CHAPTER 2

As Aki and the mysterious elf disappeared, Raven went to retrieve her arrows. In retrospect, she didn’t know why she had hesitated for so long. If another band of misfits got Edric, he couldn’t pay her for the job he was offering, and the job was lucrative indeed.

With a precise tug, she removed the ammunition from her most recent kill, the one with the crossbow. The wardog had fallen so that his body was half on the table, half under the table. The arrow, of course, had been wedged between two of his ribs, so that it perfectly pierced the heart. Though it was admittedly a gruesome scene, Raven couldn’t help but be silently pleased at her work. She had been practicing with her longbow all her life, as the jobs she and the Gray Bandits had done were often downright bloody. Usually Moria was around to cover her back though, so she had never been in real trouble.

Thinking about Moria perked her up. She hoped they would leave the town soon, if only so she could be with her again.

Derrik, meanwhile, offered a helping hand to Edric, who was still hiding behind a table in the corner, cowering his boots off. The well-dressed merchant was grateful for their help, and when the matter of the two surviving wardogs came up, he immediately went to personally contact the city guard. This left Derrik momentarily unoccupied, so he got busy packing his weapons again. The shovel had proven surprisingly effective, though it couldn’t quite match the strength of his ax, nor could it be used to attack from range, like his javelins. Actually, he hadn’t tried throwing it. Making a mental note to experiment further, he went outside to pick up the attempted kidnappers, who were still knocked out the street. A bit away he saw Aki, talking to an unmistakably dressed elf from the tavern earlier. Did she perhaps know the other elf, who’d helped them out in combat? That black streak of hair she had among the red looked quite similar to the swordfighter’s. Maybe they went to the same salon or something. Entertaining the thought of an elven hair salon, he slung one dunked wardog over each shoulder, and brought them back inside.

A few minutes later, Aki had tied up their unconscious victims against each other, back-to-back. Caeli was hesitantly getting acquainted with Ray, while Derrik and the tavernkeeper were busy cleaning up after the brawl. The bard, however, was still interested in the bandits themselves.

Grabbing a half-filled mug at the counter, he leaned down next to the pair, pulled out a dagger he always kept on hand, held it against Cyril’s throat, and splashed him with ale.

“Wagh! Uhh!” Cyril blinked several times, appearing mighty dizzy. “I think I got hit by a carriage…”

Noticing the sharp metal nibbling at him, he snapped to attention.

“Why did you try to capture Edric? What does Gascon want with him?” Aki spoke slowly and methodically.

“Oh, bugger off.” Cyril said, which was the wrong answer, and resulted in the dagger being pressed harder against his throat.

“Do you value your life?” Aki asked with the same seriousness.

“Aye, I value my life! But I value my loyalty to the boss more! Us wardogs don’t betray each other, you see.” He spat on the ground in Ray’s direction, “even us thieves got some honor, ain’t that right?”

“Sorry,” she answered indifferently, polishing the arrow she’d just extracted, “it’s just business.”

“Pah! You’re not the one who’s going to jail. Unless you plan to kill me right now, of course.” he locked eyes with Aki in defiance.

Aki scoffed, then let him go. Unfortunately, the big wardog was out cold, and no amount of wasted alcohol was able to wake her up. With that trail gone cold, he instead elected to properly greet his fellow hirées.

While the interrogation took place, Derrik was having his own conversation with The Herbal Flagon’s owner.

“Please, forgive us. I’m very, truly sorry we caused such a mess.”

“Eh, don’t fuss too much over it,” the tavernkeeper responded, “this happens surprisingly often.”

“Still,” Derrik flung over a gold coin, “take this as compensation. It should cover my drinks as well.”

The act chinned up the mustached recipient. A gold coin was a very valuable piece of currency, a goat’s worth of money in a single, tiny object.

“Yes, it should cover them. Barely.”

The two exchanged a hearty laugh as they finished mopping up the last pool of blood.

“Anyway,” Derrik changed the subject, “you don’t happen to know anything about why they wanted Edric?

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The tavernkeeper paused. “Nothing concrete, no. But there are rumors that he’s had secret dealings with criminals, like the wardogs. If such is the case, he’s ruined a reputable streak.” He then hastily added: “these are just rumors, of course! I’m not accusing him of anything.”

“What kind of dealings are we talking…” Derrik was interrupted by the door swinging open again.

Edric, no less puffed-up than before, stepped in alongside two armored guards. The group snapped to attention.

“These are the criminals that assaulted you?” One of the spear-wielding lawkeepers pointed professionally to the tied up ragclads on the floor.

“Well, the ones that survived at least.” Edric answered, “my new allies here made short work of the rest.”

A bit of moving about later, one pair escorted the other toward the nearest cells, finally settling that matter. Edric properly took in his saviors, then addressed them. Aki, Caeli, Raven and Derrik listened carefully.

“Well, you’ve certainly proven you are up to the task. I hereby formally welcome you into my service.” He examined Caeli closely, then shook his head in a mixture of confusion and disappointment. “Said task is waiting just outside the town gate. Shall we go?”

