Colonizing the Dark Continent (For Weiss Ritter)

[Xatarias]

(Strength contest: 11)


Agatha flails as you wrap your hands around her neck. She presses a thumb into your eye socket and you flinch away, perhaps tactically willing but instinctively unable to sacrifice your eye to maintain the grapple. The tables turn however when Agatha tries to maintain her advantage, grasping at your face. You feel a pair of fingers tear at the inside of your cheek and you twist your neck, biting down hard on the intruding digits. Your mouth fills with the metallic taste of hot blood.


The wind is knocked out of you as Agatha manages to bring her knee into your midriff. You roll away from the impact. Battered and bloody, you are able to rise into a crouching position, heartbeat hammering in your ears. Agatha, clutching her mangled hand, rises and begins to laugh hysterically.


"I didn't think you had it in you... Admit it, this struggle for dominance excites you. Your opponent wriggling under your fingertips... The taste of me on your tongue..."


(Insight roll: 19)


Only then do you realize that her manic bravado is a farce. Agatha inches back, her good hand dipping down to fiddle with the locking mechanism of a nearby cage. A desperate survey makes you aware of your new position. You landed near the grizzly workbench, rows of gleaming knives, scalpels, and shears within reach... 

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel's mind and body wrenched back as the assassin thrust her thumb into his eye. It was half tactical decision, half irresistible instinct. Choking Agatha a few moments more probably wasn't worth losing an eye over objectively, but even most professional soldiers would have struggled to willfully let their eye be gouged out. He...was definitely no hardened warrior to whom pain was an old and easily weather acquaintance.


The young man nearly choked on Agatha's blood as her knee thrust into his chest, knocking the air clean out of his lungs and sending him rolling across the hard floor. It was all Nathaniel could do to force himself back onto his feet, gasping and choking even as Agatha cackled madly. At first, he thought luck or insanity were the only reasons Agatha could fail to press her advantage and finish him here...then he saw her front for what it was. She was frightened of him. She didn't think she could take him alone.


...But she managed to open that cage door, it would all be over.


Nathaniel lunged for the workbench, first seizing the heaviest set of shears he could find and then twisting back around to hurl them straight at Agatha. Whether the blade or handle connected with her, it didn't matter. He just needed to stop her from opening that cage long enough to grab one of the knives and lunge back into the fray.

 

[Xatarias]

(Speed+Precision Contest: 28)


Time seems to slow as you seize the nearest implement. The gleaming shears aren't well balanced for throwing, but they have heft and the way the blades open when you fling them makes for a greater chance of injury on impact.


One of the scissor blades lodges into Agatha's shoulders, throwing her back against the cage. You seize a carving knife and charge forward, sinking the blade deep into the madwoman's breast. Her heart sends a spray of blood across your face.


A storm of psychic energy assails your mind. Images of Agatha's crimes, the killing of her fellow initiates to attain the favor of her teacher, her sadistic breaking of her hillfolk pets. Lies, manipulation, murder wash over you in an unholy baptism. It's almost too much for you to bear... Until Agatha's body begins to give out and the images fade. One last memory floats to the surface. A small girl crying at a windowsill as a cloaked figure fled to exit of courtyard bellow.


"Tell Ally... Tell her that I never forgave her for leaving me there."


Agatha's smile is the picture of cruelty as the light fades from her eyes. The hillfolk surrounding you let out a chorus of ear-splitting howls.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Gah!" Nathaniel cried out as Agatha's blood sprayed across his face and into his eyes. It was almost enough to make him reflexively pull back on its own, but the young man gritted his teeth and thrust and twisted the knife deeper still into the assassin's body. The adrenaline and bloodlust made him confident he could endure anything the dying woman could throw at him before she expired.


How wrong he was.


Nathaniel screamed again, louder still, as the memories flooded his mind. The nightmares that terrified the young man enough to rob him of several nights of sleep were nothing compared to this. All the worst bits of Agatha's life were pressed upon him in an instant. His mental defenses were raised but battered down beneath the dying woman's deluge that he could only just retain enough of his sense of self to "merely" observe the years of murder, manipulation, and torture transmitted to him in just a few moments.


By the time the light faded from Agatha's cruel gaze, Nathaniel was on his knees, held aloft only by clinging to the knife embedded deeply into assassin's breast. He felt numb and breathless, but not to the point where he couldn't sense the handful of tears trailing down his face. Finally, he rose with a pained grunt, wincing from the wound on his leg. The Avalonian seemed deaf to the howls of the broken Hillfolk surrounding him as he searched Agatha's corpse and his surroundings for the key to his manacles before halfway limping towards the exit.


