers proved adept at weaving together the grass strands, and Chance had the skill at crafting that came from being a dwarf to aid him. Gradually the pile of cords grew, though it was slow going and the day wore on well into the afternoon before they judged that they had enough.
Chance looked up at the sky, noting the height of the sun and judging how long before it became dark enough to move out. “We should rest a while,” he told the others. “It might be a busy night.”
Snarl grinned. “That is the best kind of night.”