Through the Wilderness

Wrote 2.1 — 1h12m52s — 2023/05/19

Worked some more on 2.1 — 37m23s — 2023/05/20

Worked some more on 2.1 — 1h18m30s — 2023/05/21

“What is it you’ve found?” the old man asked as they scavenged the abandoned blacksmith’s hut. “Is it a weapon?”

“Of sorts,” Lilyanah smiled as she packed the strange powder away.

“Is it better than this?” the old man held a dagger out to her.

“Perhaps,” she said as she took the offered knife, then showed him the powder. “The southerners use it to make their pistols work.”

The old man shook his head, “but we have no pistols.”

Lilyanah smiled. “There are always other uses for such things.”

“I never would have brought that back,” the old man smiled. “I am glad you insisted on scavenging instead of staying among the others.”

“And why would I stay in the slave pens, where everything is known to be useless, when I might find such as this?” Lilyanah replied, then stepped from the ramshackle hut. A shiver ran up her spine as she tried to ignore the ash drifting and spinning in the air of the ruined fort. “That’s a nice sword you found,” she added.

“This?” he beamed as he followed her into the open air. “Yes, I thought so myself!”

“It’s name is Haddie’s Revenge,” she told him.

“How do you know that?” the old man asked.

Lilyanah shrugged, “it told me.”

“Who’s Haddie?”

Lilyanah shrugged again.

“Why does it matter?” the old man continued.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “For some reason it wants us to know.”

“FIVE MINUTES TO MUSTER!” someone called in the distance—one of the Ministrians—summoning people to the south gate. There had been several such calls, so they knew their time was running short.

“Let’s get back to the others,” Lilyanah nodded. “Shall we be ready?”

The old man shrugged. “I do not see that we have any choice.”

Lilyanah and the rest of the free slaves—perhaps a hundred in all—gathered about a small gate in the southeast corner of the wall. They listened as the Ministrians charged from the south gate with a blast of their war horns. The bugbear raised the alarm and ran from the trample of a couple dozen war horses along with a few hundred armed men.

The line was broken. Ministrians surged through with hopes of making it all the way south to Rynth Falls.

And so it was time to go.

Cautiously, the released slaves poked open the gate and gazed out at the trees. They could hear bugbear rushing to the west and south—but the creatures were moving away from them—intent on engaging the escaping Ministrians. Slowly, they crept from the Invader’s Fort and started into the trees, heading east.

Brankellus began to howl his pain and Lilyanah flinched. Still inside the fort, the man that had forced her to seal his soul to black intentions cried to the sky in hopes that he might further distract any bugbear from noticing the escaping slaves. At the same time, the battle with the remaining Ministrians drifted south.

The slaves were well served by the harsh lessons of their captivity. They excelled at keeping quiet and eschewing attention. They crept along with just the briefest snatches of conversation, all kept to a whisper.

The cries of Brankellus turned to a rage, then shifted to exclamations of pain, before ending abruptly.

And then it was Wil that was screaming! “What are you waiting for!? KILL ME!” he screamed.

Intent on getting away, the slaves picked up the pace.

They crawled through the wood and were just about to clear the far corner of Camp Calderhal. Many thought they had evaded the bugbear altogether; but a troop of of the beasts noticed their silent passage, snuck up behind them, and attacked with darts and thrown weapons. Several slaves fell and panic drove the rest forward.

Near the middle, Lilyanah ran. She followed a path that dipped into a gulch where the trees and undergrowth squeezed in on them, before widening on the other side. Noticing the narrowing, Lilyanah stopped and pulled her powder from her belt. She grabbed a passing man that carried a torch and pulled him to the side, so the others could pass. “Get ready to throw your torch,” she told him.

Trusting her lead, he nodded.

As the last of the slaves scampered through the narrow—Lilyanah threw a fistful of powder at the rampaging beasts. “Now!” she called.

The old man threw the torch as the first of the bugbear poured through the narrow. With a blinding flash and a burst of heat, the powder ignited, then dropped. Several bugbear caught fire, along with the trees that bent over the narrow. The remaining bugbear pulled up short.

Lilyanah and her surprised neighbor ran after the others, having frustrated the bugbear pursuit.

But they did not get away cleanly. The slaves were malnourished and slow. Further along, the bugbear caught up to them. Many of the slaves crumbled and ran, though some fought with a grim determination born from a reeking mix of desperation and courage. A battle raged.

Despite their vigor, the slaves had little training and pitiful weapons. The battle was turning against them, so much so, that Lilyanah had to use her knife. Then, from the direction of the ruined camp, nearly a dozen armed men and several women charged into the remaining bugbear and turned the tide. A number of the bugbear died while the others fled, howling and threatening revenge.

For a long moment, these joiners stared after the defeated bugbear, grinning, rather happy with themselves. Pleased with themselves, they turned to notice a mass of frowning and prickly slaves.

