Posted by Irzen, Serna, Neven & Willow
on 8/13/2009, 6:55 pm
"Well, there they go!" Irzen put his hands on his hips watching the others as they ascended to the halfway mark on the staircase leading to The Topaz Mountains' cave entrance.
"So what do we do now?" asked Neven innocently.
"I have a deck of cards," offered Serna with a smile, "How about a game of fan-tan? Lady War Scribe taught it to Mistress Kana and I while we were trapped in that cage."
The Ranger stared off towards the south and walked thirty feet away from the others, quickly dropped to his knees and put his ear to the ground.
"Willow?" The Swordsman asked with a raised eyebrow, "Is there something wrong?"
Willow rose to his feet and held up his hand as though he were asking for silence before he moved passed his friends and went forty feet to the north and repeated his earlier actions.
Serna and Neven just stared at the Wood Elf with worried glances.
The Ranger returned to them, "We are going to have company soon. Orcs are marching from the south towards us. I felt a hundred footfalls at least, maybe less, they are not more than fifteen minutes from us. Humans are moving from the north, twenty of them, they are not more than five minutes away." Pointing to a distant rock outcropping, Willow announced, "We should see them coming over that rise soon. Between the Orcs, the Humans and the Dragon we are surrounded and out-numbered."
"What do we do?" Neven asked nervously.
"We don't panic for a start," confessed the Swordsman, "As far as the Orcs go, Venger never goes anywhere without his retinue to back him up--especially over something as important as The Eleventh Talisman. This is standard operating procedure with him. They won't make a move on us unless The Dark Lord says so. As far as the Humans go, I don't have a clue as to why they're coming out to meet us. Anyone have any theories they would like to share?"
"Maybe they are a welcoming party?" replied Willow without any real conviction in his answer.
The others looked at Irzen and haunched their shoulders.
"My thoughts exactly," concluded Irzen before he was cut off.
"You there!" The largest of the twenty men appeared all of them donned in ceremonial robes and armed with curved swords that resembled those used by the Egyptians in battle, "We have come for the girl child!"
Serna pointed to herself, "Who me?"
Irzen raised his eyebrow, "Come again?"
"We have come for the virgin girl child," The man added pointing to Serna, "She is to be our monthly sacrifice to The Great and Terrible Wyrm Aurilaz! May Aurilaz be revered forever! And once she is slain we shall take your other woman and sacrifice her next month," Pointing to Seriah, "The rest of you shall turn over your food, weapons and money as an offering to Aurilaz. May Aurilaz be revered forever! And then you shall be set free. Now hand over the virgin girl child or else!"
Serna gave an audible and nervous gulp.
"Or else what?" Willow Bark moved his hand to the pommel of his sword.
"Willow, we don't want any trouble," cautioned the The Swordsman instinctively moving his own hand to his blade.
"Or else we shall take her!" The twenty Acolytes brandished their swords menacingly.
"Ah, hell!" complained Neven shaking his head in disbelief.
"Serna! Neven! Shield!" commanded the Swordsman.
Without a second thought or a rebuttal, Serna activated her shield causing a small dome to appear around both her and The Thief.
"Maybe we can talk about this--" began Irzen trying to rationalize the situation.
"Death to the infidels!" cried the leader as he led his fellow Acolytes in a headlong charge at the Adventurers.
"--or not!" The Swordsman drew forth Evenflow as six men charged at Willow, seven at Irzen and five at Seriah. The remaining two tried to get to Serna and Neven.
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