And so it was that the group briskly paced through Woodfall’s noisy midday. They passed the numerous houses, dodged packs of commoners, and enjoyed the clear skies shining above. Derrik introduced himself to the others, who politely talked back. Aki continued his own introductions, but kept a close watch on Edric. Despite his confident appearance, his eyes darted into alleys or to the street’s shadier individuals, never settling into rest. He had every right to be a little paranoid, Aki supposed, but simultaneously, he wondered if there wasn’t something deeper at play. Did the merchant know for a fact that he wasn’t out of danger yet?

Eventually, the five emerged out of the eastern gate, and were met with a scene almost as busy as the town behind them. There, out on the dirt road, stood the reason they were all here: a trading caravan, tended to by well over a dozen people. It consisted of several freight wagons, cloth covering their half-cylindrical shape, with two horses being assigned to each as the group arrived. Several other merchants oversaw the process, cataloging the numerous wares that were being stored in the back. It was a bit of everything: cloth, spices, jewelry, mundane objects, goods of both the common and expensive variety. Of course, there was also an accompaniment of assistants, caretakers for the horses, a carpenter for the wagons, and a retinue of sellswords to act as guards.

However, not a single person was a simple, ordinary traveler. Usually, events like these attracted such folk, who would convoy along in exchange for a small fee, to take advantage of navigatory expertise and strength in numbers. Their absence was due to the real eye-catcher of the scene, which was not the caravan itself. Rather, it was the place it would soon enter. Looming next to the road, stretching as far as the eye could see, it had given the town of Woodfall its name.

It was not your typical forest, not by a long shot. A typical forest could be deep, thick, and obscuring, but here, each quality was amplified. The trees were larger; some were downright tremendous, reaching meters-wide and high above their kindred, with twisted trunks that turned them sideways. Their branches swayed in the wind, appearing almost alive, growing leafage so thick it blocked all but the most persistent sunlight. Among earth-ripping roots lay scattered rocks, be it as pebble or boulder, folding harsh undergrowth. The moss was sticky, the shadows long-grown, and the only paths were those left by beasts, or worse. It was the essence of raw, haunting wilderness.

That was the Pitchwoods. Its name was used to curse at others, the location featured in childrens’ fables; the kind meant to teach lessons of humility and frighten the little ones into obedience. It was the place where the caravaneers, and by proxy, the adventurers, were going.

“Well,” said Edric, “it seems we’re not quite ready to move out yet, despite my orders to finish by noon.” He overlooked the scene with a sour note on his face. “No matter, I’m sure you have some preparations to do as well. Woodfall has quite the impressive market, freshly restocked by yours truly.”

“Good.” Raven answered, “I’ll need a few more arrows anyway.”

“I’ll go with you.” Derrik announced.

“Not a bad plan, Aki said, “But I’d like to ask...”

Before he could finish his sentence, something dashed out of the Pitchwoods, leaving the edge of the thicket behind. As it entered the sunlight, one could see a catlike shape, but it was large as a human, and sleekly black. Anyone sufficiently proficient in knowledge of nature would recognize it as a panther, a fierce predator that stalked silently, and killed with efficiency.

It dashed out of the forest, straight towards the off-guard Raven, toppled her over, and… sent a flurry of licks to her face, almost exactly like a dog.

“Moria! I’ve missed you!” Raven laughed and wrestled with the massive feline as the others moved from horrified to bewildered. There was not a hint of hostility in the panther’s yellow eyes. In fact, it seemed to be having a great deal of fun as the two tossed around in the dirt.

After a while of getting over the shock, Aki finally dared inquire about the situation.

“So, uhh. You need any help dealing with the wildlife, Ray?”

“Excuse me? Wildlife?” Raven patted the side of the black cat, which apparently signaled that playtime was over, and it instead curled up on the ground by the archer’s side.

“Moria is my companion, one of my dearest allies. She’s barely an animal, and certainly not wild.” Raven compassionately stroked her hide, which caused the beast to purr contently. “I care for her, and she watches my back. When we sleep, we take turns standing watch. When we fight, we fight together. No, I don’t need any help ‘dealing’ with her.”

“Then she’s, like, your pet?” Aki scratched his head.

“Not quite, but sort of. A cross between a pet and a best friend, perhaps.”

Derrik, who always fancied cuddles, held out his hand toward his new acquaintance. Apparently, Moria considered him acceptable, as after a few moments, she moved over her head and nuzzled. Happy chin-scratches followed. Despite this, Caeli elected to speak from a safe distance.

“I’ve never heard of something like this before. It must’ve taken a powerful spell indeed to bind an animal to your will so permanently.”

“It wasn’t a spell at all.” Raven replied, “it’s a far more complicated process. I spent months tending to her in order to forge this link between us.”

“Like a spirit animal!” Derrik exclaimed, “I like it!”

“...Close enough.” Raven shrugged, then turned to Edric, “well, you better inform your fellows of her presence. If I’m going on this trip, Moria is coming along.”

Edric seemed skeptical, but her tone indicated that it was non-negotiable. He sighed, and acquiesced.

“Fine. So long as she doesn’t pee on my wares.”