Talonn watched Argall's retreat from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but see the humor in the halfling's loss of bravado. The flying creature was swiftly approaching and becoming clearer. It appeared to have the torso and arms of a human. The legs looked like those of a boar. The wings were bat like and a tail like a panther's, with what appeared as a spiked lump at the end, swung behind the creature. Talonn sniffed the air and found the wind bore the smell of sulfer and brimstone. The scent of the demon brought the 'Rage' to life.
Talonn reached over his shoulder, loosened his sword, then pulled two more arrows from the quiver. He jabbed them point down into the ground before him. "Demon!" he called as his eyes began to glow.
Kaa was straining to see what the thing was when Talonn shouted out what he saw. Kaa spat on his palm and twisted the axe in his hands. They were betrayed! The demon at the mill had dropped them in the middle of nowhere just so that he could slay them. Kaa started to pace out a spot around him, stomping down any tufts of grass that might trip him, and tossing away any field stones that he found. As he worked, Kaa grumbled loudly to himself, "Fah! That's what you get for bargaining with a demon, you old fool. No honor among the lot of them. Some protection we are to the lass."
Kaa stopped his preparations and looked over his shoulder at Sala. Something was not quite right. Sala was showing no signs of distress or transforming. Perhaps this wasn't an attack after all. Maybe this was some sort of messenger sent by the Demon Prince to warn them or hurry them along.
"Friends! There is something about this that doesn't smell right. Be wary but do not attack unless it does. It may have been sent to help." Kaa shouted to the others.
Upon seeing the demon Pine flew back to Sala and screemed in its direction, wings spread wide, neck low, mouth open and hissing. Small trickles of smoke rose from his nostrils. He would have seemed very menacing if he wasn't smaller that Sala's forearm.
Sala's hood flew back from a sudden wind that started to swirl around her hair streamed out behind her and she almost seemed to glow. She vowed she wouldn't go with it without fightingt he best she could. Finally Kaa's words sank in and she paused looking at him in confusion.
"I am sorry Qki, but twould seem that the ride is over for now, we must dismount here." Talabrina said urgently as she dismounted herself. She moved to a position where she could keep an eye on Argall and the approaching demon. Drawing her paired wakizashi she awaited the coming of the demon with a dangerous look of enthusiasm.
It was then that Muffy issues a peculiar sort of a growl and looked about sniffing at the air. To anyone not familiar with panthers or the great cats it might have sounded like Muffy was afraid of the demons's precence. However Talabrina knew better, that call meant that there were some fort of smelly ground troops of some kind. "Watch thyselves my friends, the demon be not alone," called Talabrina to the group. Then she cast a couple of spells to augment her and Muffy's prowess in battle should that come to pass.
Qki was startled out of his enjoyment of the ride by Talonn's comment. He suddenly noticed that everyone was looking off into the distance. The thing flying towards them reminded him of the demon they'd seen in Nagard's house. Picking up on the nervousness of the others, he nodded at Talabrina and climbed down from Muffy's back, then held out his dagger, wondering if he should send it flying towards the demon.
Hammer moved to where Muffy was, waiting for her to locate the ground troops. As he waited, he lightly swung his War Hammer back and forth, back and forth. He too scanned the area, noting the terrain and the wind whipped grass. Something was nagging at him. His ring was making his finger itch, at about the same time the demon was spotted. Were they connected? What about the ground troops that no one could see but Muffy could smell? Were they invisible? Was the ring telling him something?
"Talabrina, can you use your infravision to look for invisible troops?" he asked of her in a wisper.
"Not in the daylight," she whispered back to Hammer. "Keep alert, whomever they art, the spell will likely end as soon as they attack. If it doth not then I shill dispell the magic that keeps then hidden from our eyes."
The demon appeared not to notice the group. Suddenly, the demon folded its wings into a stoop and dove from the sky. Instead of attacking, it pulled up and touched ground nearly 70 paces from the party. The spiked tail swished back and forth as the demon folded its wings and began to walk toward the group. The boar's legs gave it an awkward, lurching gait. The demon kept its arms before it, palms up, as if in surrender. It moved slowly and without fear. The hideous, inhuman face formed the semblance of a smile that did nothing but display its sharp, serrated teeth.
