Bridge Quest

by Pdmac

  They traveled in over-watch with rangers Raquel and Ross out front, traveling along the single road leading south out of Abeloft. Though cautious, nothing out of the ordinary occurred as the day was warm, pleasant and sunny. As evening approached the scouts found a large home set back away from the main road.

  “It looks a lot like that one home with the spiders,” Raquel said with a grimace, “but it’s larger.”

  “We need to hunker down for the night,” Karl said. “Let’s clean the place up before we settle.”

  Walking down the path to the house, the first thing Karl noted was the well-worn track leading to the front door, causing him to wonder who or what lived there. Instead of entering, Karl decided to walk around the outside of the home to study the building and the surrounding area.

  The house was constructed of stone with a bright red front door, flanked by shuttered windows. Half a dozen windows, likewise shuttered lined the sides of the house. Two red brick chimneys protruded from the thatched roof, one in the middle and one in the back. It looked like the quintessential rustic home art piece one would find for sale in so many cheap arts and craft stores.

  On his way to the other side of the house, a small torn bit of colored cloth tangled on the brambles at the edge of the forest surrounding the house caught his attention. Walking over to inspect it, he noted the smallest threads of spider silk waving in the gentle breeze. He immediately gave orders to collect as much burnable wood as each member could carry.

  Walking into the house, he took notice of the layout of the large room along with the cooking pot and clean fireplace, table with maps and the striking similarity to the spider house. Passing through to the next room, he saw the fire place at the back wall then counted six double beds, three against each side wall. Either someone had a very large family, or someone was expecting them.

  “Get a fire roaring in both fireplaces then collect more wood. I have a feeling we’ll want to keep a fire going the entire night”

  “Spiders?” Annabeth shuddered.

  “We’ll find out,” he replied. “Dieter and Sakura,” he called out to the two team leaders. “Position your teams around the outside of the house and watch for what comes out of the chimneys. The rest of us will back you up.”

  Dieter turned to Elena, his berserker rage already beginning to build. “Stay inside. You’ll be safe here.”

  “OK,” she meekly replied, having never seen this side of her lover.

  It didn’t take long to find out as once the wood caught fire and the smoke curled up the chimney, spiders began pouring out the top, smaller ones at first, then when the flames roared down below, larger ones popped out.

  It was a war of attrition as the spiders cascaded down the roof to be met by dwarven hammers, elf arrows, a Viking sword, and a berserker hammer. Annabeth and Lana cast spells and launched freeze and fire bolts as rapidly as they formed them.

  Yet some spiders did not take kindly to being attacked and launched themselves in suicidal assaults from the rooftop. Several found their mark and Carole screamed and collapsed under the weight of the spiders.

  Dieter’s berserker rage grew and the swath of his hammer cut such a deadly path that the spiders fell back as he made his way to the fallen Carole who lay crumpled and limp on the ground. Under the continued onslaught of the teams and with their lair and treachery exposed, the spiders fled into the surrounding forest. With the threat removed, Dieter picked up the wounded elf and carried her inside the house.

  Karl’s screen popped up.

  Congratulations: You have defeated the Spiders of Iria Forest.

  You’ve received: Experience.

  You’ve received: Leadership +6 points.

  Ignoring the prompt, he gathered everyone inside the cottage and positioned the company around the interior, near windows and the door as well as ensuring the fires continued rippling then went to check on Kendra and Tina who attended Carole, casting Remove Paralysis and Cure Light Wounds Spells.

  “She’s been bitten several times,” Kendra said. “We’ve managed to take away the paralysis, and you can see we’ve healed the puncture bites, but the poison still runs in her blood. Neither of us have high enough healing skills to cure her.”

  “We’ve given her healing potions,” Tina added, “but we only have so much. They’ve restored some of her health points, but she’s still in danger the longer the poison stays inside her.”

  Karl looked down at the high elf’s body bathed in a sheen of sweat. “Do your best,” he grimly replied.