“Well met,” a thin, tall Trohl held out his hand. “I’m Tehris.”

The slaves glared at him, including Lilyanah, for they suspected correctly that he was one of Kezodel’s men. Still, they were all far from home, with danger lurking—so Lilyanah took his hand and said. “We go east, as free people. If you would come with us, we will share the road.” Wanting to be away from the place, and suspecting safety in greater numbers, the joiners—which were mostly Ministrians—readily agreed to her terms. They turned and followed the former slaves as they all worked their way east.

It wasn’t an hour before they arrived at a small slow stream. Tehris turned and looked about the survivors. “Let us set some traps and false trails to retard our pursuers.” Several of the Ministrians agreed. “Who among you will help us?” Tehris asked the slaves. When no volunteers were immediate, he began to glare. “Will you not help save your own?!”

Lilyanah raised her hand, and others followed. The old man took her hand and lowered it. “Stay with the others,” he said. “I will go in your place.” Before long, there were a couple dozen volunteers.

Tehris turned to Lilyanah. “Take the others down stream until it connects to a proper river. You should find it maybe half a day from here. Once you find this river, follow it upstream and it will eventually lead you all the way to Lake Kundiliae,” he said. “As you go, walk in the water as long as you can, so it will disguise your scent and trail.”

“And you?” she asked.

“We will go straight across the river. We will set traps and ambushes to slow our enemy. With any luck, we will convince them it is not worth their trouble to follow us,” he said.

“How will you find us?”

“I know this area as well as anyone,” he answered. “Just follow the water as I said, and if we don’t see you tomorrow, we will find you the next day.”

Tomorrow, Tehris and a handful more find Lilyanah and her cadre of slaves heading up river. The old man is reported dead, and Cairn is now carrying Haddie’s Revenge. Unfortunately for Cairn, he is poisoned with the sweet rot. Lilyanah collects herbs and creates a salve that will slow its spread, but only for a few days. A day later, they catch a boat at the very edge of Lake Kundilae, and take it across the water. They arrive in Edgewater, where Tehris, Celt the surgeon, and all the Ministrians save Delonius and Cairn go their own way, while Lilyanah and the remaining refugees slowly wind their way to Hazle’s house. Once there, Cairn is treated and saved.

As the sun dropped beyond the western hills, they set camp and went to sleep, then woke before the sun.

On the second night, several bugbear attack. A couple guards are killed, and several more are injured, including a large man named Cairn.

Two of these were on the verge of death, and there was nothing to do but make them comfortable. One was sick with the rot; a large man named Cairn. A litter was made so they could drag him along, and Lilyanah gathered herbs as they marched, so she might slow the spread.

They proceeded east apace; propelled by the posibility of pursuit, and also the fact that many were suddenly free after a long captivity. Thankfully, there was no further sign of bugbear. They lacked any real food, but many were skilled at foraging, and the occasional rabbit was caught. After four days, they made it to the shore of Lake Kundilae.

Tehris gets them passage across the lake. Once they arrive in Edgewater, he leaves with most the Ministrians—though Cairn is taken to Halze’s house, and Delonius accompanies him.

“It’s your sword, we found it with you,” Liliyanah told him. “It’s name is Haddie’s Revenge.”

“How do you know that?” Cairn asked.

“It told me,” Lilyanah answered.

“Then pray tell,” Cairn continued. “What revenge would it Haddie?”

Lilyanah shrugged. “That is between you and the sword.”

Lilyanah finds Haddie’s Revenge as she is leaving Camp Calderhal. Several dozen manage to escape the bugbear. They make their way to Ebertin, where they search for Hazle. Delonias is among them.

Creigal and company travel through Untu lands on their way to Melmorahn. Roustich and Scurra make their intention to go into the blight known among the locals. Many volunteer to go with them, and by the time they reach Melmorahn, they have a small army following them.

Aim and Duboha go back to Ebertin. Duboha has sold his house by proxy, so when he gets back, he signs papers and buys another house. They investigate what has happened in their absence, and find that the Degorouth have a tentative hold on the city.

Through Squirrel and their other Pan Iskaer contacts, Duboha is invited to meet some of the Grey Sons. The Grey Sons confirm their suspicions about Solveny, and also tell them about Rynth Falls and the Ministrians operations in the western Bunderhilt. They also want to show Duboha and the Pan Iskaer leadership something in the tunnels near the lake. Indeed, they are quite nervous to even speak of strange developments concerning the naga. Duboha and Aim meet with several old men of esteem and position, then are finally introduced to Eikyale and emissaries from Beletrain that are hoping to establish a lasting peace. They claim to want peace as they believe a great evil is stirring in the world.

Doidge makes it to Danya, where he reports to the Holy Schrivnah. He tells of the sacking of Solveny and the attack on the Post’s Keep. Told that he can go to any post he wishes, Doidge asks to go to Kelm—where there are no wars.