The demon walked to within ten paces of the group and stopped. It stood motionless for a score of heartbeats before it slowly raised one hand and pointed at Sala. "Demonkin, leave this place. These mortals are to be destroyed. Our Prince wishes that thy earthly form be unharmed. Go from here now, while you can in safety." rasped the demon in a voice that was never meant for human speech.
As the demon dropped from the sky, Talonn nocked an arrow and drew back the bow. A shout from Kaa stopped Talonn before he released the shot. The demon was on the ground now and an easy target. The 'Rage' called for the kill but Talonn did not shoot. He kept the bow at full draw and the arrow trained on the demon's chest the entire time that it approached. Talonn hazarded a glance around as the demon stopped. His limited dark sight was useless in the full sun. If there were something else out there, he hoped the others would be able to deal with it. The demon was his target, even if it meant his life.
Kaa glimpsed Talonn's draw as the demon dove from the sky. "HOLD!" he shouted when he realized that it was not attacking. The back of his head was itching severly and he couldn't decided what bothered him more, the demon's appearance or the nagging feeling that there was something else building. The dwarf stood with his feet firmly planted and his axe poised to swing. "Why have you come here?", he called to the demon, "Were you sent by your Prince to slay us?"
Argall continued pacing backwards. When the demon spoke, he stopped and froze in midstep. He stood almost beside Sala at the rear of the group. He held his shaking shield at eye level as if to hide behind it. What sounded like a mumbled prayed could be faintly heard from behind the shield.
Granite had taken up a position behind everyone else. He now stood still, gaze fixed forward, not seeming to be looking directly at anything in particular, but rather taking in everything around at once.
Looking at the demon, Talabrina face took on a look of hatred. "If thee thinks we art going to leave Lady Sala, thee had best leave now. I, for one, will not leave her. " Talabrina called to the demon. Meanwhile Muffy continues to look about and growl. Whoever the newcommers were they stank.
She forced herself to stand and inhale shakily and she started to walk slowly back towards the demon. She tried not to look at her friends for fear she would lose it and not be able to do what she had decided to, but she couldn't help a quick glance at Talonn before she started to speak. "I am not demonkin and even if it means," her voice faltered, "I..I roast for eternity in the damnable place you and your kind call home I would rather you take me now than harm my friends." As she spoke the wind continued to rise around her, whipping her cloak and dress every which way, but looked as though it might be there to hold her up more than anything. When she was done she stared defiantly at the demon, proud that she was only shaking a little.
Qki's mouth fell open as Sala said her piece to the demon. Sala was nice too! He didn't want to lose her! Without thinking, he ran up nex to Sala and put his arms around her waist, as if to keep her from moving forward any more. "Don't go, Sala! We want you to stay here!" Luckily the dagger wasn't actually pointing AT Sala...
A hand descends on Sala's shoulder. It squeezes her shoulder softly, then pushes her away and draws the sword at Ifreet's sash. He does not, or course, say anything, but simply watches the demon from his horse with an unnerving yellow-eyed stare, not seeming to care that the demon's stare is unnerving as well.
The demon looked at each member of the group with an unblinking stare. It almost appeared that the demon was disoriented and confused. For several moments, it simply stood and looked at Sala.
The demon lowered its head, in apparent shame, then said, "Demonkin, our Prince did not send me to claim you. I was summoned by another to slay these mortals. I am compelled by the magic of the circle to do so. Yet, you were included in the spell. It is because you are Demonkin that I am able to counter the spell and speak to you. No summoning can command demonkin to slay demonkin. Because of this, I also choose not to slay your companions. I choose this knowing that I shall be destroyed by the spell that summoned me." The demon slowly walked backwards away from the group. After ten paces, the demon threw back its head, raised its arms, and spread its wings. "See me, oh great Prince! I sacrifice myself for your prize." it shouted to the sky. The demon looked back to Sala and said, "Guard thyself, Demonkin. There are enemies HERE!"
When the demon shouted the final word, a crackle of magical energy leap from its body. Like a snake, the ribbon of power darted around the surrounding area, circling the party completely before returning back to the demon's body. In its wake, the ten trolls that had been invisibly stalking the party, became visible. The demon burst into flame and began to be consumed by the magic of the summoning. The demon writhed in agony but made no sound.
The trolls (two on each flank, two to the front, and four to the rear) were 15 paces from the party when their magic was dispelled. Enraged by the betrayal of their demon ally, they roared and charged.