He had won a great victory here. The Patron's trusted assassin, the woman who had terrorized even Alestra for years, was dead and her plans to pit the Squirrels and Hillfolk against each other had been dealt a serious blow. It still wouldn't be easy to end the conflict before it begun, but having this...place and Agatha's corpse as evidence of the plot against them would help a great deal. Hopefully. There was still the matter of his "replacement" and the Syndicate's  other plans for this continent, but at least now he knew what to expect and when.


...It just didn't feel like a victory. Agatha's mad smile and the parting "gift" of a memory she gave him haunted Nathaniel every step of his way out of the dungeon.

 

[Xatarias]

You begin the trek for the door, bullet wound throbbing. Luckily for your leg bones remain intact and the gash seems to be clotting on its own, however it still will demand treatment... And it hurts. Coming off the adrenaline high, simply walking takes a titanic effort. It's all you can do to not scream as you bind your leg with a scrap of linen you salvage.


Still, you can't stay here. One step at a time, you trudge towards the exits, battered and unclothed. Even well armed and supplied you are in no condition to be venturing out in the wilderness, but what choice do you have?


You take another step forward and then a second. Just when it seems like you are about to reach the stairs, the ground seems to rise up and your brain realizes miliseconds later that your are falling. Shell-shocked, your brain resigns itself to another round of pain...


But it doesn't come. Your head is cradled by something warm and calloused, your midriff propped up before the impending impact. Dazed, you glance blearily up to see a emaciated Hillfolk reaching through the bars of his cage to prop you up. He gently sets you on the ground before shambling back, staring at you with wary yellow eyes.


It's then that you notice. The howling has stopped. You get the unsettling feeling of the being the subject of some spectacle and look around to see every captive beastman staring at you. Their gazes are rage-filled no longer, but they still contain a measure of emptiness.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

His mixed feelings aside, Nathaniel thought he knew exactly what he needed to do next. Telai was most definitely free of Agatha's influence and likely unharmed. Alestra's mind had touched his own just a few moments ago. It probably wasn't going to be a challenge to get the help he needed. And need was exactly the word for it as the young man stumbled his way to the door, his wounded leg throbbing painfully every step of the way. He just needed to get outside, where Telai would easily be able to spot him if she could be guided to his location. After that...after that they could find some way to deal with the rest of the trek through the forest patrolled by a small army of murderous squirrel guerrillas.


...Nathaniel tried not to think too much about that point as he crept closer and closer to the door with labored breath. Finally his strength failed him and his wounded leg collapsed underneath him. H sucked in a breath and tensed, fully expecting a rough tumble to the floor.


It never came.


The young man blinked in clear shock as the furry arm pulled back into its cage. His eyes swept over each of the caged Hillfolk. Their rage was gone, or at least they were no longer capable of directing it towards him. But their eyes...were still empty. Devoid of any trace of life.


"...Gods..." Nathaniel sighed, leaning against the nearest cage's bars for support. Well, that was something else to add to his to-do list. Try to get the broken, but perhaps not irreversibly so, Hillfolk the help they needed. As far as he knew, Agatha hadn't had a chance to unleash them upon the squirrels in her attempt to engineer a race war between them, but could he be certain the Squirrel warriors would let them pass through the forest unmolested?


The young man took a breath and shut his eyes. He reached out with his consciousness, searching for any sign of Alestra's or Telai's while skimming what remained of the caged Hillfolks' minds. He wanted to be sure they were truly calm now and not likely to murder anyone they didn't potentially see as their new master before informing Telai and Alestra of what had transpired and just how much help he would need now.

 

[Xatarias]

You reach out your consciousness to the surrounding beastmen and they visibly flinch, unsure of your intentions. It becomes abundantly clear why they fear your abilities after a brief exploration. Their minds have been utterly brutalized, their intellects barred behind a cage of tripwires promising pain and suffering at the slightest disobedience. These creatures are like puppets chained to a punishing master. They retain the ability to think for themselves, but refrain for fear of brutal reprisal... Or perhaps they've simply forgotten how.


You begin to understand what Agatha meant by her methods being different from the Patron. There is no manipulation here, no masterful refabrication of emotions. Gently passing through their memories, you realize that these captives are the survivors of a cruel program of conditioning. You shudder at their experiences. The pain they endured, the actions they were forced to commit. Fear, anger, but mostly shame bleed into you.


Hillfolk are creatures whose society depends on fierce familial bonds, but surviving Agatha's treatment demanded the abandonment of principles of community and self-sacrifice. These individuals are survivors... And they hate themselves for it.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel flinched as he went through the captive Hillfolks' minds, their memories bleeding over into his. He knew that nothing he found there would be pleasant but even a first hand look at Agatha's madness and cruelty couldn't have fully prepared him for a complete examination of just what she had done to her prisoners. He tried to reassure them and remove whatever literal psychic fetters the assassin had placed upon them that he could without harming any of them before breaking off the mental link.


