“A Fork in the Road” - A Tale of Heroes - Scene 81: Thissraelle

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Thissraelle had thought to rest in the back of the wagon as they traveled, hoping to restore a bit of her spent magical will, but the shaking and rocking of the wheels wouldn’t let her. Finally, she gave up and sat, braced, against the side of the wagon bed, just trying to keep herself steady as she flipped and slid from side to side. She imagined the kids getting bounced around and felt bad for them.  Suddenly with a jerk, the wagon stopped, and then rocked back a few inches. The creaking and rattling stopped, and all she could hear were the sounds of the forest birds and the horses nickering and stepping in place.

She crawled over the edge of the bed to look out between Antonerri and Granthurg. “What happened? Are we there?” She squinted out into the night, illuminated by the lanterns before the horses.  She saw the road ahead split off into two directions.

“Which way?” She said

Granthurg shrugged. “I’m not sure. The horses seemed to know the way before, but now, they aren’t moving ahead, either.”

Antonerri asked, “Do we have that map?”

“No, it’s back at the cathedral. They wouldn’t let a book like that out of the house. Besides, the map wasn’t that detailed. It didn’t show every path or even every turn of this one.”

One of the horses shook its harness, as if it were asking for direction. It stamped back and forth a little, but didn’t pull to one side or the other. Antonerri stepped off the wagon and walked forward, unhitching one of the lanterns. He stood in the triangle of wheel ruts, inspecting them.

“None of them seem any more or less worn than any others.” He took a few strides in one direction, trying to shine the light up the path a bit further. Then he came back and scouted up the other a ways, his lantern light disappearing behind the trees.

“Can you try to reach out to Karendle and see where they are?” Granthurg asked

“I can.” She replied quietly. “Although I had been planning on saving my strength for the portal, or for the fight that follows.”

Antonerri came back into view, shrugging. He reattached the light. The wagon shook a bit as he lifted himself up by the toeboard and climbed back onto the bench.

Thissraelle leaned back and found a place in the center of the wagon bed to sit. She closed her eyes and focused. She reached down inside of herself and felt her will surging. With a push, she sent it outward, forward, like a shock wave of soft blue rippling away before her. Her awareness stretched out between the trees, over the ridges, past the brush. Then she sat, waiting, motionless, as Antonerri and Granthurg looked on, wondering.

A few moments later, she felt a small surge return back to her. It wasn’t forceful, but when it hit her, it snapped her eyes back open and her shoulders jerked. She pointed down the left fork.

“That way. It’s not far, now!”

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
Thank you: Chet Cox!

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“Reunited, For the Moment” - A Tale of Heroes - Scene 80: Eddiwarth

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Eddiwarth steeled his shoulder and threw himself at the door. It banged loudly and he bounced off of it like coins tossed against a wall. “Ow! That hurt!” They heard muffled cursing and children’s shrieks.

Karendle rolled her eyes. “Just blast it!”

He took a breath and pointed his hand at the door. With a loud crackle, bright lines of flashing electricity sparked between his fingers and the handle, shattering it into bits of metal and a thousand shards of wood. What remained spun inwards into the room. Instantly Karendle and DeFrantis ran into the darkness.

Eddiwarth could hear them as they stumbled, but the shroud of darkness hid everything. Karendle shouted, grunted, then he heard a crash. That would be the table, I’d bet. He heard a sword rapidly being drawn.

A man shouted, “What’s going on? Where are you?”

What do I do? I can’t see anything! He heard Kaendle’s voice shouting, “I’ve got one! You’re going down!”

Just as suddenly, the shroud of darkness dissipated into the shadows of the room, and he could suddenly see in the lanternlight. The table was upturned, and Karendle was struggling with one of the men. She was behind him, her arm around him in a choke hold. The other man stood by the downed table, swinging his sword in confusion. Just as Eddiwarth was about to react, he saw something flash in DeFrantis’ hand. The dagger! She ducked low, underneath the man’s flailing arm, and lunged upward, plunging the blade deep into the man’s chest. He gasped twice, then stumbled backward.

She hissed, “Stay away from my kids!” and pushed him down. He didn’t get up.

Karendle pulled tighter on the man’s neck as he thrashed on the floor, trying to dislodge her. He quickly succumbed to unconsciousness and Karendle shoved him aside. She looked up at Eddiwarth, “Thanks for the help!”