  He walked over to where Dieter sat exhausted, propped against the wall, his berserker rage spent. Elena sat next to him, feeding him bits of dried meat, helping him regain his strength.

  “How you feeling?”

  “I’m doing better. Give me about half an hour to rest and I should be back to normal, maybe sooner with the food Elena is feeding me.” He smiled affectionately at her.

  As Karl continued his rounds, his worry grew as he realized everyone needed rest in order to recoup their strength. If a more powerful enemy than the spiders attacked now, they would be in big trouble.

  ‘If you haven’t already done so,” he said in a calm voice, “change your bind spot to Abeloft.”

  “Preferably your bedroom and not the main tavern,” Wendell cracked, looking at Conrad.

  “Aren’t you the comedian,” Conrad retorted, hoping Kendra and Tina were too engrossed healing Carole to pay attention.

  “Suppose your room is already rented out,” Brad observed with a chuckle. “Can you imagine showing up and the person is in room?”

  “Or two lovers in the middle of getting frisky,” Bruno laughed. “Can you imagine the look on their faces, especially when you show up nude? One of them is not going to be happy.”

  “Oh I don’t know,” Annabeth giggled. “Depends who it is.”

  “I changed mine to the kitchen,” Wendell announced. “That way it’ll be warm when I respawn and I’ll be surrounded by food and ale.”

  “You and your food,” Conrad groused. “I’m surprised Humphrey is still in business after feeding you.”

  “Look who’s talking, Mister Piglet,” Wendell huffed.

  “Or how about some grizzled old man or woman who hasn’t had any in years,” Bruno interrupted, “and they get the idea that you were heaven sent for their pleasure.”

  “I’d be running down the hall,” Ross said, “clothes or no clothes.”

  A heavy thud at the door snapped them to alert. Ross, standing by the door, checked the two crossbars that held the door closed then pressed his head against the thick wooden door, trying to listen when another thud bounced his head away from the door.

  “Check the windows,” Karl quietly commanded, racing to the back bedroom where half the company had been relaxing but were now on edge, double checking the bars across the windows holding the shutters tight.

  “I can hear something,” Ross said, his head not so close to the door this time. “It sounds like voices, but I can’t make any sense of it.”

  “Ho inside house,” a voice yelled from outside, the accent thick and rough. “Open door. We want talk.”

  “Who are you?” Karl called back, needing to stall for time.

  “Ho, we friends. Nice. Want talk.”

  “Who are you? Karl repeated.

  There was a pause as Ross heard voices back and forth.

  “We dwarf.”

  “No you’re not,” Conrad barked.

  Another pause and more voices in what sounded like arguing.

  “We elfs.”

  “No you’re not,” Bruno called back.

  “Ale seller.”

  “No,” Karl answered.

  “Priest.”

  “No.”

  “Bunny,” another voice called out, immediately followed by angry retorts and another voice saying, “Him joking. No bunny here.”

  Brad whispered in Karl’s ear.

  “You sound like goblins,” Karl called back.r />
  There was a long awkward pause. Ross heard the low undertones of a discussion.

  “Yes. We goblin. Nice goblin. Happy goblin. Want to talk. Share food?”

  Deciding he needed to know more about goblins, Karl pulled up his data screen and pressed the character information link, pulling up goblins.

  Description: Goblins are short, ugly creatures, humanoid in appearance and stand just over 3 feet tall. Though rare, taller goblins are not unknown. The tallest goblin reported was close to 5 feet tall. Their bodies tend to be gaunt and crowned with an oversized head that is usually hairless. Goblins with hair tend to be female. All goblins have the usual trait of massive ears and beady red eyes, though orange and yellow eyes have also been reported. Goblins' skin tone varies in accordance with the surrounding environment. For example, forest goblins tend to have green and dull brown skin tones. Other prevalent tones are gray and blue. More rare are black and even pale white. Goblins have a voracious appetite, which explains their large mouths filled with jagged teeth. Goblins are greedy, capricious, and destructive by nature.

