The rain had cleared by the time morning came around, though Chance found it hard to get himself moving. His sleep had been troubled for the first time since he had arrived, a thing of broken dreams and even more broken sleep, constantly waking. He couldn’t even remember any of the details of the dreams, as hard as he tried, only that there had been some and that he had not enjoyed them. And when he woke, his thoughts were filled with troubled questions, of confusion as to who he was, where he was, what he was doing. He needed to get out of here, back to reality, back to his own life before madness took him.
He ate only a little that morning, barely chewing as his thoughts wandered away on him, even while the other two ate heartily as usual, chomping down on the remnants of another fish stew. He really needed to find another regular source of food rather than the fish; while the others weren’t complaining about it yet, some variety was going to be needed. Plus he was starting to worry about the stocks of fish in the pool. While there were still plenty in there, they were eating a lot of them and he had no idea how long it took for the fish to restock themselves..
Eventually he forced himself to leave, dragging himself away rather than wallowing in his thoughts. First, though he made himself ready. Returning to the chamber, he fetched the items that were still stored there. He had half a mind to turn it into a store room, given it was secure and dark and dry. With a bit of aid from Yrip, and not-so-helpful advice from Shags, he donned the armour. It took a while to figure it all out, to learn which straps needed tightening and which didn’t, but in the end it was all in place.
It looks like it was made for you, Shags noted.
It probably was, Chance felt. Hidden away there, waiting for him to find, it was probably one of those things he had been meant to find at the start, before dealing with the camps, but he hadn’t been interested enough in actually searching around the cave, too eager had he been to get on with it all. Next time he would know better, he hoped.
He slotted the knife away through his belt and took up the spear. Even just holding it, he could feel that it was better balanced than the old one, better made. As ready as he could make himself, he led them out of the cave, back into the forest around them.
While the rain had stopped, the sky remained mostly grey, and it was even a little cool, with the ground damp beneath their feet. Every so often drops of water dripped from the leaves and branches above and the smell of moist earth and leaves was everywhere. The rain would hold off for a while; he could smell that at least. Long enough for their purposes. He consulted the map on the parchment, reminding himself where it was they were headed. Camp Grimfang, off to the north. Right.
Gnolls, that was what they were meant to be dealing with, but he realised he didn’t have a clue what a gnoll even was. His lack of knowledge was really hindering him. Much as he loathed the idea of studying and learning, which was why school was such a pain, here was a situation where it was necessary unless he wanted to end up dead.
Even as they walked along the main path alongside the steam, Chance called up the information about gnolls on the parchment.
Knowledge: Gnolls
Affinity: Lore
The hyena-men are nomadic hunters who live beyond the civilised lands, always on the move. Large, swift and imposing, they are fearsome foes, prone to raiding and pillaging should the opportunity arise but otherwise preferring to stay far away from others.
Stats: Body: 2. Mind: 1. Soul: 1. Reaction: 2. Presence: 2. Perception: 2.
Affinities: Hunting, Survival
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Skills: Stalk, Track, Weapon [spear]
Powers: Scavenging
It was going to require treading carefully around the gnolls if individually they were as tough as Shags was, not to mention he had no idea how many there were to deal with to start with. Combat was not really an option, even if he was now outfitted with armour and a new spear. They were nomadic, so there was a chance that he could convince them to move on, just as he had done with the goblins.
“What do you know about gnolls?” he asked as the three of them continued to walk along the path.
“They are stinky,” Yrip offered up.
“Yes, I can imagine they may not get much of a chance to clean themselves if they are always on the move.”
They are fairly fastidious about cleanliness, actually, Shags put in. They do have a fairly unique, and strong, scent to them though.
“Yeah, stinky,” Yrip pointed out again.
“Okay, got it, they smell, but is there anything else to them besides smelling?”
They are very good hunters. Touchy, proud, but also reclusive.
Chance nodded. “So we will have to mind our manners around them.”
The branch from the main path appeared ahead of them and they plunged along the lesser trail, deeper into the forest. The trees grew tighter and older around them, forming a darkened tunnel through the forest, branches woven into a dense canopy above that allowed no light through. The steady sound of dripping echoes about, the air still and quiet. The ground was springy underfoot, walking on a bed of moss for the most. Moss and lichen grew all around, upon the tangle of exposed, twisting roots that thrust up out of the dark soil, along trunks and fallen trees and even up to the branches above. Bright patches of fungi could be seen among the lichen, vivid in their colours. Chance didn’t even need to check on them to know that they were not for eating; they looked poisonous just by looking at them.
Off the track, the undergrowth of the forest was thick with bushes and shrubs and tall ferns, obscuring the view. He could hear, but not see, small animals scurrying away beneath it all. It was dank and dark and cool in that part of the forest, a marked change from elsewhere that he had seen, which tended to be lighter and airier and more pleasant. It could have been down to the weather, but the forest that he walked through felt older, far older, and wilder than elsewhere. It was ancient and forever, having existed long before he had been and would go on long after he was gone. He felt small beside it, a fleeting moment in time that was here and then gone and the forest would barely notice his presence at all. It wasn’t quite oppressive, not quite threatening, but more indifferent. It knew they were there, remaining watchful, but uninterested.
For some time they walked among the eternal trees, Chance’s spirits sinking as they went, the feel of the forest compounding the experience with Havnor, the dark and silence playing upon him as much as the closeness of the trees. The path ahead turned and then the forest began to open up, and he rejoiced at it, his step picking up. There were even glimpses of grey through gaps in the canopy and a stirring breeze that penetrated the wall of trees, fresh upon his face. He was glad to be out of it, and the odd feeling that had settled upon him, one that he was not too sure what to make of.
I am beginning to pick up a scent, Shags announced.
“Gnoll?”
Yes, it does appear that way, though just the one for now.
They slowed their pace at the announcement, keeping a watchful eye ahead and around them, for thought the forest as more open now than it had been, yet it still remained thick enough for there to be many places to hide in, to set an ambush. Chance wasn’t too worried that it would happen, not with Shag’s nose to guide them, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious, just in case.
Another twist in the path ahead; as they turned it, Chance saw before them what he could only take to be a gnoll.
It was tall, taller even than a human by a good head, but lean at the same time, with a head shaped much like that of a hyena's, its eyes a golden amber. It was covered in a tawny hide that bore numerous dark spots across It. It had a simple hide vest, one which appeared to have numerous small bones, feathers, beads and bits of wood sewn onto it. Oddly, it was carrying a straw broom with which it was sweeping the path that they were following. It was not at all what Chance had expected.
The gnoll looked up from its work as they approached and grinned at them.
“Try not to make a mess,” it said. “I just finished sweeping there.”