Eddiwarth was stunned and unsure what to say or do. The entire fight had just flashed past him like leaves in the wind. The crying children brought his attention to focus again.

DeFrantis spun around and rushed to kneel with the children. “Andrina, Marisee!” She swooped her arms to embrace them, and they lept into her arms. “DeFrantis! You’ve come!”

“It’s OK. It’s all going to be OK, now.” She held them each and stroked their hair as they sobbed and climbed over her. “I’m here now. I’m here.”

She leaned back and touched each one as she looked them over. “Where’s Leyonne? And Toolie?”

The oldest girl shrugged. “We don’t know. Someone took them away a few days ago!” DeFrantis dropped her head and reached around again to hold these five children close.

Eddiwarth and Karendle looked on at the scene before them. They glanced at each other, and that glance carried a loneliness, a sense of distance from their own parents.

A distant door slam and shouts shattered their reverie.

Eddiwarth ventured, “I thought this was a bit too easy.”

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
Thank you: Chet Cox!

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“Scrybabies” - A Tale of Heroes - Scene 79: Karendle

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“That’s right!” The tall man said, “You keep quiet and stop that crying!” Even hunched over, he towered over the small children huddled together on the pile of straw on the floor. His wrinkled and stubbly face was distorted into an angry scowl and his hair flopped down into his harsh and forceful eyes. The children cowered against the wall. Their shirts and faces were dirty, and the breeze through the window above them whisped their tangled hair.

The one that had been crying was trying hard not to burst out a second time. An older girl held him closer as he shook. She said, “We’ll be quiet!”  There were five of them, the oldest of which was the girl, with 10 winters at the most.

The man stood. “That’s better. Now get to sleeping!” He backed away from them and returned to his chair. It was a wobbly wooden assembly, next to a slightly sturdier table. The table held a lantern, well-lit, a sword in a sheath, and a few half-drunk tankards of ale. On the other side of the table sat another man, not as tall or broad-shouldered. He had a full beard and and a rag tied tightly around his bald head. He grabbed some black and white knuckle bones off the table and rolled them between his hands.

“It’s my turn, right?”

The taller man sighed, “I’m not gonna toss lots all night. I’m not giving you any more of my money!” He grabbed his tankard and drew a long swallow.

The other man ignored him and tossed the bones from his palms. They rattled across the tabletop and came to rest. “That’s three! The smaller man shouted. “I win again!”

Next to the straw that the children huddled on was another, smaller table, with a second lantern. It sat in the corner between two walls. In the second wall, next to the table, was a large, wooden door, with a latch and metal bands.

Karendle leaned up against the other side of that door, her eyes closed, her mind focused. Tightly clutched in both hands, directly before her face was a glowing blue stone. “I see two men, sitting at a table.”

Eddiwarth stood directly behind her. He was not tall, but Karendle’s half-dwarven stature made him hover over her. “Good, good...”

“This is working!” She whispered, excited, “It’s working!”

“Yes, keep it down.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Now, project your mind’s eye further into the room. Turn it around. What else do you see?”

“Oh, by the Creator! I see them!”

DeFrantis stepped up behind them. “Who? Where are they?”

Eddiwarth shushed them.

Karendle whispered, “Four... No, five kids. They’re huddled on a straw mat across from the men.”

“Which ones? Who are they?”

“How should I know? Should I ask them their names?”

“Quiet!”

They all looked at each other for a moment. Finally, DeFrantis spoke. “You’re right. Let’s figure out how to take the men down.” She took a breath.

“We only have the one dagger for weapons, so we’ll have to use our power,” Eddiwarth noticed.

“Yes, but we don’t know what we’re up against, so we’ll have to be cautious using our will. I can fill the room with shadow. That will give us a few moments of surprise.” She looked at Eddiwarth. “If we need to, can you take down the door?” He nodded. “Karendle, you rush them. Grab for the sword.”

“Alright, then.” She held out her hand and focused her mind in the space beyond the door. She could feel the shadows swelling around her. They heard shouts from beyond the door.

“Let’s go!”

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
Thank you: Chet Cox!

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Start the whole story from the beginning. Start from where this current story arc begins. Start from where the current story part begins