  Personality: Goblins are a race of creatures with a mix of childlike naiveté and destructive passions that make them almost universally loathed. They are weak and cowardly, and because of their diminutive stature, they are frequently enslaved by stronger creatures that use them as disposable foot soldiers whose appetite for destruction provides a base for expansion. Most races view goblins as destructive cockroaches – despite the best efforts, they are impossible to exterminate. Goblins eat nearly anything and view other beings as sources of food. Their appetites are voracious and are the compelling reason for their existence. They live to eat. The preferred diet is meat, especially the flesh of humans and other high races, which they consider a difficult-to-obtain delicacy.

  Karl scanned through the rest of the information, taking note that goblins were fast, but weak and quite unpleasant to be around.

  “How much food do you have?” he asked.

  This caused a burst of conversation on the other side of the door.

  “No. No food. You share with us.”

  “We don’t have enough,” Karl replied. “Why don’t you go hunt for some food and bring it back for us to cook?” Looking over his shoulder, he lowered his voice. “Anyone know what time it is?”

  “It was still daylight when we took on the spiders,” Raquel answered.

  “It’s still daylight now,” Ross said, “though it won’t be for long. I can see through a tiny slit in the shutters.”

  “OK folks,” Karl said in muted tones. “Rolling watches throughout the night. Everyone needs to regain full strength as well as some rest.”

  “OK,” the voice outside called out. “We go find food. Bring back. You cook. OK?”

  “OK,” Karl answered.

  Five minutes later the voice called out. “Ho inside house. We back. Catch nice big deer.” He was interrupted by a several voices. “No,” he started again. “We catch two –” overlapping voices interrupted him again. “We catch three –”

  What ensued was an angry exchange followed by final burst of anger and clearing of his throat.

  “We catch five big fat deer. You cook for us. Yes?”

  “We’ll need more wood to cook all that,” Karl called back.

  An impatient burst of goblin spewed forth then stopped as the goblin collected himself. “OK. We get wood. You cook then. OK?”

  “OK.”

  Five minutes later the voice sang out. “Ho inside house. We have wood.”

  “What about spices?” Karl asked, smirking. “We can’t cook it unless we have spices.”

  “Spices?” the voice angrily repeated. “You no need spices. You cook now.”

  “That’s too many deer,” Karl explained. “We only have two fireplaces and you have five deer. Why don’t you cook them and we can eat with you.”

  With an exasperated sigh, the voice said, “OK. We cook.”

  Five minutes later, the voice called out. “OK. All done.”

  “What?” Karl replied. “That’s too quick. The meat is not cooked enough. We like it cooked all the way through.”

  Another torrent of words that Karl figured had to be swear words erupted.

  The back and forth continued with the voice announcing the meat done and Karl asking which portions were done, had they cut off the fat because he doesn’t like fat and Annabeth liked her venison lean, and make sure it wasn’t charred because Brad didn’t like it charred and by the way did they say an animal prayer over the deer after they killed them.

  As time went on, Karl solicited replies, much to the amusement of those in the house. During a lull in the exchanges, Kendra came up.

  “She’s not getting any worse, but she’s not getting any better. As far as Tina and I can tell, it’s a slow acting poison. We’ve done all we can. She needs help from someone with more skills.”

  “Thanks,” he nodded in appreciation. Turning to Ross still at the door, he said, “Can you handle the chatter while I talk with the team leaders?”

  “Be happy to,” he grinned.

  Karl motioned for Dieter, Sakura, Annabeth and Raquel to meet at the table near the fireplace.

  “We need to get Carole to someone with healing power,” he said. “That means we have to break out of here as soon as possible. We launch our attack in the morning just before the mist disappears and head south to Westhaven. Hopefully someone will be there who can help.”

  “Suppose there isn’t?” Sakura asked.

  “Then she dies,” Dieter answered.

  “Why not just let her die here and she can respawn back in Abeloft?” Sakura said without emotion.

  “How charitable of you,” Raquel coldly responded.