Kaa stood stunned as the demon burned. Even nearly thirty paces away, Kaa could feel the heat. He tore his eyes away just in time to dodge the attack of the first troll to reach him. Kaa used his size to his advantage and darted around the troll. He leapt inside the larger creature's reach then back out again before the troll could grab him. His axe left great gaping wounds to mark his passing.
Talonn spun around and fired two arrows at the farthest troll. The first arrow stabbed through the left eye of the troll followed by the second entering the right. The troll staggered and fell but slowly began to rise, blinded but dangerously alive. Talonn did not have time for another shot as the nearest troll lunged for him. Talonn dropped the bow and rolled to the side. He came up from his tumble with both of his swords drawn. His eyes glowed brightly and his lips drew back in a sneer. "Come to me, foul one. Death awaits.", Talonn growled as he leapt to attack the troll.
Hammer hadn't paid any attention to the demon, trusting in his companions to deal with it. He was watching all around them, waiting for a sign from their unseen enemies. As soon as their magic was despelled, he quickly took stock of the situation, and saw the 4 to the rear as the greatest threat, if only because they were the largest grouping. He howled in fury and launched himself to the rear of the group, activating the haste spell in his War Hammer at the same time.
Hammer was apon the trolls so fast they barely registered him as a threat. He swung the mighty War Hammer and caught the first one on the side of his head, hitting it so hard the head flew right off and landed some 30 feet away. He knew not of a troll's recuperative abilities, so he left the body as dead and launched himself at the next troll. His speed allowed him to keep the advantage, and he jabbed the end of the shaft of his hammer into the troll's gut, then brought the shaft up and caught the trolls chin, sending the troll stumbling backwards. It was the third troll that next caught Hammer's attention, as its claws raked Hammer's back, leaving long red streaks that trickled blood.
Granite remained stationary throughout the demon's speech and actions. When the trolls charged, he turned around to face the four coming from the rear, one of which was heading for him. "This is another situation in which you will attempt to kill the other organics." he said to no one in particular. "I will do the same."
The troll reached him and lashed out. It's attack slashed across Granite's chest, but left no visible wound. Granite's arm had risen upward as the troll attacked, and he now clamped one hand around the troll's wrist. Granite pulled, drawing the off balance troll closer. As the infuriated troll futilely attacked with it's other arm, Granite swung up his other hand, clamped it around the back of the troll's neck, and squeezed. A sickening crunching sound was heard, and the troll went limp. Granite released the troll, which collapsed in a heap on the ground.
A frown crosses Ifreet's face as the demon is destroyed by a hand other than his own. He spins his horse around, grabs Sala's arm, and hoists her up behind him, as that is where she will be safest. His throwing axe is soon lodged in the stomach of one of the trolls, and he waits for any others to get past those fighting.
Talabrina quickly sheathed one of her wakisashi and sang a brief song. Instantly a blade composed entirely out of flame appeared in her free hand. With a yell she ran at the trolls that Hammer was battling. With grace and speed she cut down the troll that was clawing at his back with her wakisashi and dollwed through with her flame sword. The troll shrieked and clawed at it's back to try to beat out the flames that were rapidly consuming it.
Meanwhile Muffy charged a group of two that no one else seemed to be going after. Instead of clawing and raking the trolls Muffy came across with something all together different. Throwing her head back and roaring at the top of her lungs, a great silver light begins to radiate out from her and sears into the trolls. They scream and fall but are still regenerating.
Sala knew there was not much she could do to aid her friends at this point, but she still had all the energy she had gathered. She picked an unwounded Troll and hurled the energy at it. The troll became engulfed in a swirling mass of energy and when it disippated there stood instead a rather pretty horse who was absolutely terrified of all that was going on.
Pine in the meantime hurtled towards a troll , breathing as though inflating himself. As he passed the troll a spurt of flame shot from his mouth and scorched the troll's head. Pine banked and turned to repeat his attack. He might be small,but at least he could help some.
Just as the golem realized he didn't have a dagger any more, another troll, who was coming up behind him, landed a blow to Qki's head. The force of it sent the head flying quite a distance across the field. Qki's thoughts were quite detached. "Now this is a new sensation," he thought, as his head landed in the swaying grass. He could just see around the stalks to where his body still stood - but as he watched, it collapsed to the ground in pieces. "I hope somebody can put me back together," he said to himself, still in shock at this new development. Perhaps in the future he should avoid people trying to take him apart.
