| Zek'iel's Story - Introduction |
[Apr. 29th, 2002|10:18 am] |
Yesterday my companions and I went through a training session with the local mercenaries guild. We opted for small random encounters, because we tend to adventure just the three of us. (The guild really specializes in teaching standard formation fighting.) We had no idea what they'd throw at us, but judging by the scenario described, we figured it'd be some sort of animal or something.
We were given a packhorse, "supplies", and rattan weapons weighted like the ones we tend to use, led into a fenced-in enclosure outside of town, told that we were to pretend we were walking south along the mountains in the center of the continent, just before dark. We got prepared, decided on a plan of operation, and set out. The dwarf (Dagorock) and I would stick together with the packhorse and our scout would range ahead looking for trouble. We'd walk about fifteen minutes when Talael (the scout) silently appeared out of the foliage and said that he'd spotted suspicious tracks. We decided to find a campsite, thinking this test might involve a night attack.
The campsite we found was just over the next rise, a hundred paces or so ahead. It was a clearing about twelve paces across with a single tree near the middle. Dag' and I started to unload the horse and clear the undergrowth, Tal' set off to follow the tracks again and see if they were coming our way. We were in the process of making a campsite when we heard some limbs snapping in the forest off to the southeast.
I spotted a good defensible nearby between some trees that would keep us from being surrounded. Dagorock and I ran for it, leaving the horse loose - anything else would just make it a perfect target. We had barely made it to our chosen spot when we saw the creature burst through the trees and head straight for us. I recognized it, but I don't think they exist anymore, or at least I've never heard a first-hand description of one before. It was giant-kin, and with emphasis on the giant. Though seeing the dwarf next to it probably emphasized that a bit. It was easily two times taller than Tal, who I saw run out of the woods chasing it. But it was the club that stood out. It was probably the size of the dwarf.
I wasn't trying to, but my experience in magic has given me extensive experience with illusions and I could see that this was really just a man with stilts strapped to his legs inside a magic disguise. The illusion was good enough to let us know what we were up against though. I cried "Slumber" at the top of my voice but heard "Resisted" shouted back - must have been from one of the judges, probably invisible or with an inattention spell on himself. Rats. But I really should have known something that size wouldn't be controllable by a spell like that.
Turned out to be moot. The dwarf tossed an axe, bigger than I'd used to chop firewood (actually just a rattan imitation), toward it and scored a hit. The creature screamed in pain and charged. Unfortunately I was standing by the dwarf, so I dropped back a pace or two and waited for it to close. My companions were quick to join the battle and I saw Tal with an arrow aimed at the creature as Dagorock tossed another axe at it. This didn't kill it, but it evidently pissed it off because it came in hard, no attempts at defence, and slammed it's club into the dwarf. It would have been a killing blow, but the dwarf managed to evade nimbly. Lithe little bugger when he has to be, though you wouldn't know it from seeing him walk.
I found a vantage point on a fallen log a pace or two off to the side and shouted "Flame Jet", though really I just used a light jet spell, merely enough to point with. Good thing too, because I got a clear shot and managed to hold the jet steady - if it'd been real it would have been a killer. "Direct Hit," shouted the judge so I knew my shot had been counted. Just then Tal fired an arrow and it went right into (and through, with the creature being mostly illusion) its eye. "Half blinded," came the next call. We'd softened it up, but it was Dag who really hurt it. Even with a padded pick he gave it a tremendous blow and tossed it off to the side. I could see the man inside the illusion struggling to remain balanced before he returned his blow. The dwarf dodged again, probably because the creature was off-balance.
Tal was aiming again and I decided to follow up with another flame attack, the last one having been a good shot. This one I managed to hold right on its head for a full second, a mortal blow for anything smaller. The judge acknowledged another hit, but before I could jump away the club snaked out, as fast as I'd move a dagger, and came right for me. I blocked with an iron arm spell but the concussion, even padded, knocked me a few paces back. I dropped to my knees, but luckily didn't go down. Just then Dag took advantage of its lack of attention and stuck the pick deep into where its vitals would have been. Must have been a good blow because I heard "Dead," from the judge and the creature appeared to fall forward, nearly crushing the dwarf. Well, if not for Dag, Tal would have taken care of it. An arrow shot through its head on the way down.
