The Southern Continent (part 2)

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Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"Can you -gasp- teleport us please? Need a sec -wheeze- to catch my breath." She managed.

"Of course," I reply. I'm not so good at this when I don't know where I'm going, but at least I know the general direction. I hold her and pick a point along a straight line route in the direction she had us going and gate us ahead.

The hop is short enough that it only leaves me a bit breathless. All this practice lately has been improving my endurance, I think. That or perhaps she's easier to transport than Sar. Less mass, for one thing. Also, less magical resistance.

I jump us again, then it's my turn to catch my breath.

"Okay," I say, "You're up."

-- Drusia
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Working in tandem, the pair made better time than Tamina had hoped for. They crossed the jungle border some twenty minutes later, reaching the outskirts of Grendell to be greeted by a demoralizing sight.

Approaching the small port, mere minutes from docking, were a pair of ships the size and shape of military vessels. The kobold's keen eyes could see dozens of men, their features too indistinct to yet make out, standing patiently on the decks, clearly ready to move with a purpose. Tamina cringed as she noted the black symbol etched on the red sails which drew them into dock.

"Ralkin symbol, don't know what it means." She murmured to Drusia at her side. "We should get closer."

The task was accomplished by a wide circle around the edge of the town, Tamina pulled the elf into the shade of a hut just out of reach of the tide-line, and peered around a corner to get a better view of the arriving ships.

.......

The gangplank was laid, and the leader of the mercenaries stepped onto the dock of Grendell with furtive glances and low murmurs from the settlers who watched him, under the man's arm was a silk-wrapped bundle of a short, thin length whose nature could only be guessed at. He turned back to the vessel, showing his face to the watchers for the first time, and waved a hand to the men on board his ship to disembark.

.......

"I know him." Tamina snarled. "He tried to stop us from destroying Aleron's artifact, should have known he wasn't dead."
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Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"Ralkin symbol, don't know what it means." She murmured to Drusia at her side. "We should get closer."
The task was accomplished by a wide circle around the edge of the town, Tamina pulled the elf into the shade of a hut just out of reach of the tide-line, and peered around a corner to get a better view of the arriving ships.
"I know him." Tamina snarled. "He tried to stop us from destroying Aleron's artifact, should have known he wasn't dead."


"I recognize him," I echo. "I disemboweled him and then killed him. He came back, somehow. I need to do a better job this time."

I frown, studying the situation. They're nicely contained at the moment - either in the boat or near it. They're away from buildings and there aren't too many people on the docks. This is the time to strike.

"Any idea where we could get some explosives?" I ask Tamina. "I don't know if that will kill that guy, but it should give us a good start it."

-- Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina's eyes widened at the elf's suggestion and she shook her head.

"Don't have 'em. And we can't fight them alone... look!"

The men were rapidly fanning out from the ships and moving in the direction thier observers had come from. The pair pressed themselves against the wall of the hut while the Ralkin soldiers surged into a rough column towards them. The humanoids made out the array of equipment the near platoon was armed with through furtive glances as they funneled past; the majority carried an array of melee weapons of good quality, certainly they were stronger blades than the spears her people carried, most of the rest were sporting high-powered rifles, the lengths of their barrels hinting unpleasantly at the size of their targets. At the back of the invading force, flanking their leader, were a pair of men carrying staffs, clearly mages-users of a fashion. Their human appearance and youthful look suggested they were hirelings as much as the soldiers in front of them.

"It's an hour up the path! Get marching!"

"Must be sixty of them..." Tamina whispered as last stragglers passed them by. "We can ambush them from the trees, but we've gotta get back and let the Killikah know."
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Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"Don't have 'em. And we can't fight them alone... look!"

So much for that plan. Even if we didn't use them here - which would have been nice - we could have mined the path. Still, if we don't have em, we don't have em. I wonder if there's somewhere I could steal some..?

"It's an hour up the path! Get marching!"
"Must be sixty of them..." Tamina whispered as last stragglers passed them by. "We can ambush them from the trees, but we've gotta get back and let the Killikah know."


"That, I can manage," I say. I take her hand and concentrate on the village. It's a hard gating, but since I know the landing spot fairly well, having just come from there, that makes it easier.

We appear back at the village. I fall to my knees, gasping, the town spinning about me.

"I'll be fine," I gasp, trying not to tip over. "Warn the others. I just need to rest." The dirt looks awfully comfortable just now. Maybe I'll take a nap on it.

-- Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

At long last, with the gah moved to their place of safety, and the kobold warriors prepared to move out - Udo had gotten a moment alone with Alleece! Now was the time for some pre-battle snoggalicious passion!

"You know, my dear," he was saying, "There's a great battle coming up. We could be parted. I could be killed! We could all die! And when you're facing death - it's important to seize the moment!" And he reached out to seize the kobold....

"Hey, Leli! Khoo! Oo-doh! We're back! Got news!"

Well, damn. He pointed at Alleece. "Don't die!" he said. And he got moving to hear the report.
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

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"There's a great battle coming up."

This wasn't exactly the kind of declaration to make Khoo feel more comfortable about his role in this group. Nor was his comfort level improved by seeing Drusia start to wobble.