The young man slowly made his way from cage to cage, opening each. Agatha had been trying to unleash her horde upon him during the battle. If a key was required, surely he could have just looted it? Regardless, it would have inhumane to leave them locked up even minutes longer than necessary, and Agatha's conditioning ensure that he could deal with any threats or violence from the more crazed Hillfolk with just a few mental pushes...if it came to that.


Again, Nathaniel tried to reach out to Telai or Alestra as he worked and eventually tried to stumble his way back to the entrance, hopefully with the Hillfolk in tow. He wasn't eager to make even a short journey through the forest naked and with a very easily traceable group.

 

[Xatarias]

Gingerly searching Agatha's savaged body, you locate an iron skeleton key. One by one you unlock the cages and the hillfolk creep, some stumbling from their prison. For the most part they seem incredulous as you remove their psychic restraints. Vulnerable as they were, it would have been no trouble to scythe through their minds and end their misery. Trust seems utterly foreign to them and they pause as you stand amongst them as if suspecting a trick.


Even if you were in fighting condition, if this horde could effortlessly butcher you in moments. Suddenly logic catches up to your empathy, and tension makes the air feel very still.


One of the hillfolk growls threateningly at you, crouching. Then a hot, furry hide presses to your side. Then another. Soon there is a clear division with half a dozen hillfolk eyeing you with distrust and six staunchly standing beside you. An unspoken conversation crosses between the groups and you breath a sigh of relief when the seemingly vengeful pack bow their heads and pad up the stairs towards freedom.


The hillfolk that first came to your defense crouches down to your level to stare into your eyes. He then punctures his thumb with a sharp tooth and spreads a smear of blood across your forehead. He offers his forearm as you struggle up the stairs. The others slowly follow you into the light of a sunrise.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel tensed as one of the Hillfolk growled. Had he miscalculated? One of them had been lucid enough to catch him as he fell rather than eviscerate him while he was helpless and within claws' reach. Did the Hillfolks' hatred and bloodlust really run so deep that they would leap at the chance to kill the one who freed them from their tormentor? Was just killing them all with a flick of his mind while Agatha's psychic constructs bound them not only the simplest option, but the right one as well...?


Then the half of the group that wished to spare him closed ranks around him. Nathaniel exhaled a sigh of relief when their bloodshirsty counterparts finally bowed their heads and turned towards the stairs. Yet, there was a frown on his face even as he leaned against the Hillfolk that marked his forehead with his own blood. Once again: had he done the right thing here? Half the Hillfolk would have gleefully torn him limb from limb, and now those same, traumatized creatures were loose in the forest. Could even a dozen lives compare to what would happen if Agatha's plan succeeded even in her death? If even one of them descended upon a band of squirrel warriors for any reason like the savage beast the assassin wanted to frame them as?


It was too late to do anything but think about it now...which was of scant comfort to Nathaniel as he and the emaciated Hillfolk trudged up the stairway. The sun burned his eyes for at first, forcing him to halt and squint, yet he relaxed just a moment later. A faint laugh echoed through the forest and it took a moment for Nathaniel to realize it was his own. For a time, he wasn't sure if he would ever see another sunrise...at least not while free or truly himself. The life-giving rays reflecting through the morning dew of lush terrain was a sight that never failed to fill him with some sense of hope and wonder, but today...today he almost could have wept.

 

[Xatarias]

The Hillfolk are equally ecstatic if a bit more jubilant. They tear off to the stream, cleansing themselves almost reverently. One slips prompting a ruks of laughter from the others. Your attendant remains put at your side, however. He seems intent on not letting you get more than five paces from him.


As some time passes, you are disturbed to discover that save for their guttural antics, the Hillfolk remain mute. Perhaps their minds still need a period of adjusting, because they seem to understand you just fine and do their best to interact, in albeit subservient manner.


You are just about to reach out your consciousness in search for Alestra or Telai again when a voice calls out from further downstream. You turn and see a much relieved Telai sprint up towards you. Before you can do anything, the powerful woman wraps you in a tight embrace... Was telai?... Crying.


"You damnable fool, you went and got yourself shot... I...." She all but sobs into the top of your blood encrusted scalp, holding you tighter. The sleek amazon seems to have forgotten her promise to keep things professional. "I'm so sorry, Nathanial... I-I couldn't do anything and she... You're filthy. We should get you cleaned up."