A few seconds later after we'd made sure it was dead the judge said, "Clean kill - no wounds taken." We'd made it, perfectly too. I saw the actor crawl away from the illusion and run off, though it was hard to look at him, my eyes kept trying to slip away. Good spell.
The end to the test wasn't announced though, so we knew we weren't out of the woods, metaphorically speaking, yet.
We took a few minutes to collect ourselves. I got a bit dirty from my landing, so I cleaned up and got prepared for more action. I tossed the dead power-stones at my belt into my pouch and got my staff out. With the range of these creatures I'd certainly like the ability to hit them from farther back.
We dropped the ball on the next part though. Forgot to plan and when we suddenly heard what sounded like a herd of oxen charging through the undergrowth we all went our own ways. The dwarf went back to his defensive position and Tal sprinted for the lone tree, to use it as cover. I decided to stick with Tal. He's a good guy but nowhere near as capable at in-fighting as the dwarf. I went up into the tree, figuring the last thing I wanted was to be trapped on the ground.
From here it all happened pretty quickly. I didn't see all of what happened, but there were three creatures this time and they were on us before we could shout to each other to form up. Dagorock responded with a decisive axe throw, the kind I've seen him drop elk with when hunting, and the creature he hit didn't react except to roar in fury and head straight for him. The two left unfortunately came straight for Tal and myself. Tal got an arrow into the eye of one and I let go with a flash spell, for a brief instant the clearing was lit with the power of a small star and if I'd aimed it better, it might have blinded the creatures. As it was, the arrow had pulled their attention toward Tal and they only got a sideways view of the light. They stumbled briefly but continued their charge. I tried to pull their attention away from Tal by dropping an illusion of myself from the tree in front of them, but they seemed very single minded and ignored it for their chosen prey. This was going to get painful, quickly.
I cast a flight spell and got up above them, pretty well out of reach. I used the "flame" spell again but it was an awkward angle and I wasn't getting solid hits. I don't know if the judges counted them as being very effective. I tried to make the illusion on the ground move again but from this angle I could barely see it and who knows how effective it looked up close. I could see Tal on the ground, down. He made it up, but I don't think close fighting is his area. The dwarf was hopping on one foot in the distance - they must have ruled that'd he'd been hit and crippled. I missed a lot of the action there, because next time I looked he was down, playing dead, and Tal was being pushed back. I'd managed to hit my creature again and knock it down, but even if I could have stayed out of reach long enough it would have taken forever to kill it. When Tal took another great blow I called it off. "Stop," I yelled, "It's over." Immediately the creatures stopped attacking and slowly walked over to where I was landing. The dwarf got up and came over too.
We'd put up a good fight, but it was our own tactics, or lack of, that finished us. It's all about position and strength of defence. We divided our own forces and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. I hope the lesson sticks with them in the future though, when I try to teach them some tactics. Dwarves are loners and Tal tends to fight from a distance with his bow. Not a good combo to try to meld into a fighting force, but they're the companions I've got to work with. I'm really too hard on them... They're quite good at what they do and dependable when it counts. It's not their fault that they've never read old accounts of battle and studied military strategy the way I do.
Come to think of it, I don't even know if I've ever seen Dag read, except maybe the maker's mark on a keg of ale. Not really the bookish type.
---
We studied our mistakes at the guild and listened the judges describe the fight and tell us what we failed to do. Good experience but failing never really put anyone in a good mood; paying the small fortune they charged for training didn't help much either. Luckily Dag was easily cheered by ale. I don't really like taverns, but if we get a spot by the fire I can always read something so it's not a total loss.
Tal keeps trying to flirt with me. I'm not really up on full-blooded humans, but I think he's fairly attractive. Probably doesn't hear "No," very often, not often enough at any rate. He's charming though, for an ephemeral. They're always rutting, like goats in spring; it's like an obsession with them. Well, at least he keeps the discussion lively. Unlike those two Western mercenaries I hired for guards on that trip a few years back - they spoke common with such a thick accent it was a chore to get anything done. I played along for a bit though, before going back to my book. |
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