RRPG Chapter 12: Back into the Woods

When Renate wakes up, the sun is already shining bright above the rooftops. The girl straightens immediately and just then remembers that she's no longer in the Hero's Party. She smiles, kneels by her bed and mutters a simple prayer of thanks for her comrades to Mirrianham, as well as a plea for both of her parties – former and current – to be safe. Then, she spends a sweet, short moment of time just for herself eating a modest, but tasty breakfast of three dried pears. She savours the moment and the fruit alike The girl dresses up in her usual attire for such warm days. It's not much and it hurts her a bit to leave her pretty, colorful dress in the closet, but in a thick forest like Bór Mchu it might get dirty and torn. And being a ragged orphan once more is not what Renate would fancy. Rudy and Georg are already prepared to leave when Renate leaves her room. All three have their backpacks fully stocked. There is no need to travel light, as they will go by cart provided by the Mayor. Georg will drive it; Renate and Rudy would have ample time to talk or simply rest. -Renate- Rudy looks at her with a hint of unease – there is a... custom in our party- he doesn't include the little detail that he thought this custom up this night. -About, well, a headpat before the start of a quest. For... luck, I guess? Renate tilts her head with curiosity and looks at him. The knight seems to be dumbfounded by her sweet innocence to the point of not having enough willpower to raise his hand. Before he gathers his resolve, though, Renate remembers that in the Hero's party, it was her who gave headpats to the little Oracle as well as to all the young refugees and slaves they protected or freed on their way. So, she stands on her tiptoes and gently, if with a little unease, pats Rudy's head. -Umm... Good luck, sir Rudy!- she smiles with a bright blush. {Rudy's additional Constitution check: difficulty level: high. Result: 5 (failed) Rudy gets a condition: acute renatosis} The knight feels his heart stopping for a moment, and then starting to beat again with speed yet unseen. He starts to feel dizzy. Did she... headpat him? -Um... Sir Rudy?- Renate looks at the knight with unese. -Did I do something wrong? -No, Renate- Georg stands by her, barely hiding his mirth. -He just... wanted to headpat you instead, I think- the boy chuckles. Renate's face goes red with a bright blush. -Sorry, sir Rudy!- the girl bites her lip nervously and looks at the knight, who is still reeling from the shock. Renate knows she has to act quickly. Not thinking too much, she takes Rudy's palm in her own hands, pulls it and places it on her own head. -Here, sir Rudy. Is it... better? The girl's hair feels impossibly soft under his touch, though the man hardly comprehends what is happening anymore. It is just what he wanted, isn't it? To pat her head... -Rudy! Hey, Rudy! -...yes?- the knight asks. He blinks. Where is he? Where are they? He surely couldn't get so lost in thoughts that his brain would just make him go on autopilot with whatever is happening... Surely not? His heart is still beating irregularly and his sight is hazy. And they are slowly closing to a forest. Rudy blinks once more. How much time has passed? Judging by the sun's position, possibly hours. He is riding inside a neat cart with some packages of goods inside. Something smells like flowers... Oh. It's Renate sitting just by his side, her clothes freshly cleaned. And she is looking at him exactly as if he just had stopped talking. -Sir Rudy?- the girl asks, looking slightly worried. -Oh, Renate!- he smiles uneasily, trying his best not to appear too confused. -What was I talking about, can you please remind me? I think I have delved into a digression a bit too much. -Oh, not really, sir! You were talking about the differences between swordfighting and spearfighting for... Two hours now, I think? Rudy takes a deep breath. It's far past the time to change the subject... So he asks Renate if he can help with whatever she's doing, which appears to be making simple sandwiches from bread, butter and cheese. The girl explains it's for the refugees they might find on the way. They have only one kitchen knife, but Rudy makes do with his misericorde. They all feel nervous long before arriving at their first destination, which is supposed to be a small hamlet not that far into the forest. Rudy and Georg do their best to watch out for any dangers hiding in the forest, but the foliage is so dense that they might have been dozing off just as well. Rudy knows that any ambush in such a place could be lethal – and that Georg needs a pat on the shoulder. He gives him just that. -It's okay- he smiles uneasily. Georg's face is tense, but he manages a weak smile too. The knight knows that Georg is surely having flashbacks from that fatal ambush he fell into with his detachmentm yet he's also the only one who could drive a cart. And just like that, they suddenly arrive at the clearing, large and bathed in sunlight. It's serene. So serene, for a moment Rudy thinks that the whole alarm might have been just an overreaction over strange rumors about old wives' tales and boogeymen. The huts are nice and clean and locals walk closer to meet them. Just upon seeing them up close the Protectors realize that they are not humans. -Are they... elves?- Georg is the first to ask the question loudly. -So it seems- Rudy nods, jumping out of the wagon and waving at the locals. Renate blinks. Their long, pointy ears, sleek frames and te unsetting fact that none of men posesses any facial hair is a dead giveaway, but up to now, she has seen only haughty, aristocratic elves, both luminous and dark, but nothing like this. Not elves who - despite being taller than her, having longer hair and even sleeker build, looked deceptively like her. -Hello!- an elven girl seemingly younger than her (though you never know with elves, Renate reminds herself), runs up to her and shakes her hand, then she welcomes Renate and starts a happy-go-lucky, casual chat. Just like Renate, she's wearing a rough pinafore dress and little more; her arms and feet are bare and she wears no jewelry, as unlikely as it sounds for an elf. Just like her, she seems accustomed to simple, even poor life. And yet, the elves seem to be in the middle of packing their belongings. Though the girl seems to always be in high spirits, even a short talk with the rest reveals that something is happening in the forests, even though those few families have, up until now, heard only rumors. They started packing, however, after another family living deeper in the forest drove through the hamlet half-mad the day before, screaming at them to run. -Run... From what? Do you know, good people... uh, elves?