She pauses looking over your head at the band of hillfolk mid-bathing session which now stare at you, perplexed. "Um... How... Who?..."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

The change that came over the Hillfolk as soon as they stepped into the light was so jarring that Nathaniel had to stop and stare for a long moment just to confirm he wasn't in some sort of walking dream. After seeing and feeling the horrors they had suffered through during their brief connection, he expected that it would take them lengthy healing and therapy sessions before they would be able to function like free beings again. They probably would still need both of those before they could have their lives back, but either the Hillfolk were made sterner stuff or Nathaniel was underestimating what the sapient mind was capable of. After all, for his own determination and the mental strength his willpower was able to bring to bear, it was hard to deny the life he lead was...sheltered in some ways.


"Telai! I-" The young man perked up and smiled faintly. Then the husky southerner pulled him into her arms, cutting off his words with a gasp. He actually struggled against her smothering embrace for a second or two before relaxing, his own arms tightening around her body in turn.


"Agatha's other prisoners," Nathaniel said as he gestured to the celebrating Hillfolk. "She wanted to break them down into mindless beasts to attack the squirrels and start a war between them. This...scratch on my leg is nothing compared to what that woman did to them,"


The young man glanced to his Hillfolk escort to make sure he had no issues with Telai usurping his impromptu duty...or risking the blood marking on his forehead being cleansed.


"I killed her, but she said something about a "replacement" for me arriving in a few weeks to ensure this continent is developed according to her employer's designs."

 

[Xatarias]

Your new oversized shadow makes no move to intercept Telai, respectfully observing your reunion.


Telai's emotional outburst seems to have calmed somewhat as you relate to her your recent trauma. She tries to keep a straight face, but you can detect equal parts contempt for Agatha and worry on your behalf. The façade evaporates when you continue, describing the Syndicates future plans for the Dark Continent.


"You mean more are coming here? What happens now that they failed to capture you?" She mutters something in her native tongue that you assume is some sort of curse. "With the forest folk in an uproar, the company will struggle dealing with a minor skirmish much less open warfare. We're not prepared for any of this, Nathanial."


She stoops to examine your bandaged leg.


"But that will have to wait. Let's get you cleaned up and take a look at this... I, erm... Also brought your clothes."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"I don't know..." Nathaniel sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm not even entirely sure how Agatha was keeping in contact with her master. If there is a limit to how far she could communicate with her powers, then we might me able to deceive or catch her reinforcements by surprise..."


Nathaniel's deep frown said it all. Those were two very uncertain advantages even if Alestra's expertise could clarify one way or another, and it probably wouldn't be enough. Telai was right about his expedition. Even if his would-be replacement arrived with a force "only" equipped to mop up the Hillfolk and squirrels once they had bled themselves dry, it would almost certainly be enough to outgun his team of scouts and mercenaries that were expected to secure maybe a few burgeoning industries and a minor trading port. 


"Hm?" The young man glanced back up at the Southerner. His thoughtful expression said it all. He just wasn't capable of not pondering such matters. "Oh, thank you, Telai! I was worried you might have forgotten in your haste to rescue me. I mean, it would have been perfectly understandable and the right decision if the fight went poorly, but...ah...I'm babbling. Sorry. I have...a lot to consider now."

 

[Xatarias]

"You know, sir, most people would be still at the shock and horror phase right about now. No one would blame you for slowing down and- damn it, Nathanial would you just sit still and let me take a look at you?" Telai's frown would have rivaled even the most domineering mother hen. She gently presses you towards the stream, seating you on a boulder. "I understand that your plans need readjusting, but it's my job to keep you safe and... And you almost died. Let me make sure you're okay. For... For my sake."


The amazon's touch is surprisingly gentle as she washes the blood and grime caked to your flesh. She unwraps your jerry-rigged bandage with an appreciative whistle.


"A few more of these and you might attract the attention of a few Matriarch's daughters, " Her tone is teasing, but her smile is tight. "We'll need to clean this... And I'm afraid a few stitches are in order."


After cleansing the wound and applying a salve from your alchemical kit, Telai fetches needle and thread.


"You might want to brace yourself..."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel jumped a bit at Telai's suddenly sharp tone, but it did have the effect of making him freeze a moment later. Whatever protests he might have been able to muster withered away in an instant as the husky southerner glowered and pushed him toward the water. "Very well.."


His lips tightened and a similar tension spread throughout the young man's body, but Nathaniel's tone was no harsh or unkind. It just...wasn't like him to not think about anything. If he wasn't trying to come up with ideas to stop something like this from playing out all over again, then where else was his mind supposed to wonder? Back inside that depraved dungeon? The memories Agatha had forced upon him in her last, spiteful moments, or the ones he had skimmed from the dozen Hillfolk she tortured and violated?


"Oh good, more people for you to fight off on my behalf," Nathaniel managed to force a similarly tight smile right back at his lieutenant. With his wound cleaned, fully displayed, and the way Telai was eyeing it, he believed he knew enough about field medicine to know where this was going.