Argall ran for the center of the group. A sling appeared and began to whirl above his head. Shouted strange grunts and noises, he pointed to the troll that had paused over Qki's collapsed body. With a final shout, Argall released his sling bullet, not at the troll, but at Sala!
The troll stepped over Qki body/parts and charged for Ifreet's horse. The troll was engulfed by Sala's magic. When the energy cleared, the horse, that was once a troll, bolted from the battled and fled across the grassland.
Kaa lopped off the left forearm of his troll and dodged away from the still grasping appendage. He kept up his pattern of attack but the troll d learned from its loss. The troll stopped lunging erratically and began to stalk the dwarf. Kaa knew that now was the point when most were killed by the monsters. He darted in but his axe was batted aside. The troll recovered quickly and stuck Kaa across the head. Kaa thanked his dwarven forefathers for their skill in armor and for the helmet that protected his, albeit aching, head. Kaa shouted to the others. "Remember that these hell spawn regenerate quickly. Dismember them if you can and throw their parts into the demon fire."
Talonn slashed both of the trolls grasping claws and danced out of their reach. He glanced quickly to the blinded troll and saw that Pine was taking advantage of his present form. The little dragon had the blinded troll whirling around, trying to attack the source of the flames. Talonn dodged another attack and lashed out with his swords. He opened a great gash under the right arm and severed the tendon at the back of the right knee. The troll collapsed from its own weight and roared. It staggered back to its feet and swung to keep Talonn at bay. Through the red tinged vision of his 'Rage', Talonn could see that the tendon and gash were beginning to heal. Talonn closed with the troll and launched into a flurry of strokes. When he finally broke off his attack, he bore bloody claw marks on his arms and tunic. The troll crashed to the ground again, its throat cut and its other leg tendon sliced in two. Talonn took barely a moment to wipe the blood from his eyes. The troll struggled to stand. Talonn let out a war cry and leapt to finish the troll.
With Ifreet's hand axe protruding from his stomach and still smoking from Muffy's blast, one troll staggered to its feet and ran to attack Ifreet and Sala.
The troll at Granite's feet shuddered for a moment then lay still. A gurgling noise and frothy blood oozed from its mouth. Slowly, the troll reached out and wrapped its arms around Granite's 'legs'. It tried to find purchase with its claws to pull itself up and attack again.
The troll Hammer had stunned gained its feet and stalked back into the fray. The headless body swung wildly about, spewing ichor from its torn neck. The head lay on its side with its jaws snapping as if to bite anything that drew near.
With its back still aflame, the screaming troll whirled around and tried to grab Talabrina. Muffy's remaining troll rolled on the ground trying to stop its pain then climbed to its feet. The troll then leapt into the air in hopes of landing on the panther's back.
The Troll's attack on his back hurt, and he had a way to deal with pain. He quickly allowed his bezerker rage to boil out, and embraced the battle madness. Still under his haste spell, he whirled around and slammed his hammer into the back of the burning troll, pushing it past Talabrina, and giving her another opening at its back. Then he turned back around and drove the shaft once again into the once stunned troll's gut. He saw the headless Troll advancing once again, and was almost shocked out of his rage. He grabbed the stunned Troll, and tried to push him into the headless Troll.
Pine was in the process of toasting his troll's head when Sala was attacked. He felt her presence in his mind cut off suddenly and he screamed in anguish. It was a horrifying large and awful sound to come from such a small creature. He cut off his strafing run and flew to where she lay on the ground, blood oozing from her temple. He landed on her body and opened his wings as big as possible, hissing and screach as though through sound he could wake her back up. Anyone who came near her he attacked, troll or not. He wasn't going to let anyone else near enough to hurt her.
After almost deflecting the sling stone on his blade, Ifreet frowns at his failure and turns towards the onrushing troll with a snarl. His eyes flash bright yellow as the heat is sucked from the creature's body and into Ifreet's blade. As the troll succumbs to sudden frostbite, the blade bursts into flames, which run up and down the hilt as he turns his horse towards Argall. He casually lights the troll he just disabled with his flames to be sure it is dead, and brings his burning blade up towards the halfling who dared hurt someone under his protection.
Muffy twisted about quickly and look up at the troll leaping toward her. Roaring at it again, this time a silver beam shot out at it and caught it full in the chest. The beam puched a hole about a foot in diameter straight through the troll and it fell limply onto Muffy. Growling and snarling Muffy shook off her opponent.
