It was now the early hours of the next day, and the sun had only just appeared on the horizon. They had been sitting discussing plans and ideas most of the night; the plan had been to consider using the forests as ambush ground, if and when anything was sent from the town to the crags. The problem was that the rogue lizard making its home in the forest area would make it challenging for the town guard to move about easily. The last thing they wanted was to fall prey to it.
Everything had become a nervous waiting game; they could wait until they reached the meadow, but without understanding how large the force might be that could be sent to investigate once the rider didn't return, they were uncertain about how to proceed. SJ eventually came up with a viable solution.
"I will scout the town. I can stay hidden, and if and when anything happens, I will let Cristy know. It should still give you time to get in position to form something at least?" SJ said.
"Perhaps. Without knowing numbers, it still makes it difficult," Gary added. He was still recovering from the injuries he had sustained at the hands of the draconians, but was moving freely within the camp area, if not slower than his usual self.
"I think we should meet them head-on," Jay said. His massive orc form towers over those around him. No other in the guard equated to him in level of direct strength. His days as a brawler in the fight clubs of Asterfal had sealed his fighting prowess.
"It's too dangerous. It also depends on what they send. If they come on lizards or send scorpoids, there is little we can do against them without Aletheia or some plans in place," Darren said.
Everyone had their thoughts on what would be best. Lorna sat with her head in her hands as she mulled over everyone's comments. The discussion got a little heated at times as beings disagreed with each other.
"I'm still the only one who can safely scout the town," SJ said as she climbed to her feet.
"I agree," Lorna said, looking up.
"I will accompany you," Fas said. He was sitting slightly behind the leading group, listening but hadn't given any thought to the plans.
"No. I want you to stay here," SJ replied.
Fas frowned. "Why?"
"Selfish reasons," SJ said. "If all else fails, I would ask that you do, you know what."
That made Fas raise an eyebrow. "That would be a last stand reason."
"Yes, and if it comes down to it and there is nothing else we can do, it could save many lives. If you are behind the enemy and can't get back or see what they are doing..." SJ trailed off.
"I could always fly back anyway," Fas shrugged.
"I would still prefer you to stay here," SJ said, terrified about any more of her friends being injured. She had already witnessed enough hurt and pain to last her the 7000 years she was expected to live on Amathera potentially.
"I understand your concerns," Fas replied gently, "but I am the most adept at dealing with problems, and I also have a plan I wish to try."
It was SJ's turn to frown. "What plan? You haven't mentioned anything."
Fas sighed deeply. "Not here, no," he stated, looking around at everyone.
"Why not?" Lorna asked.
"I have my reasons," Fas replied. "SJ, come with me and I will explain, please?"
SJ shrugged. "Okay." As she followed Fas, a short distance from the group.
"What's the plan?" SJ asked.
"I'm going to infiltrate them," Fas said.
Among all the problems they had been facing, SJ had completely forgotten about Fas's standard abilities. He had only appeared in his elven and dragon form since arriving. "Gnolls or draconians?" SJ asked, feeling a sense of excitement at the opportunity for Fas to get inside their forces.
Fas scoffed. "Whatever I need at the time. I couldn't have attempted it at the inn as the ward would have been able to see through my disguise, but walking around the town should be easy enough."
"I see why you didn't wish to announce it to everyone."
"I'll head out now. I'll keep in touch."
"I'm going to go and scout soon anyway," SJ said as she turned back to the leading group, who were still discussing plans as Fas headed off into the forest. SJ had to remind herself how skilled at his profession he was, being able to take on the form of any beings he had met, and as long as he had heard them speak, could imitate most voices perfectly.
"Where's Fas gone?" Lorna asked as SJ returned.
SJ just smiled. "He has a plan, which I approved. I'm going to head out and scout."
Lorna scrunched her eyes as she tried to read SJ, who gave nothing away, eventually replying. "Okay. Let Cristy know what you discover."
"I will," SJ said as she shrank and took off.
The ability to fly in a direct path over the forest saved significant time, rather than following the winding path that cut through it from the town to the crags, and it didn't take SJ long, even at a steady pace, to reach the cornfields at the northern edge. She had been watching Fas's dot, and he was still approaching. SJ hadn't seen the lizard as she flew over the forest, but hadn't been following the main trail, and Darren had stated it had turned off it. She knew it had to be in a clearing and couldn't be in the forest itself as the trees were too close for it to travel through them.
As she flew over the cornfields, the first signs of activity began to stir. She looked at her cottage that sat overlooking the fields. It looked bleak, and the garden had been trampled, the pristine flower beds that the old chorister from the town maintained, upturned and destroyed. As she watched, a gnoll walked out of the cottage. Her anger flared at the sight of it as it walked down the garden path.