"You might want to pin my leg..." He flashed Telai a grimly amused look even as he gripped the boulder and sucked in a lungful of air to hold. The ivory tower scholar still had ways to go before he willingly weather pain like a hardened soldier despite his adventurous tendencies.

 

[Xatarias]

"You know, this isn't exactly how I pictured our next intimate encounter..., " Telai murmurs.


Any embarrassment you feel is quickly obliterated by the cruel sliver of steel Telai punches through the raw seam of flesh exposed by Agatha's bullet. When she pulls on the string you try to jerk your leg away, but Telai calmly, stoically holds you in place trying to comfort you with words as her hands bring about a fresh stab of pain with the next stitch.


Dimly past the hammering of your heart in your ears, you hear your hillfolk companions whine and snarl in concern. It's all you can do to reach out with your mind to calm them, try to make them understand the pain you were experiencing was from a healer's touch and not that of a sadistic torturer... Of course, it hurt just as bad.


Eventually, the cruel sensation dulls and Telai finishes the last stitch, knotting the string and cutting the excess with her teeth.


"There. All finished. And one of my better stitching jobs I do say so-"


Telai abruptly stops speaking and snatches her musket leaning against a nearby rock. Through the haze of discomfort, you force yourself to take in your surroundings...


Quiet as a whisper, dozens of squirrelmorph warriors leap to into view, perched in the canopy of the surrounding tree line. The stone tips of their spears and arrow glint menacingly in the morning sunlight. An eerie silence reigns, broken only by the errant sneeze of some unseen member of the warband. A figure drops silently to the ground and approaches, through his white war paint, you recognize him as the squirrelmorph that met you in the glade and directed you to the village. The individual Agatha referred to as  "scruffy".

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel almost let out a nervous chuckle, fully prepared to avert his gaze at Telai's gentle teasing, before a needle was not-so-gently thrust into his flesh. A rather undignified yelp echoed through the woods, embarrassing him at least as much as anything the southerner could have said.


Soon enough, though, the pain became more of a dull ache than a firey stab and none of the Hillfolk accidentally made things worse by tearing Telai away from him while she was holding onto the needle. Things were staring to look up, at least in the short term. Perhaps a bit of a bath really was just what he needed after nearly suffering a fate worse than death. Some time to relax and try to think of anything except the small army of murderous squirrel-


Telai lunged for her musket as a small army of murderous squirrels sprang out of the forest.


Gods damn it.


"Did Agatha kill Brokenstream?" Nathaniel said and signed to "Scruffy". Agatha claimed the warchief could understand his country's tongue, but wasn't willing to take even a tiny risk that his rudimentary grasp of their sign language might lead to a translation.


If "Scruffy" responded in a manner that implied pointing him towards Agatha's bloody corpse wouldn't get him turned into a human arrow quiver, Nathaniel would have promptly followed up by directing the squirrelmorph to the mad woman's liberated dungeon.

 

[Xatarias]

The war chief nods to a pair of his followers and the squirrels descend into Agatha's lair. A few moments later they return, bearing tight expressions. They sign quickly to their leader who stiffens as they relate what they have seen. Frustratingly, they cover their hands with bushy tails, concealing their conversation from your perceptive gaze.


"Scruffy" turns to you and signs: Brokenstream's death has been avenged and I must face the dishonor that justice was not meted out by my spear... This will make things difficult at the home tree. You and I have much to discuss.


He strides to a distant boulder and leaps effortlessly up. Sitting down crosslegged, he gestures the space across from him, clearly intending you to treat with him. His perch forces you to scramble up in full view of his warriors and you have to wonder if the small discourtesy was not intentional. The war chief's standoffish demeanor has not lessened an inch since you last met him, but there is something else in his pantomimed speech... Grudging respect certainly, but more pronounced is an air of thinly concealed ambition.


The greatness of the tribe was achieved through the vision of one. In his old age, Brokenstream ceded power to many different corners and in the wake of his death we are... Fractured. I wish to preserve the peace of unity.


You don't doubt who he has in mind for the executive position.


You have done us a service in killing the human priest. Great enough that it assures me of your worthiness as an... Ally. He looks like he sat on a pinecone with that last statement. We also share common cause. I have need of added influence among my people, and your own tribe has ignited in conflict. Alone, our future is uncertain. But together... With your weapons, my warriors can bring your enemies to heel and I can ensure that your trade agreements with Brokenstream are fulfilled.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel tried to conceal the apprehension he felt as the squirrels locked he and Telai out of the loop. So, their tails basically allowed them to have conversations behind closed doors at any given moment? Frustrating as it was, he had to concede that was a good trick.