Talabrina took full advantage of the opening Hammer gave her and passed the flame blade from the neck to the pelvis in one swift strike. The troll quickly becomes a very large torch and falls when she slashes it accross the back with the sword in her other hand.
Granite's head tilted down to regard the troll that was trying to grasp him. He then bend down, and took hold of each of the troll's arms. The same crunching sound that had accompanied his grip on the troll's neck sounded twice again. Granite then proceeded to grasp the troll's various limbs in several more places, methodically crushing each major bone. When the troll was reduced to immobility, Granite lifted it up, its limbs flopping, and carried it towards the fire, apparently ignoring everything else happening around him.
Argall smiled as he watched Sala fall. His smile quickly faded as he realized that Ifreet was advancing on him. The halfling took a step back and quickly look around for aid. An expression of shock and fear crossed his face. In mere moments, the group had foiled the attack and were now destroying what was left of the troll attack.
Argall turned and ran southward. He was looking over his shoulder at Ifreet when he tripped over Qki's 'body and fell in a heap. Argall scrambled away and regained his feet. He ran perhaps ten more paces before a portal winked into existance directly in his path. Argall dove into the shimmering gate and vanished as it flashed and disappeared.
Kaa ducked a swipe from the troll and drove his axe into the creatures gut. An equally vicious reverse cut sliced the troll's torso from its legs. The legs staggered eerily for several steps before tumbling to the ground. Kaa ignored them as he quickly leapt onto the thrashing torso and struck off the right arm and head. As Kaa stepped off of the troll's wriggling chest, he kicked the troll's head like he would have a ball. The sneering face bounded across the grass and bounded into the demon fire. Kaa quickly slipped his axe back into its harness and proceeded to drag the rest of the troll to the fire.
Howling like a beast himself, Talonn crashed into the troll like a charging bull. Ignoring the wounds delivered by the claws, Talonn stepped onto the troll's chest and drove a sword through its eye. hifting his foot to stand on the monster's throat, Talonn hacked off the troll's limbs. He thrust the sabre into the creatures chest, hefted the bastard sword like an executioner, and split the troll's skull in two.
Talonn paused only long enough to toss the troll's arms toward the fire and kick the legs away from the body. The 'Rage' called for more. The urge to slay rose from the pit of Talonn's stomach and leapt from his mouth in the form of a roaring challenge. Talonn spun around and spotted the burnt and blinded troll. Talonn did not wonder why Pine had broken off his attack, in fact, he was grateful that the little dragon had not killed the troll. The "Rage' demanded death and Talonn was eager to deliver. He ripped his sabre free and charged the wounded troll.
Ifreet angriy turns his horse about as Argall escapes, flames spiraling away from his blade towards the trolls and their corpses as he turns at about and thrusts it back into his sash. He then leaps from his horse and strides towards Sala, Pine suddenly dropping into a deep sleep as he approaches. Dropping to one knee next to her, Ifreet quickly checks the injury and wraps a bandage made from a piece of cloth hastily torn from his sleeve about the wound.
Kaa tossed the torso of the troll into the fire and looked back to the fray. He winced when he saw that Sala was down but Ifreet seemed to have things in hand. He squinted throught the smoke for Argall but did not see the halfling. Kaa spat and ran to Qki's head. Kaa scooped it up and headed towards his 'body'. Kaa set Qki's head down among his parts and said, "I don't know what else to do laddie. Can you get yourself back together?"
"Oh, hello, Kaa," the head said as the dwarf approached. "I don't think I'm cut out for fighting." He cringed inwardly as he saw the pile of parts that used to be his body, but felt a bit better as he got closer. Evidently his parts still remembered how they were supposed to go together. "I'm going to need some help, Kaa. Can you please hold up some parts? They'll remember how to go together, but I can't move them myself yet. The first one is the frying pan. If you can do that and the candlestick arm, I think I can finish up."
Amid the pulsing anger of his 'Rage', Talonn knew that he had to release some of 'Its' power. The urge to kill and maim was beginning to feel as normal as taking a breath. Concentrating as he ran, he pushed the 'Rage' into the sword like he had in the dungeon. He was surprised that it wasn't as difficult as it had been then. In fact, it was so easy that by the time he had covered the four strides to reach the troll, his sword was pulsing with the energy.
