Scouting

I woke to the soft patter of rain on the small tarp above my head. I couldn't feel my left arm as it had been my pillow for the past few days. There was little space in my makeshift shelter, maybe a half dozen inches of space separated me from the angled tarp.

We'd stayed out far past the five days we'd intended to. Not because we wanted to of course. We were being hunted, at times we were the hunters, but. Our nerves were stretched. So I wasted not a moments time as I quickly crawled out from under the makeshift shelter. Several bushes surrounded were we had made camp. I looked around to see Kel and Shanri beginning to break down their shelters as quickly as possible.

I followed suit, quickly breaking it down and rolling it all together before shoving it to the bottom of my pack. I took the few bites worth of deer jerky Shanri handed out with a nod, after all. We hadn't expected to be so throughly chased. These bandits were different, obsessed with covering their tracks no doubt. They had to have been professional soldiers or mercenaries before the Sundering.

However, today would be different. We slowly left the bushes and began the day's trek, our destination was but a short distance away. The rain, on most occasions would not have been welcomed, but as we were covered in layers of dirt and grime, it was welcomed.

Naturally I'd already decided where to found the new village, but that was when we had stumbled across the raiders. That had been...

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Four days ago then.

I hefted my halberd higher on my shoulder as I saw the boulders coming into view. This is where we would make our stand. A small avalanche from higher in the mountains had caused a large portion of the mountainside to fall away. Kel had found this spot on our first day, as the boulders were in such a way as to form a small cave.

Kel looked back at the two of us and nodded, he held his spear ready while I readied my halberd. Shanri drew her dagger and look at the two of us nervously. Kel slowly crept forward careful not to make a noise. They could have been encamped in the small cave afterall.

When he was but a few feet away he paused and listened, he held up five fingers, but waggled two of them. I nodded and slowly began to creep to where Kel was. What he had told me through the simple hand gesture was that the was between three and five people in the cave.

My hands felt odd, holding the wet haft of the halberd. My stomach growled, I glanced at Kel apologetically. From where we were I could almost hear three, maybe four voices. They had a sharp undercurrent to them that made the words the spoke seem dangerous.

I crept forward until I was just outside the entrance. It was a good thing that the cave twisted a few times before one entered the main chamber, as I was wholly visible from where I stood.

"If we don't see them today we'll have to call it off." One grunted.

"No, can't let them get away, it'll ruin everything!" Another responded with an aggressive tone.

"In this weather? The tracks are getting harder to follow." Yet another said. "The storm is just beginning to set in."

"I don't care either way!" Another declared, "I'm going to take a piss!"

Kel handed me his spear and drew his dagger. A man appeared in the cave entrance, he gasps decent muscle and wore threadbare clothing much like ours. However he wore a leather chest piece and gauntlets. A stubble had yet to take full control of his chin and his eyes lazily looked about before he turned to the side and began to undo his trousers.

Kel did not waste a second, as when the bandit had turned he faced us and confusion, then surprise over took him. By the time he'd thought to call out Kel had slit his throat. However Kel's footing was not secure and he was unable to grab the man as he fell. The loud thud caused the conversation inside to pause breifly.

"What was that?"

"He's probably Just trying time scare us again."

"Just give his hide another whipping an he'll lay off it."

But by now we wanted them to come out, as they could only do so one at a time. So we gestured for Shanri to throw a rock. Which she did. It bounced off the wall with a loud clack. Before enrolling around on the ground.

"Huh, what was that?"

"Hey, go check it out. And see what's taking Jess so damn long." Kel and I stood on oposing side of the cave's entrance. As the next bandit poked his head out I swung my halberd down, bashing his skull in.

"Hey! What was that?" Metal rang as a sword was drawn from its scabbard. "Jess? Pel?" A few agonizing seconds of silence passed.

"This isn't funny Jess." Angry grumbling followed. This time two people were coming. We could tell by the odd pacing of the steps that we heard.

The blood of those that we'd slain had begun to pool around the cave's entrance, and that was what they saw first. A muffled curse then the one in front burst from the cave, sword held in front of him to ward away a blow. But this time I wasn't aiming for his head or chest. And the halberd took him off his feet, and left him void of a foot.

Kel leapt forward and plunged the spear downwards. However the next bandit chose that time to come hurtling out of the cave. He tackled Kel and they went sprawling down the hillside. The bandit on the ground squirmed and twisted. I was not going to leave a foe behind me. So I drove the spike of the halberd into his back, causing him the screech again. I turned to head down the hill but Shanri and Kel stood over the prone bandit.

Ding! You killed four bandits, after splitting the xp with the party, you receive 17xp!

We stripped the bandits of their valuables and their food, we feasted on the food they had left. Shanri passed around salves to ease the soreness in our limbs and we generally rested for an hour or so.

The bandits had about eighty denars between them, and we split it between us with Kel taking the coin left out. But perhaps more impressive were the three short swords, spear and pair of crossbows as well as about two and a half suits of leather amor scattered between them.

After we finished resting we pulled our packs on and set out again, with a much sprayer step this time. It may not have ended as we hoped, but the world was that little bit safer with those brigands no longer in it.

At least I knew where I would use the token. But first I'd see if anyone wished to join me.