The young man's gaze grew cold and his jaw tight as "Scruffy" gestured for him to join the squirrlmorph atop the boulder. For someone with a freshly stitched up leg, the gesture definitely seemed intentional and certainly more than a slight inconvenience. Nathaniel tried to slip his pants back on at the very least, to safeguard his wounded flesh as much as what he could of his dignity as he slowly climbed up the side of the boulder and sat across from the warchief.


The squirrel's demeanor was standoffish, but Nathaniel's own would have done little to put him at ease. His gaze remained hard and analytical. It was the sort of look usually reserved for when one wished to gauge the quality of a weapon or some other essentially but certainly unliving tool rather than a sapient being.


Right now, the warchief was definitely more the former than the latter to the Avalonian.


Before all of this conflict with Agatha and the syndicate, Nathaniel probably would have tried to minimize the authority this xenophobic warchief wielded among his clan as much as possible. In the long term, nothing good seemed likely to come of putting "Scruffy" in a position of power, and certainly not when he would be poised to become a hero among his people by triumphing over a horde of evil furless invaders, even if it was with the help of a handful of token good humans.


Unfortunately, the squirrel wasn't wrong about their predicament.


Anything from a battalion to an outright army intent on claiming this entire continent for its secret masters was on its way if Agatha was to be believed. They needed a force of their own, didn't have much time for political games, and as an outsider whose only means of influencing the tribe was the trade agreement he managed to carve out, Nathaniel didn't feel terribly confident in his ability to quickly and decisively resolve the squirrels' leadership crisis quickly and decisively.


...Then again, so much was uncertain. Syndicate-backed or not, could Nathaniel really condone any plan that involved the mass slaughter of his countrymen? Or even "mere" mercenaries who might have been briefed about a continent filled with brutal, war-mongering savages? It was enough to make him shift uneasily once "Scruffy" finished signing his piece.


You know of Agatha's plan, then? Or how she was communicating with her allies? Nathaniel signed, speaking when his knowledge of the squirrel language failed him. I don't know how you expect me to influence your people before Agatha's reinforcements arrive, and I'm unsure if the weapons my expedition has will benefit your warriors as much as you think, but it would be in both our interests to help each other prepare as much as possible for their arrival. If they don't as much authority in my...tribe as I fear they might, I may be able to stop them from threatening your people. If not...whether you honor those trade agreements or not will be the least of our concerns.

 

[Xatarias]

Scruffy's pauses, eyes squinting as if trying to discern deceit on your part. With his next statement, it becomes abundantly clear that you both are not on the same page.


I refer to the nofurs that besiege the hometree your band was constructing outside of the human village. They are numerous and will no doubt overwhelm your warriors without reinforcements... Is this not why you went to the underdeep, to seek the sorceress's aid? His eyes narrow. I warn you that whatever promise she gave you, it should not be trusted. Do not dismiss my offer because you expect help from her quarter.


If what you say is true, then your situation is even more dire. You have one enemy at your hearth and another lurking in the canopy. You need allies, and I need to unite my tribe. You need not concern yourself with forestfolk council matters. Simply understand that my acquisition of nofur weaponry would... Elevate my standing.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel had to take a breath and gingerly rub his face for a moment or two before he could bring himself to respond. He hadn't forgotten the Lentani. Compared to almost incalculable and explicit threat Agatha and the syndicate represented, they and their enigmatic but probably profit-driven aims seemed minor by comparison. That was an illusion. From what he'd heard and observed so far, Cynthia was cunning and knowledgeable enough to give him a good run for his money in a clash of powerbases...except her's was indeed the significantly stronger at the moment.


Still...were they truly his enemy now? Agatha herself had "helpfully" recommended that he make an alliance with them against the native of the continent. Who was to say his would-be replacement wouldn't try the same, without dealing with the disadvantage of having "Brightland" for their last name? The Lentani most likely did have more to gain by opposing him one way or another but maybe, just maybe there was a potential rivalry between they and syndicate he could exploit? "Scruffy" was right that he couldn't afford to remain so uncertain about such a powerful potential threat.


The false priestess said her master has no desire to share this land with you, the Hillfolk, or anyone else. She wanted to break them- He gestured to Agatha's former prisoners. -down into savage beasts she could have attack your people until you declared war on the sorceress and her tribe. She told me that my "replacement" would be here in a few weeks, and that "drastic" action would be taken. Even if they are expecting you and the Hillfolk to be weakened by the time they arrive, that probably means many, many warriors much better armed than mine.


Nathaniel ceased signing for a moment, his expression grave. Hopefully, they were on the same page now.


I do need allies. I need your people to be united and strong. But I don't know if that will be enough. Can you work with the sorceress and her people?

 

[Xatarias]

Scruffy cocks his head, appraising you.


What the tribes of the underdeep decide is their own affair. Our peace has been tenuous. Cooperation... is too much to ask for. I'm sure they feel the same.


