by Tom Hansen
They walked in silence for a moment before Bloodhorn spoke. “I know you’re dying to ask, so go ahead.”
Scarhoof couldn’t help but crack a wry smile. The easy-going demeanor, his history of the Chieftain from decades past, it all made for a surreal, but not unexpected situation.
Gaagii Bloodhorn was one of the most well-respected Tau’raj alive today. Countless battles with the Nagos had been won largely because of his brilliant tactical mind.
But Scarhoof had a burning question, two in fact, and they both came tumbling out.
“How did you know to call me a solider, and how did the shard not hurt you?”
The Chieftain smiled at a female shopkeep closing the door to her store, then saluted two soldiers standing duty alongside the street.
“Matuk Scarhoof; am I right? I remember you. I can’t say that about all the recruits we have into the army, but I do remember you. You were the first hard decision I had to make as a newly minted Chieftain. The battle we had over Shiprock was easy from a commander position. But having to banish a young, bright-eyed soldier to go spend his formative days with the old, infirm, and ever so young, was the most difficult decision I had made up to that point.”
The Chieftain stared off into the distance, a sorrowful reminiscent look on his face. “And worse yet was the fact that many of us lived because of you. You were our early warning for that invasion, that one battle that changed so much about who were are as a race, how we have had to survive.”
He stopped, staring off into the distance. He seemed like he wanted to continue but couldn’t find the words.
Scarhoof could scarcely believe what the Chieftain was saying. Remembering him from twenty years ago was one thing, but to show such deep sorrow for a decision that affected only one soldier was another. It was a side of him he had never seen or heard about. Gone was the battle-hardened leader, and in his stead was an aging bull ruminating on past decisions.
They walked in silence for a while, Bloodhorn’s face betraying his thoughts.
“I remember the day your leg was damaged. How is it, by the way? I see you are able to walk on it albeit with a limp.”
Scarhoof shrugged. “It’s part of me now. The healers did all they could.”
Bloodhorn dodged around a slow-moving cart and maneuvered back alongside Scarhoof. “And now you’re a healer. It’s rare to see those from our ranks achieve such greatness. But yes, I agonized over the decision. You were asleep for days. Did you know that? For a while the damage was so great we didn’t know if you would lose your leg or not, and the healers kept you under for an extended period of time. Without your early warning, that skirmish could have been a slaughter.”
The Chieftain stopped in the street so abruptly, a cow carrying a large vessel on her head had to quickly dodge around his hulking form. “You were the true hero of Shiprock, and I was the one that sent you away. Yes, Matuk, I remember you well, and the decision that day is still one that I chew on from time to time. Tell me. Did I make the right decision?” Bloodhorn’s eyes betrayed his bullishness.
Feelings churned inside of Scarhoof, wanting to come out. Here was the leader of his entire race, a bull that he himself had voted for, pleading for validation from a lowly soldier.
Scarhoof took a deep breath, letting it out slowly so as to regain control of his thoughts and tongue. “Chieftain, I’ll be honest, I was angry at first. You were right. At that age I was bitter. I felt that I wasn’t doing all I could do for our defenses, but time has helped me see the reason why we have Sunset Cove, why we protect it like we do. It’s why I’m here, why I travelled so far so fast, because I have grown to truly love my assignment, and I wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t the most important thing in my life.”
The look on Bloodhorn’s face confused Scarhoof for a moment, before he recognized it as relief. Had the Chieftain really been this hung up on a decision he made so long ago? The whole situation was beginning to become ridiculous, two grown bulls standing in a public street, fighting back emotions. He needed to change the subject.
“And what about the shard, Chieftain?”
He was glad when the Chieftain took the cue and began walking again. “Well, that one is easy. The shard no longer has power.”
Scarhoof glanced at his newly-healed hand, somehow shocked he hadn’t realized it, but in the moment, the power of the shard hadn’t actually been coming from the new one, it was the one he had touched first. He felt so stupid for not noticing it before.