The troll had heard Talonn's cry and spun to face his attack. Talonn dodged a desperate swing and slashed the glowing sword across the troll's midsection. The smell of buring flesh thickened in the air as the 'Rage' blade opened a gaping, burning gash. Talonn spun quickly and thrust his sword into the wound. As Talonn buried the blade nearly to the hilt, he released 'It' from the blade. For a brief moment, the troll glowed like a lantern as an eerie light suffused its body and escaped through the mouth and eyes. Then, with the sound of rending flesh and a flash of light, the troll burst into hundreds of small burning pieces. The force of the release knocked Talonn to the ground and the swords from his hands. Talonn sat up dazed and brushed the burning bits from his body. Looking around, Talonn recovered his swords and climbed to his feet.
Talonn examined the bastard sword. Faint marks were etched along the blade where the power had coursed through it. Talonn tested it and was surprised to find the blade was still sound. He wiped down the sabre and sheathed it. He kept his bastard sword in hand as he turned back to the dismembered troll. Talonn quickly tossed the wiggling legs and arms into the demon fire, then did the same with the ravaged head and torso.
Hammer quickly grabbed the second troll and pushed into the flaming troll that Talabrina had downed. Then he circled the headless troll untill he faced it's back, and also pushed it into the flaming dead troll. Then he began to look for the head of the headless troll.
"Alright, Laddie." Kaa pulled out the frying pan and the candlestick. He tried to put them together and jerked back when the candlestick reversed ends by itself and clanged to the pan. Kaa dopped them on the ground and began to randomly grab Qki's part and hold them close to the pan and candlestick. Each time the odd bits of metal would tug against his grip and leap into place when he let go. Kaa placed Qki's 'head' close to the joined pieces and felt for the attraction. "How am I doing Qki? Feeling more like yourself yet?" Kaa snickered.
Talonn stared into the fire for a moment and released the remaining 'Rage' into the blaze. The smell of burning flesh swirled in the breeze. Thankfully the grass was wet from the rain or the entire area would have been a raging firestorm. Although the wetness caused a lot of smoke.
As Talonn stepped away from the fire, he noticed Muffy standing over a troll with a great hole in its body. He cautiously approached and quickly hacked off the troll's legs. The troll pushed itself up on its arms and weakly snapped its jaws at him. Talonn flung the legs into the fire and sheathed his sword. He reached into one of his pouches and pulled out about three paces of braided cord. "I beg your pardon, great cat, but I am going to rid you of your kill. I don't imagine that you will be too upset since I am sure they taste like they smell."
Talonn tied a slip loop in the cord and flung it over the troll's head. The knot slid tight around the creature's throat. The troll clawed at the cord as Talonn dragged it toward the fire. When he was close enough for the heat and smell to be uncomfortable, Talonn drew his sword and removed the troll's arms and head. He retrieved his cord and tossed the troll's remains into the fire. The battered and bleeding half-elf stepped away from the fire and looked for a sign of the others. Talonn cried, "Sala!" when he spotted her lying on the ground and ran toward her.
Reaching the demon blaze, Granite unceremoniusly dumped the broken body of the troll into the flames. A noxious stench quickly rose, but Granite didn't seem bothered. He turned to face the battlefield, but made no further movement.
As Talonn approached, Ifreet put up a hand to stop him, but also looked up at him with a slight frown, eyes flickering momentarily to the sword. Ifreet shrugs, hoists Sala up over his shoulder and sets her onto his horse again, tying her down with a piece of rope, then projects the image of a map onto the ground. He picks up the still sleeping Pine, mounts his horse, and begins riding towards the nearest town.
It felt much better to be back together again. The golem looked seriously up at Kaa. "Of course I feel like myself. How could I feel like somebody else? I've never been anybody else! There was just less of me to feel like myself..." The dwarf was doing quite a good job of the reconstruction.
Talonn stopped running when Ifreet held up his hand. He dropped to his knees and gasped for breath as the fatigue of battle, both the physical and mental, settled upon him. He watched the plainsman load Sala onto his horse. Talonn looked at the map that appeared for a moment then back to Ifreet. "How did you form this map? Do you know where we are?" he asked. The glow faded from Talonn's eyes as he looked up at Ifreet and removed the waterskin from his jerkin. He sat back on the trampled grass and took a long swallow.