- Rudy scratches his head. The villagers look at each other in unease. -Well, I've seen a goblin a few days ago- a young elf, in all probabililty a hunter, mutters. -I scared him and it ran away. But there's never just one goblin, or so they say. -There are spiders in the forest- an elderly lady looks at the trio. -Ones as big as a wolf. I was lucky to see them before they saw me. Such things weren't seen in Bór Mchu for many years. And the last time they came here, there was a great sorcerer rising in the lands behind the forest! -And I've heard sounds- the oldest of them, a grey-haired elder, walks up to Rudy with a walking stick in his hand. -My eyes are no good anymore, but my ears can still hear. And no one, even after three hundred years, forgets the sounds of the Chittering Doom. The knight sighs. Yeah, Chittering Doom... Smokes and mirrors. Maybe dire rats. Nothing more. -Well, we can escort you- he smiles at them lightly. -We will just gather all other families living nearby... -Oh, no- all of the elves shake their heads. -We won't risk going deeper into he forest. And we advise you to do the same. -Those woods are no longer safe now that the Blue King's power is growing and the Cult of the Wyrm is rising. Bór Mchu was ever a beautiful place, but it lacks guardians- the elder looks at the party. -It can not defend itself. Until the darkness is defeated, the shadow will dwell here once it came to these woods. We are packing whatever we can, and will travel to Brightwood. That forest, though not as great and wild, is protected. -By the Dryads?- Georg asks. -They are... strange, but they healed my ear!- he smiles, then his face grows red after remembering the Dryads' way of healing. -Yes, and beings even more potent and ancient. Old Ents, and Branch-spirits, and, if the legends of my grandfathers are to be believed, creatures far greater. There we can hope to weather the storm that is approaching. And, forgive me, young people, but you three can't face the dangers of the woods alone. -Georg- Rudy looks at the boy. -A change of plans. Give me as much food as I can carry and take Renate back to Rittersdorf along with those villagers. And, if any monsters find you on the way, then make me and Renate proud of your prowess, young one!- Rudy pats him on the shoulder. -I'll be back tomorrow, maybe the next day- he waves his hand with a calm, collected smile of a professional mercenary. -No way in hell, old man. Don't play tricks with me!- Georg almost screams at him. -I'm not leaving you alone, you hear me? Do you think me a fool? If you're going to save the locals, then I'm with you. Rudy takes a step back. He isn't used to Georg being this fierce. -And... I'm going with you too, sir- Renate slowly walks up to them with slow, little steps, but her eyes stare right at Rudy. -I know I won't be of much help, but...- she clutches her hands into fists. -Of course you will- the knight smiles. -I just can't hold my own against you youngsters, you know?- he almost laughs. -But remember. No bravado. We do what we need and get out of here, preferrably with as many locals as possible. And let's hope that the Chittering Doom is the only evil lurking in those woods! Georg chuckles. Even Renate smiles. The elves don't. Rudy, Renate and Georg waste no time and move on. The path deeper into the forest is winding and branching and even with a map it's a feat not to lose the way. -Hey, what's going on?- Georg suddenly asks. Rudy looks at him and understands that the boy wasn't asking him, but the horse. Suddenly, the wind blows in his face and he feels it too. Smoke. -Quickly! Forward!- Rudy commands. There isn't enough place to turn back anyway. The next glade is silent. Even the flames of a burning hovel are slowly going out. -Anyone alive?- Rudy screams on the op of his lungs, loud enough for Renate and Georg to physically recoil. No one answers. -Stay here- the knight jumps from the cart and slowly walks to the burning ruins. Georg picks up his rifle and aims at the treeline beside him. The minutes pass as Rudy searches the close vicinity of the hut. -Nothing. No bodies, human or animal. It was deserted. -So... Why the fire?- Georg asks. -Someone left a candle lit? Rudy shakes his head and looks at the fields. There were edible plants there. The ripe ones were carefully picked, nowhere to be found. The unripe ones, though, lie scattered around, half-eaten, with marks of small teeth all around them. -This homestead was left by its occupants. Then, someone or something came here. Renate looks into the boys' eyes and knows they want to go deeper. Her doubts would just fuel their own uncertainty, hidden, but nowhere near well enough. Then, they all go back to the cart without a word. It's already late, but Rudy insists they should reach another glade, apparenly a larger one, before the dusk falls. CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE! a) And so, they go on, deeper into the Bór Mchu. The forest in the evening is getting darker and more ominous. They go on, though, helping each other through short words of encouragement. The next glade is not that far away. (possible checks: Charisma, Compassion, Melee Fighting, Resilience, Constitution) b) -No- Georg shakes his head. -Whatever made this mess could not have fled far away. We go hunting, old man! Deep into the forest! Are you with me? (possible checks: Survival Skills, Scouting, Stealth, Melee Fighting, Marksmanship, Resilience, Constitution) c) -Or... Honestly... We should go back- the knight sighs. -It seems the only thing we can do now is to make sure those families we met on our way are safe. Let's take them to Rittersdorf. Better to know how much we can do, and what we can not- he shakes his head. [RENATE'S RESOLVE: -3] (possible checks: Ruthlessness, Compassion, Constitution, Scouting, Eloquence) d) The trio looks up to the sky. The sun is slowly setting. If the map is not accurate or if the next glade has been burned, or, worse, if there is danger, then the party will be in huge peril. It's better to set camp here for a night, then continue in the morning. (possible checks: Intelligence, Compassion, Scouting, Constitution, Survival Skills, Melee Fighting, Marksmanship)