This prompts you to glance at your hillfolk entourage, many of which are bristling at the presence of the squirrel warriors. One tree dweller draws a little too close, prompting a growl from the individual that was so attached to you. Scruffy spreads his hands, drawing your attention again.


I wish to keep you nofurs relegated to the coast, and you wish to retain the power of your tribe. We share common cause, but only if trust is earned... The council is currently debating whether to fulfill the shipment of silk you brokered with Brokenstream. My vote is expected to cause a tie and force the issue until the next meeting. I can release to you the shipment as a sign of good faith, but I want additional terms just between you and I.


You know what's coming even before he says it. I require a stock of your nofur's firesticks along with ammunition and powder. You will educate us in the use of these weapons and we will help you regain control of the nofur village.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel frowned at the brief exchange between the liberated Hillfolk and the Forestfolk warrior. After the incident with the squirrel warriors Laughingwind had described to him, he could understand why the tree dwellers would be wary of Alestra's "children", but that alone didn't explain why the Hillfolk would be equally distrustful. There had to be more than this...perhaps other clashes?


Regardless, the point was made and he had more immediate concerns than his ravenous curiosity.


Scruffy's elaboration merely confirmed what Nathaniel had inferred: this bargain was firmly weighted in the warchief's favor. He wanted to get paid to wipe out one of the best armed group of "nofurs" with weapons and training that would ensure both his leadership of the tribe and that his warriors were in a much stronger position to dictate who could so much as enter their woods. Acquiring the silk promised to his expedition would be a boon, but in light of everything that had happened and stood to transpire, it was a minor one by Nathaniel's estimation.


Let me discuss with my warchief Nathaniel signed and then looked to the dusky southerner, motioning for her to join them atop the boulder. "Telai!


Assuming she was permitted to, Nathaniel would have hooked one arm over her shoulder and hunched over while turning both their bodies away from Scruffy and as many of his warriors who were in any position to observe their exchange as possible. He solemnly pointed to her musket and equally solemnly began to make nonsense gestures that might have been mistaken for an actual language. Then his mind reached out to touch Telai's as gently as possible, seeking to avoid startling her after her experience with Agatha.


Two could play at having a hidden conversation with their right hand soldier.


Nathaniel swiftly filled the towering woman in on the negotiation so far. Do we even have enough weapons and ammunition to spare to make such a deal in the first place? I'm wary of him, his plans, and of trying to wipe out the Lentani when they haven't made a move against us despite their superior position. Right now it sounds like close to half his tribe's leaders are at least willing to hear us out, but if the force Agatha implied does arrive to ravage the Forestfolk, it may strengthen his position anyway and make staying on tolerable terms necessary. But what do you think? Make it look like you're signing something back to me even if it's just a 'yes' or 'no'.

 

[Xatarias]

Telai shrugs. We've got quite a few pieces stashed away, not to mention whatever's up for grabs in Newport itself. The real problem becomes powder. Unless you know of a saltpeter mine somewhere, we're entirely dependent of shipments from the old world. We had enough stashed away for our company to last awhile, but it wouldn't be enough for more than an engagement or two if you were looking to supply an entire war band... I don't know Nathanial, our new intelligence is coming directly from the guy you're looking to bargain with. He has all the leverage so long as we're in the dark.


She mimes a few convincing gestures while thinking this. Scruffy taps his paw impatiently.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Well, so much for using a lack of supplies as an excuse to avoid this deal...then again, claiming weakness probably wasn't the best tactic to employ with such an aggressive leader who would happily see every member of the human species confined to the barren coast if not expunged from the continent entirely.


It seemed he and Telai were in tentative agreement, or at least not completely at odds. Whether it was business or diplomacy, you never wanted to negotiate from a position of ignorance or weakness. At best, you'd strike a sub-optimal bargain. At worst, your "friend" would fleece you blind. With the uncertainty of the threat the Lentani posed and Alestra and the Hillfolk nominally on his side, Nathaniel definitely feel so desperate that he couldn't wait for a better time to negotiate.


Agreed. I don't think it's worth it. Not yet. He broke the huddle with Telai to sign back to the warchief.I don't feel comfortable interfering in your tribe's internal affairs for an alliance against rivals who have yet to attack or directly threaten me. If the false priestess's threat comes to pass, I will aid your people, but for now I know too little to make such large commitments.

 

[Xatarias]

Scruffy certainly looks less than pleased, clearly reevaluating his position.


By all means, see for yourself what trouble has befallen you. But I am as reluctant to extend this duration of this offer as you are to accept it. Times are changing rapidly and we must all be ready to adapt. Hopefully our respective situations will allow for future cooperation... But don't count on it. He turns to leave, then signs over his shoulder almost like an afterthought. I'll be sure to mention your need for deliberation to the council. They might even mistake it for wisdom.