That, however, he could do something about. Every first-year graduate student at Sashi Mu was required to take a "Thaumatic Safety" course, to their practically universal scorn ... but there was one thing in it that had saved him embarrassment, or worse, during his early research on the glider. It was listed in the course syllabus as "Know the signs of thaumatic exhaustion and know what to do about it." Those signs were now evident in Drusia, to his considerable surprise: weren't elves supposed to be able to do magic more or less indefinitely? Apparently not, either that or she'd just been engaged in some seriously heavy-duty spellcraft. In terms of the response, it really didn't matter.

"Here, take my hand," he commanded, figuring that she was wobbly enough not to put up any objections. As soon as they were in physical contact, he started to summon magic, pushing it out of his body into hers.

He'd always been warned about the -- suggestive nature of an exchange like this when it involved a man recharging, so to speak, a woman. Then again, Professor Kiroda was a dried-up old prune who'd probably not had anything suggestive done to her in at least eighty years...
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

Udo came pelting up, saw what Khoo was up to, and misunderstood completely. "Hey!" he said. "No time for that 'til after the battle! But then go for it!" Woo-hoo! This guy was a little slow but he was starting to get what the adventuring life was all about! Maybe he could earn some "honor marks" himself.
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina relayed what she'd seen to the group and anyone else within earshot, which included a tired-looking Leli. The Elder's preparations had walled off many of the entry points into the usually open settlement. The walls would be good protection against the firearms the soldiers carried, unless they managed to secure the upper floor of the village, in the event that that happened, her home would be lost anyway.

The returning native told the Killikah of the arms the Ralkin carried, their armor, their numbers, the magic-users and the man who led them. The second point of information drew winces from some of the assembled hunters, with the current absense of some of the gah still on their hunting trails, the soldiers outnumbered the natives who could fight them a little less than two to one, and most of their numbers would have to remain behind in the event that the ships with the soldiers weren't the entire story, and if the advance party failed every one would be needed to have a hope of holding against such well-armed opponents.

"We'd have to leave now." Alleece interjected when the subject of an ambush came up. "Meet them in the jungle, hit and run to reduce their numbers."

The Elder nodded at the younger kobold's suggestion, it was a strategy employed on occasion when wandering groups of ape-like predators called Hallamin passed through the area, the killikah words translated roughly as 'gorilla warfare'.

"Got to be careful of the mages, and the bad man." Tamina cautioned. "Don't know what the human magic people can do, don't want to find out."

"Ten volunteers, no more." Leli stated firmly. "Do what you can, but don't take unnecessary risks."

"Too late for that." Tamina sighed. "I'll lead them back..."

"No Tammy, you need to rest, recharge... and we'll both be needed here when... people get hurt."

Tamina lowered her head and spoke in a tight, quiet voice.

"What about the scouts?"

"I'll take care of them Tammy." Alleece said, putting a hand on the shoulder of her tribeswoman. Tamina's mouth twisted, but she nodded.

"Any volunteers?" The younger kobold asked.
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

"I've got a different idea," said Udo. "But if you don't agree with it I'll do whatever you say, and I'm totally volunteered for everything.

"If we hit and run these guys - in those kinds of numbers - they'll know we're expecting them before very many get killed. Right now they think they're surprising us. Kill one or two grunts and they'll know they're not!

"So what I suggest is set up a bigger ambush. Let me meet 'em out on the trail by myself with a shield up. I'll draw their attention for sure." Since he was still in his boots and loincloth and painted up with Alleece's choicest symbols, this part was doubtless true.

"I'll try to get 'em talking and fuck with their morale. Then when I say the signal word, Khoo there does a big wind blast up in the air so that they get startled, look up to see what's flying up there, and can't hear themselves being ambushed. Then the kobolds jump out from hiding - kill a bunch of 'em, then beat feet back into the bush. Don't let 'em see they're not outnumbered. If I can screw with their heads enough, so they think they've been sold out, some of 'em may panic and run - 'specially if they're mercenaries, and not die-hard Ralkin fanatics!

"On the pathway, in a column, that's where they're vulnerable, can't give each other supporting fire, can't deploy into a better formation, can't see the real tactical situation, can't move around off the path like your warriors. Hit 'em with everything we got out there! That's what I say.

"I've seen what Tamina can do with a line of enemy riflemen in nothin' flat - boy have I ever! - if some of your kobolds can do that, or even if they can't, we'll have their grunts down or running in no time, maybe even get their wizards stabbed in the back. Then we mages can concentrate on the Big Boy! If it doesn't work, Khoo can blow a big gale in their face while we retreat back to the village.

"Whaddayasay? And whateveryasay, I'm gonna do." From his memory, Grendell was only an hour's walk away from here for their small group; it would be much slower for this big enemy force but there was no time for extended debate or council of war. Furthermore, he didn't want to undermine Leli's authority. He wasn't asking her for counterargument. He was offering his advice and ready to abide by her decision, and show off for the pretty kobolds fight bravely in the village's defense for the sake of poon honor!
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