SJ immediately changed her direction and headed towards it. From the cottage, it was only a short distance before the main street started that ran through to the Hogling Arms, where the centre of the town's previous occupants had revolved. SJ's temper flared, her anger bubbling up as she neared. Without due consideration, as she saw red, she equipped her claws. The gnoll was strolling as though it didn't have a care in the world; its leather jerkin was undone and hanging open, and it carried several short javelins slung in a variant of a quiver across its back. It held no weapons in its hands and was whistling.
"What're you doing?" Dave asked.
'Killing,' SJ thought, as she approached. Her face was contorted in anger as she flew directly toward the gnoll. At any calmer time, she would have considered her behaviour and thought ahead, but not seeing this being leave her home, she swooped down directly towards its face.
The gnoll cried in pain as it was struck, its hands flailing upwards as she grew. It was stupid to have attacked from the front as she had, and before she had grown hardly at all, a large hand smacked her sideways, pulling her claws free as she tumbled to the ground.
"Well, that was downright stupid," Dave hissed.
SJ didn't reply as she jumped up, finished growing and threw herself at the gnoll. Her claws had caught it in its cheek just below its eye, and she knew that they would have caused damage, even in her miniature form. It held its face in its hands as it cried in pain. That was all the opening SJ needed as she reached her target, ending its life.
The gnoll fell to the ground, and SJ panted heavily. She had allowed her emotions to overtake her, and as she looked down at its now still form, she realised how stupid she had been. Thankfully, there hadn't been any other gnolls in the cottage or other enemies nearby, and she grabbed it as she moved the body around to the side of the cottage, before shrinking again. She daredn't look inside the cottage; she dreaded to think what state the gnoll had left it in. She only knew that when this was over, she would be replacing everything.
"If you ever do something so careless again, I am divorcing you," Dave huffed.
'We aren't married, so you can't,' SJ thought, knowing how reckless she had been.
"We have a civil partnership. We work together," Dave snarked back.
'I didn't know you cared about me that way,' SJ retorted.
"Oh, shut up, you know exactly what I mean. That was stupid behaviour."
'It worked, didn't it?' SJ huffed.
"Worked," Dave said in alarm. "You completely forgot all of your supposed class abilities and what you should do. If you are being that reckless, I might have to turn off the viewers and watch a film. I don't want to see you getting chopped up or stabbed to death."
'So you do care?'
"You know I care!" Dave shouted.
SJ's temper was lessening as she flew over the streets heading to the Hogling Arms.
'I'm sorry,' she thought.
"You mean it?" Dave asked.
'Yes. I will try not to be as careless again. I just saw red, that's all.'
"I know, but there is more than you at stake here," Dave sighed.
SJ didn't reply as she flew down, landing on the inn's roof. Fas was at the forest edge on the far side of the cornfields. She had spoken to him on route, and the Hogling Arms would be his first target. She watched as his dot flitted across the open ground and swiftly traversed the streets, before he came to a stop near the inn's rear garden. SJ moved to look down. The garden was clear, and the gnolls were probably not just staying in the inn, but the other buildings around the area. It had been a couple of days since their last assassination attempt, and she hoped that they might have relaxed enough not to have a shamanic trap as they had previously.
SJ watched as Fas hopped over the wall to the inn. It wasn't Fas, though; he was now a gnoll wearing a kaftan identical to what many of them wore. SJ had no idea which of his previous targets he had based his appearance on as he walked towards the inn's rear doors, or whether they were still alive, which they very well could be. SJ watched as he went inside. The communication clip was open, and she could hear voices as gnolls barked or yipped at each other. It sounded as though there were several in the main area.
"Ale," a voice carried over the clip.
"Coming," a very weary Holly replied. SJ wondered if they were being forced to work through the night as well. It wasn't even breakfast time yet, and the gnolls were drinking ale already.
SJ heard Fas pull a chair out and sit down as voices came over the clip. She didn't know if Fas could speak gnoll and hadn't even asked. She heard his voice, in a rough common, ordering a drink. Holly's exhausted voice replied again.
It was strange hearing the gnoll conversations that Fas could overhear. They were talking about things which to her sounded nonsensical and every day, but it was obvious from them that they were in no way used to any form of luxury. There was a barking sound, and SJ heard a fist thump on a table.
"What are you doing in here, scum?" the voice said.
SJ's nerves flared.
"Oi. I'm speaking to you," it barked.
There was the sound of a chair scraping, and chaos ensued. SJ's heart was in her mouth as all she heard were cries and screams, and all she could assume was that Fas had started to attack. After several moments of realising what was happening, she took off and swooped down to the rear door. As she looked through a window, she could see the gnoll Fas had changed into, pulling his blade from another gnoll's chest. SJ was about to enter the inn when Fas came sprinting out of the door, back across the garden. Moments later, three other gnolls came charging out of the inn after him.
There was nothing SJ could really do to help as he jumped the wall and disappeared across the street into an alley before he triggered his Shadow Step. She flew back up to the roof and watched his dot move away and around the streets to the other side of the inn, away from where he had left. More gnolls had appeared in the garden, and SJ recognised one of them as one of the faction leaders. He barked orders as gnolls started to filter out into the streets.