He flicks his tail dismissively and leaps into the treetops, bounding away out of sight. His warriors are soon to follow, the more brazen individuals parting with hostile looks towards your bestial companions.


Telai exhales, "Well he certainly hasn't gotten more trusting since we last saw him. I think you made the right call. Arming his cohorts is an unneeded complication in this tangled mess. Speaking of which." She jerks a thumb at the six hillfolk behind her. "What do we do with this lot?"

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel frowned as Scruffy and his warriors melted back into the woods. Trouble that had befallen him? After coming quite close to extorting him for military aid against the Lentani? Oh gods...


The young man bristled as Telai spoke but nodded in agreement. Even if the worst had truly come to pass while he and his lieutenant were away on this adventure of theirs, giving the warchief what he wanted would almost certainly guaranteed an end to any meaningful effort to see what this continent had to offer. Whatever the Lentani might have done, he would deal with it without paying such a terrible price. His family and entrusted this venture to him for a reason, and he'd weathered everything this pace had thrown at him so far.


"Let me ask them," Nathaniel stood and carefully lowered himself off the boulder, favoring his wounded leg. He approached the assembled group of Hillfolk, speaking both verbally and mentally in case Agatha hadn't bothered to ensure her feral "pets" could understand their language. "My lieutenant and I will be returning to our base on the coast. It may be dangerous, possibly overrun by an enemy of my clan. Do you wish to accompany us or return to your tribe?"


It would be a terrible thing to free the tormented Hillfolk from Agatha's control only to turn around and wind up using them as footsoldiers in what might be a small war if the Lentani truly had moved against Newport. He could only speculate on how simultaneously heartwarming and heart-wrenching their reunion with their people would be, given that Agatha had worked to systematically destroy the familial bonds and warmth that formed the foundation of the Hillfolks' society. On the other hand, a squad of the burly warriors kept in prime killing condition would probably be a useful thing to have backing him if they decided they could stomach that sort of thing and were reluctant to face their people again so soon or felt enough of a sense of obligation towards their liberator.

 

[Xatarias]

The hillfolk that first came to your aid looks at you silently. Having washed of the filth of Agatha's dungeon, his pelt gleams dully. You now notice its oddly golden hue, something you have not seen in all of the usually russet-colored specimens so far. The others are equally mute, leaving you slightly unsettled. It is only after you communicate with your mind that they are able to partake in the dialogue.


A clinking draws your gaze to the golden Hillfolk's paw-like hands. A massive length of iron chain is coiled around the creature's bulging arm. Perhaps a trophy representing his liberation, but from the way he handles the cruel piece of metal, you know it could very well function as a weapon.


Touching minds with him, you don't so much exchange words as you do feelings. The first conclusion you draw from the interaction is that none of these Hillfolk are of Alestra's family. Their lives were simple before Agatha ripped them from their dens and family. Agatha chained them to her, body and soul... And it seems that you have inherited the link. Each one of them is tethered to you with a thread of consciousness that you can't seem to break. Pulling at the delicate connection causes the group of beastmen to flinch and you to double over in pain...


Was this what Alestra meant when she "tamed" the warring hillfolk clans? You certainly feel a deep connection to these individuals- no more than that. It's as if your intellect maintains a delicate balancing act within the hillfolk, tempering their aggression and bringing out their better natures. Beyond the fragile barrier sheltering their sanity, you can feel a darkness swirling.


When you manage to convey the offer of separation, they grow agitated, fearful even. The golden one approaches and places a massive thumb on your forehead, exactly where his blood had stained your skin. You feel lost in his amber gaze for a moment. It's then when you realize that they won't leave unless forced.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel blinked in surprise when he realized the origin of these Hillfolk. Had Agatha been on this continent even longer than he suspected, or were there more "wild" Hillfolk out there beyond Alestra's reach? He wasn't certain which explanation was more concerning.


Either way, the link between he and the liberated natives was even stronger than the great iron chain the golden furred one wore. Nathaniel's gasp of shock and pain echoed throughout the forest as he tugged against the mental bond, doubling over and stumbling forward enough that without Telai or something to balance off of he was in serious danger of tripping and tumbling.


The Avalonian was breathing heavily even as he worked to communicate his offer to them. They reacted about as well as he could have expected now that he was truly starting to understand what he had done by freeing them...and by letting that half-dozen strong band be loosed upon the forest.


"They have to come with us, Telai. It won't end well for any of us if we are separated," He spoke breathlessly and with gritted teeth. The frown Nathaniel wore spoke more loudly about how felt about this than any mere words could. There were logistics to consider even if everything was completely fine at Newport. Where would these Hillfolk live? Could they really be content living as alien strangers among his kind?