Kaa could not help but chuckle at Qki. He handed the last bits of Qki's body to the golem and looked across the battleground. "Where is that halfling?" he muttered. Kaa turned and started toward Ifreet. "Ifreet, hold a moment. Is she well enough to travel? What happened to her? And where is that cursed Argall?", roared the dwarf.
At the questions flung towards him by the others, the massive firey stallion turns, bringing Ifreet's golden eyes to bear on Kaa and Talonn. His eyes flicker as an illusion forms, showing the recent events in minature form, including where Argall lept through the portal and away. He then nods to Kaa, checks the makeshift bandage around Sala's head, and lets the illusions vanish as he begins riding again, unable to explain the rest without words, which is something he lacks.
Slowly Sala came to. She wondered what was going on. She was tied down on something that moved like Leaf, but didn't smell like her and Pine seemed quite distressed. Her head throbbed. Had she been captured? She tried to open her eyes, but the world swirled around her and made her feel thoroughly ill.
When Sala woke Pine trumpeted happily, but stayed where he was, fidgeting happily.
Sala heard Pine and remembered she could borrow his eyes. She wondered why it was so hard to think, but that didn't matter right now. She had to find out what was going on and why the demons hadn't stopped it. She reached out to Pine and tried to use his eyes. For a moment she had the view of herself tied to the back of Ifreet's horse and the others around, all walking somewhere. There was something wrapped around her head, a bandage, that was stained red near her temple. Then suddenly the vision cut out and she was back inside her own mind. She felt awfully dizzy and started to doze off.
Pine, felling Sala starting to drift off squeaked and nudged her face with his snout. When that didn't work he started jumping round and squaking, attampting to get someone's attention.
Hearing Pine behind him, Ifreet turns slowly, looks at it, looks down at Sala, checks the ropes and bandage, then pats her shoulder and strokes Pine gently. He looks up at the horizon every so often, as though not fully certain how long it will take them to get to the town, but sure they are close. His hand strays for a moment towards the bag with his harp in it, but Ifreet shakes his head and rubs his horse's neck instead.
Hammer found the snapping head and picked it up by it's green hair. He carried it to the fire, and threw it in. Then he made his way to the rest of the group. Seeing Ifreet leave with Sala, he went to Kaa, who was roaring for the halfling. Hammer scanned the area, but did not catch sight of him.
Kaa growled as he watched the illusion. When it vanished, the dwarf slipped his axe back into its sheath. "Forge fire! I don't like this at all. A suicidal demon. Invisible trolls with a halfling leader. By the Thunderer, I can't think with this stench about! Ifreet, get us to that village so we can lick our wounds and work out some of these riddles." Clenching his fists, Kaa stomped off after Ifreet.
Talonn's eyes glowed briefly as he watched the illusion play out the events. The glow quickly faded but the swirling red remained. Talonn cursed himself for not watching the halfling more closely. He watched Pine leap about and Sala stir. She sagged limply again, along with his heart.
He tried to rise but sat heavily back down. It was a score of breathes before he had the strength to stand. As he retrieved his bow, Talonn continued to curse himself, this time for releasing all of his 'Rage' on the troll. 'It' had killed quickly but he was drained of energy like he had never been before. He had included too much of his own reserves in the release, a mistake that could yet cost him his life and the lives of the others. Talonn emptied the skin and tucked it back into his jerkin. The frown deepened on his face as his despair settled over him like a cloak. It was the power of the drink alone that moved his feet to follow the others.
Granite once again began to bring up the rear of the group, making no comment as usual. At least for a while. Several minutes after the group began moving again, Granite began walking towards Kaa. When he reached Kaa, the sudden barrage of words began, Granite's stone on stone voice grating the air.
"Several times now I have seen various organics state that they will do things. In some cases, certain complexities accompanied this. The organic you referred to as a demon demanded that all members of this group wear a ring. It stated that the ring would force compliance. Why did it want to do this. The smaller organic behaved in a very unusual manner. It joined this group, then attacked it. I have seen other examples of this in other places. From this, I can conclude that organics are inherently contrary. Or that they are inherently erratic. Either seems to be illogical behavior. Being contrary or erratic makes accomplishing a goal more difficult. Or it may make it impossible. Why would organics do this? The constant attempts by organics to destroy each other seem to be another manifestation of this. It also seems to serve no useful purpose. The demon's demand of the use of the ring seems to be an attempt to prevent such contrariness. I have seen other such methods attempted. The members of this group carry devices to make destruction of other organics easier. As do many other organics. Thus the inherent contrary or erratic nature of organics has forced organics to utilize contariness control methods. This seems even more inefficient. Explain the benefit of these things."