The Chieftain clapped him on the shoulder and steered him down a side road. “But the fact that you didn’t know that told me everything about your character, your resolve, and your commitment to truth. I may have only had vague recollections of the young soldier I sent away, but I see he’s come back a raging bull.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“No, thank you, soldier. Here is my home. Let’s put talk of the bigger problems off for a while and enjoy a meal together. My wife is the best cook this side of the Grand Fissure, and I would be a horrible host if I didn’t offer you a place to spend the night.”
“Thank you very much, Mikasisse, this was a fantastic meal.”
The Chieftain’s wife hadn’t been much of a talker, preferring to bustle between the table and the kitchen, ensuring her surprise guest had everything he could possibly need. Likewise, her three children, Dyanali, Tar, and little Meomak were extremely polite, keeping mostly silent through the entire meal unless addressed by an adult. He didn’t count the overt whispers between the older two.
Scarhoof felt like an intruder in their lovely home. He wasn’t supposed to be eating with the Chieftain. He was just a courier. He could have obtained a meal at a local inn or the mess hall with the other soldiers.
“You are most welcome, Scarhoof. It’s my pleasure to host you.”
Dyanali bounced on her stool, like she needed to go to the bathroom. Gaagii called on her. “What is it, little one?”
“Papa, can... do you think it hurt him, to crush the glass like that?”
Scarhoof felt his face heat up at the mention of the incident at the central house, which was apparently now called the Lawhouse. Gaagii had insisted on telling the whole family while Scarhoof was wishing he was a few hands tall.
“Well, I don’t know Dyli, why don’t you ask him yourself? He won’t bite, at least I don’t think he will.”
Scarhoof held his breath. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Tau’ri, it was that he never quite knew how to handle them until he got to know them.
Dyanali’s white cheeks turned a deep crimson. Her eyes went wide as she met Scarhoof’s gaze and she let out a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a squeal. She hopped off her stool and ran screaming into the other room.
The other two followed suit, the toddler shakily walking on his two hoofs behind them.
Gaagii let out a raucous laugh. “She might have a crush on you, soldier.”
Mikasisse, sitting to Gaagii’s left picked up a piece of bread and began pulling it apart. The Chieftain slid the butter over to her, which she took with a silent nod of deference.
She hadn’t had a chance to eat the whole meal, between tending to the children and her guest. Each time either of the bulls had implored her to sit and eat, she came up with a new excuse not to.
But now, with the children out of the room, she seemed like a different cow. Her eyes were serious, her lips pursed, and she tore at the bread with an obvious frustration.
Both bulls noticed it but Scarhoof averted his eyes.
“My love, what is it?” the Chieftain’s voice had turned from loud and commanding, to soft, caring, and sensitive in an instant. Scarhoof once again felt like a stranger eavesdropping on a personal moment and wondered if he should excuse himself to play with the Tau’ri.
Mikasisse dropped her bread and looked Scarhoof directly in the face. “Please, tell me, how is Eldermother? Is she well?” She glanced down the hall where the three screaming children continued to make
noise. “And please, tell me everything that happened, not the censored version you tell around the dinner table.”
Gaagii smiled leaning back and wrapping a meaty arm around his cow. “That’s my girl. I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to take over.” He turned to Scarhoof. “It’s now time to pay for the meal, soldier.”
Scarhoof hesitated a moment, glancing down the hallway before laying out the events of the last few days; the dead guards, the Nagos, even the shards and their effects on them.
She and Gaagii took it all in, but for a moment when he got up to get after the kids for banging pots together. She peppered him with dozens of questions, like the size and marking of the Nagos, the death of the guards, and the events in the Kobold cave. Scarhoof left off everything but the conversation at the bonfire and with Eldermother shortly after.
“It’s good to hear that Nitene is settling in. She stayed with us for a month, you know, after she came back from the Litlins.”