  “I’m serious. Taking her with us endangers us all. How many have to carry her, watch out for her, while the rest of us fight goblins? I say we sacrifice the one for the good of the many.”

  “It doesn’t work that way,” Karl quietly replied. “Though your reasoning has merit, it is bad for morale if anytime someone is hurt they are abandoned. There are fifteen of us here, now. There will be fifteen of us when we reach the bridge. We leave no man behind unless we absolutely can’t help it. In this instance, we can help it. Besides, are there residual effects of the poison should she respawn in Abeloft? We all know there is no one there who has the healing capabilities she needs. The answer is simple. She comes with us.”

  Sakura closed her mouth, signifying she had nothing more to say.

  “Do a weapons and skills check of your team,” Karl continued. “Make sure everyone gets rest.” He then gazed pointedly at Sakura. “You’re an assassin by trade. An hour before our attack, I want you to do a recon.”

  “How will I get out?” she scowled.

  “Through the roof,” he answered.

  She looked up, realizing the roof was thatch, silently berating herself for not analyzing the whole thing through before making snap statements.

  “OK.”

  “Questions?”

  “Yeah, “Annabeth said. “Who takes care of Carole?”

  “Kendra and Tina,” Karl answered. “They’re dwarves. They’re strong and can carry her. Likewise, they’re healers and so wouldn’t be an active part of the battle.”

  “Providing we don’t need any healing,” Raquel pointed out.

  “I know,” Karl acknowledged. “It’s a gamble we’ll have to take.”

  He paused when he heard Ross call out through the door, “It’s too late to eat now. Everyone is trying to get some sleep except for me and I can’t eat that much. I tell you what. Let’s have a big meal tomorrow after the mist goes away, in the middle of the day. That will give you a chance to find some ale. Surely you don’t expect us to have a feast without ale.”

  The response was a tired mumble of inarticulate words.

  Karl smiled at him. “Cleverly done.”

  Ross grinned. “That was fun. Thanks.”

  “I have a question,” Raq
uel said. “Goblins see well in the dark, but what about the heavy mist? And don’t gnolls come out at night? What’s the chance of gnolls and goblins bumping into each other?”

  “That would be to our advantage,” Karl said. “We can hope for the best.”

  Karl woke at the sound of a loud disturbance in the middle of the night, like two clashing forces. Shouts and the clang of metal on metal pierced the quiet of the house. But it died down as quickly as it started.

  He listened for another ten minutes and when no further sounds emerged, he stretched out again. He no sooner lay back than pounding and prying on the doors and windows began. Bolting up, he quickly saw everyone else was awake.

  “To the windows,” he commanded. “Hit them before they have a chance to get in.”

  The banging and prying were now accompanied by overlapping growls and yells of urgency. A window in the bedroom began to yield and the shutters slowly pried apart.

  When the gap was wide enough, Sharyn sent an arrow through it causing a screech and the shutters to momentarily close.

  Other window shutters were splintering under the incessant rain of blows from goblin clubs. With the two dwarf healers guarding Carole, the rest of the company split into twos for each window, believing the door could hold out longer than the windows.

  Annabeth and Raquel were at the first window that burst. Before the goblins had a chance to push in, Annabeth hurled a fire bolt that caught the first goblin full in the face, exploding on contact and propelling him backwards into his cohorts. No sooner had the goblin fallen back that Raquel launched a flurry of arrows causing screams of pain and terror.

  Lana and Brad stood ready at the window next to them, both working feverously on spells. As their window buckled, Lana drew a star circumscribed with a pentagram in the air then dropped to a knee and pressed her palm on the floor, fingers pointed to the wall. A narrow yet violent tremor shot out from her hand like a fissure from an earthquake. At the same time, Brad stretched a hand out and uttered a Fear Curse. The result was an eruption of panic among the goblins, for when the Fear Curse fell upon the single goblin, his alarm of dread coupled with the ground shake caused the others to follow him in a stampede away from the window.