Mercifully, Granite ceased his chatter, apparently awaiting a reply.
Kaa looked up at Granite in awe. Never before had he heard the elemental speak so many words at once. Kaa put aside his astonishment and tried to understand all that Granite was asking. When he had finished speaking, Kaa scratched his beard and took several paces before he tried to answer Granite.
"All that you say is true, Granite. Organics are unpredictable and erratic. Wise men have pondered for centuries over the reasons for our overwhelming desire to kill ourselves. Myself, I think it is no great mystery. We organics are all endowed with emotions and the burden of choice. It is our curse and our blessing.
Each of us has the capacity to love and hate. Choosing to embrace one makes you the enemy of those who choose to embrace the other. The passion we feel over our choice inevitably leads to violence. Whether seeking to impose our will on others or defending our choice against those who seek to impose theirs, death and pain are the crops we reap. The seekers of power take up arms to dominate their lessors and the seekers of peace and freedom arm themselves to repel their oppressors. That is why we carry weapons and use them on occasion.
You have seen each of us kill other organics. Were we defending our right of choice or were we forcing our choice upon others? Before you answer, remember the real answer is dependant upon whether your chosen ideal agrees with ours or not. That, my friend, is what truly makes organics so erratic. Each of us has our own perspective on the events that surround us. We each have a unique way of dealing with those events. It is the way each of us chooses to act, or react, that bands us together or places us in opposition. Either way, regardless of the choice we make, it is how we view the acts of others, in relation to our choice, that makes us who we are and so wonderfully unpredictable."
Kaa scatched his beard again and pondered what he had just finished saying. With a chuckle, he added, "Or, it could be that we are all insane."
Granite remained silent for a few moments after Kaa finished speaking. Then the barrage began again.
"This is a highly inefficient system that you are describing. A system of life that is inherently in conflict with itself will not progress effectively. And will waste an enormous amount of resources. I do not understand why such a system would evolve. And why it would not be overwhelmed by other systems which are more efficient. You state that each organic will develop different conclusions on a topic even if they have the same evidence to observe. This indicates an inherent randomness in organic mental processes. As do my previous observations. This randomness will cause more errors than it will prevent. What benefit does this give?"
"The randomness, as you call it, is our personality. It is what makes us who we are. It is what makes me different from Talonn, Ifreet, or Talabrina. If there are others like you, are they exactly the same? If so, how do you tell each other apart? How do you express your individuality?
Our personalities make us unique. The benefit to being unique is that it allows us a greater perspective on the things that surround us. Take that tree on the edge of the grove. One may look upon it and see material to build shelter. Another may see it as warmth during the winter. A third may simply see it as an obstruction that needs to be removed. Is any one view absolutely correct? I say no, for the tree is all of those things and more.
This individual perspective is what spurs creativity and technology. Unfortunately, it also fosters jealousy and war. As inefficient as it is, it is what drives society to progress and advancement. Sure, the bow or the sword may have been invented without organics randomness of thought but would it have surpassed the club or the sling? Or would it have been rejected for its deviation from the common practice? Would a population of identical beings ever change? Because of our uniqueness, change is assured, be it for the better or worse. Which, of course, is a matter of opinion."
"I will consider what you have said." Granite replied. "I do not completely understand it. Yet."
Talabrina stired in her seat on Muffy's back and listened to the conversation between Kaa and Granite. Raising her head to look at them she was reminded of the wariness she felt from the recent combat. Shaking her head to clear away the cobwebs she then looked at the rest of the group. Seeing Talonn she rode over next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Muffy is more than strong enough to bear the weight of two milord," she said with a tired smile on her face. "Prithee rest thy weary body and ride with me." Although she didn't say it she was worried about the look of depression on Talonn's face.
Talonn looked slowly around to Talabrina. "Nay, Lady. I am not too weary to walk. Please see if there is anything you can do for Sala. As you know, a sling stone at such close range can do quite a bit of damage."
He winced as he stumbled over a stone. "Besides, I would not be the best of company right now. I certainly would not want to give good Muffy the wrong impression. When I ride upon her, I want her to know I am enjoying her graces." He shot Talabrina a grin that he hoped would pass as mirthful.