Scarhoof wanted to pry for details, learn more about Nitene’s time outside the borders of their nation, but now didn’t seem the time. It should also come from Nitene herself if she ever deigned to tell the tale.
By the time he was done filling them in, it seemed the tables had flipped. Gaagii may have been the Chieftain for the nine tribes, but here, in their home, Mikasisse was the benevolent ruler.
She smacked the Chieftains bicep. “I thought you said you were sending soldiers along the path to the Cove to protect the refugees?”
Gaagii’s face instantly grew sullen, and the room took on an even more uncomfortable tone.
“I sent three adventurers, but we haven’t received anything back from them in many days. I was going to give them one more day before sending out another party. They’re good soldiers, but I fear the worst.”
She nodded, then turned back to Scarhoof. “And what about you? Are you heading back?”
Scarhoof glanced at the Chieftain before answering. “I would like to, if that’s all right with you.”
The Chieftain folded his massive arms across his chest, leaning back in the stool. “There is a slight problem with that.”
“What’s that?” Both Scarhoof and Mikasisse asked at the same time.
The Chieftain smiled like he was the only one in the room that knew some critical information. He seemed to savor that moment before opening his mouth.
“You didn’t read Eldermother’s missive, did you?”
Scarhoof shook his head. “No, Sir. I would never.”
“Relax, I’m not insinuating. Eldermother told me something that I think you should think long and hard about.”
“What is that?” Worry flooded Scarhoof’s chest. What could Eldermother have said in that missive that would keep him from returning back to Sunset Cove? It was his duty to serve, and he had to admit that he wanted to go back. He couldn’t help thinking of Nitene again.
“First off, the Nagos you squared off against, Grath’gar the Impetuous, do you know who he is?”
Scarhoof flashed back to the very one-sided fight in the Misty Cave, as well as remembering the first and only time he had been in a battle. The day his life changed forever. “No Sir, I only remember him from long ago at the battle of Shiprock.”
Bloodhorn pursed his lips, “Yes, and that day changed him. He is the Second in Command of the Nagos army. He largely disappeared after the battle but showed up about ten years ago. He’s an ideologue and has persuaded the Nagos to change from an occupation strategy to an all-out genocide.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “That means that the second in command of the Nagos army knows where the Cove is. Why he himself made the push I can’t imagine, but nothing about the situation is good. They might sail directly to that side of the Cove, or we might have to battle once and for all.”
Mikasisse spoke up, looking wistfully down the hallway where her kids played. “Or it could have been just a distraction. If we send half our forces to the Cove over fears that the Butcher of Basilisk Peak is there, we would weaken our already tenuous defenses in other parts of the Eternal Plains.”
“Yes, now is not the time to do anything rash. We need to know more information before we react. Rumor is, that more forces are amassing on the eastern coast, but I am waiting for scouts to return with their report on that one before I make a final decision.”
Gaagii pointed to Scarhoof’s satchel that lay on the ground next to the doorway. “Now, let us discuss the shards. The mere fact that you can hold those shards sets you apart, Scarhoof. Most of our race cannot. Sure, we get adventurers through here from time to time, helping us out with quests, but I’ve never met one able to touch a shard without ill effects.”
He stood up, beginning to pace behind his wife.
“I told you the one on my desk was inert? I had that one obtained specially when a high-level traveler came by looking for me. Seems she had found it off some rare beast and brought it here to seek a reward. We’ve had researchers studying that thing since it showed up to no avail because, even drained of its power, it’s still quite potent. There is a tiny bit of power still left in it, and that tiny amount can still be devastating. In fact, you dropping it in my hand earlier today was quite painful, but I didn’t let on.”
He shook his hand like he’d just got stung by a bee. “Three fingers are still numb, if you can believe that.