"That idiot thinks he can send his pack to drink in our home," the faction leader spat. "Harisha, get Clarvish. We are going to pay that idiot a visit."
This was news to SJ's ears, and even if the incident had been by accident, it appeared Fas had just managed to cause an inter-faction dispute. She smiled to herself where she sat listening to the tirade of abuse the gnoll spat, before he turned around and stormed back into the inn. SJ flitted over to the far side, and after a lot of angry shouting, the faction leader walked out of the inn, fully armoured and carrying a very evil-looking scimitar as he and a group of twelve other gnolls started down the street.
Dave chuckled. "That was fortunate."
'I'm going to see what happens,' SJ thought as she took off and followed them through the streets.
"Are you okay?" SJ said over the clip.
"I'm good," Fas replied, a little short of breath. "I didn't realise different factions used the inn."
"I hadn't realised either," SJ said. "I'm just following their leader. I think he is going to the other faction."
"Hopefully, it will add to the chaos," Fas chuckled.
"What's your plan?" SJ asked.
"I think I will go and visit the draconians."
"Okay, be careful. Oh, could you speak gnoll? Did you understand what he was saying to you?"
"No. That's why I attacked. I thought if I replied in common, it would have just looked too suspicious anyway."
The faction leader and his group continued for a while before turning down a street where SJ noticed several of the buildings that appeared occupied. A couple of gnolls who had been sitting on the street stood up, and one ran inside a building as the group approached.
"Where is he?" the faction leader from the inn shouted furiously.
The gnoll that had been sitting outside was standing, its spear in its hands, not quite threatening the leader, but definitely not allowing him to access the building easily either.
Several moments passed before another gnoll SJ recognised as one of their leaders stepped from the building.
"What's the meaning of this, Parkilian?" it bellowed. It wore a red kaftan and carried a short staff. The emblem of a scorpoid on its chest.
"One of your pack has just killed three of mine, Jafira," Parkilian screamed at his opposition.
"What do you mean?" Jafira replied.
"What I said. One of your pack was in the inn, ordered a drink and when challenged, attacked and killed three of my pack." SJ could see the veins under Parkilian's fur pulsing. The gnolls he had brought with him had spread out across the street.
"Never! They know better than to ignore my rules. Never mind killing one of our kind," Jafira said.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Parkilian screamed, stepping forward.
Several other gnolls had come onto the street from other homes and were now moving behind their leader. The two groups faced off, weapons drawn, as the leaders argued. The arguing groups were only separated by a few feet, snarling at each other, spitting curses.
'So you're aware, I'm going to do something reckless,' SJ thought as she swooped down behind the step of a home nearby.
"What are you planning? Wait, no, you can't be serious," Dave said as SJ grew.
She was crouched, and before she even reached full size, her hand now held a throwing dart. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it hurtling towards the facing a group of gnolls before immediately shrinking as she did. The trajectory of her dart was true; her accuracy at throwing had improved so much with her Dexterity bonuses, and the gnoll was hit straight in its chest.
It screamed in pain, clutching its chest as SJ immediately took off. It wasn't dead, but...
As she rose back into the air, the screaming escalated as those next to the injured gnoll reacted, believing it had come from one of their opposition. They charged forward, those of the red scorpoid faction under Jafira's command.
"Kill them all," Jafira roared as he lifted his staff.
SJ's plan had been perfectly executed; with the throw of a single dart, she had managed to trigger a clan war.
Parkilian ran forward, swinging his scimitar at Jafira, blue sparks flying as it met with a mana shield. The fight was vicious, and SJ watched from the rooftop as it unfolded. Several of the gnolls lay dead or injured as more entered the fray from both factions. It continued for several minutes, Parkilian and Jarifa exchanging blows, staff vs blade, until a roar louder than any other broke above the fight.
Markisha, the draconian second in command, had arrived on her mount. The lizard bowled down the street, not slowing as it charged into the gnolls, snapping its jaws. Two gnolls were grasped as it passed, leaving one feebly moving where it was cast, while the other lay still. Parkilian and Jafira had immediately backed against the wall, along with several of their group.
Markisha didn't stop the charge until she reached the end of the street, where the crossroads allowed the lizard to turn around, and she came back again, slowing as she neared the group.
"What is going on here?" Markish screamed.
Both Parkilian and Jafira started to babble in broken common, trying to get their points across, until Markisha let out another scream of exasperation.
"Shut up, the pair of you," she snarled. "I suggest you order your clans to step back, and that you two accompany me. We are going to see the chief."
SJ saw the look of concern flash across Parkilian's face, while Jafira smirked. It was obvious which of the two believed they held better favour with the draconian chief.
"What was all the shouting?" Fas asked over the clip.
"I just continued what you started," SJ whispered as the two clan chiefs followed Markisha.