“But that’s the point,” he continued, “the Eldermother sees something in you, and reminded me of …” he trailed off, a mysterious look in his eye, like he was struggling to find the words, or trying to decide how he should say something of a delicate nature. After a couple seconds, his face relaxed, like he had been defeated, rejected somehow.
What was going on in his mind?
“She reminded me of what we’re fighting for. These shards hold an immense power and we are still struggling to learn how they work. Your ability to touch them without harm could go a long way in helping the nation. I’ve heard rumors of other adventurers with the same ability.
“Has it ever occurred to you that you might be special? Just look at everything that has happened to you in the last few days. From soldier to adventurer, Spiritmother has marked you, son. What that means I cannot say, but I will do all in my power to help you on your journey.”
Yes, being chosen by Spiritmother to become an adventurer was a calling worthy of song, but why him? Why now? Why not decades ago when he didn’t walk with a limp or struggle to sit down on stools?
He sat there, staring into nothingness for a while, trying to make sense of it.
Sure, he could hold onto the shard without injury, but what did that mean?
“Sir, I know what she asks, and I wish to serve, but after twenty years of protecting the Cove, I don’t know how much I fit in here anymore. I’m old and comfortable where I am. You understand, don’t you, after all you and I—”
Gaagii chortled, a deep, bellowing, and joyful noise. He leaned both hands on the table as he bent over. “You were going to say old as me, right? It’s fine. But Eldermother seems very certain of this, she asked that you continue to pursue your Shaman training and research the shards under my care. She insisted on it, telling me to do everything in my power to convince you to stay, if only for a little while.”
Scarhoof wasn’t sure how to respond. He needed some time alone, some time to think, to meditate before making this decision. It did intrigue him to know more about where the shards came from and what they were doing here.
That sparked something in his mind, from back when he was on the dais in the Misty Cave while disguised as a Kobold, and he decided to ask about it.
“Chieftain, where do these shards come from?”
Gaagii frowned. “We don’t really know. From what we know of reports from other parts of the world, they started appearing everywhere just a few months ago. The origin seems to have started on Thalia maybe six months ago, but what caused it is anyone’s guess.”
Gaagii stood up, wrapping
his arms behind himself like a driven military leader and began pacing. “All I know is that once these things showed up, it’s been murder on our troops. We can’t touch em! But the Nagos seem to know more about them than we do.”
Scarhoof frowned at this one. “I told you they infiltrated the Kobold cave in Sunset Cove? The Nagos that escaped was using one of the shards to poison the water there, making all the docile Kobolds feral, presumably to attack us. I hate to say it, but their numbers, properly drugged under the influence of this shardwater would have been enough to take the cove.”
Mikasisse gasped at this, a mortified look on her face.
Gaagii shook his head. “It’s just terrible. And I’m afraid of what might happen to our troops, our race, if the Nagos learned to harness this power fully. We’ve tried experimenting on them, but the researchers simply aren’t able to make progress without harming themselves.”
Gaagii gave him a look that chilled Scarhoof to the bone. He knew what the Chieftain was driving toward. He wanted Scarhoof to assist with the experiments, possibly even be the test subject.
Quest Update! The Fight for the Eternal Plains:
After delivering the missive, Gaagii Bloodhorn, asks that you choose to stay in the Eternal Plains to help with the war. Meditate and come to a decision. (Gained 50 XP!)
He would do anything for his race but being experimented on did give him pause. Now was the time to think, meditate, pray, and sleep.
“If it’s okay, Chieftain, I would like to think about it overnight. I will give you my answer in the morning.”
Gaagii gave a firm smile. “Of course. I would never order anyone to do something they truly didn’t feel right about. If you wish to return to Sunset Cove in the morning, I will send you happily with supplies and new guards, but I may also send some researchers and ask you to continue from the Cove.”
“Understood, Sir.”
Mikasisse stood, rubbing her hands together. “Enough adult talk; I think we best get the Tau’ri to bed, and Scarhoof, I have a room ready for you.”
