Participants
Dust of the Mountaintop, Feyora Steelhunter, Nebetah Rainsky, Jeska Fairfield, Aileia of Roam
Compiled and Edited by Dust of the Mountaintop
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“So, uh... Pretty quiet out here, huh?"
Dust of the Mountaintop, the tabaxi monk, hesitates for a second as he walked amongst the other fighters. Far away from town and in the middle of the wilderness, he had caught up to them on his feet while they rode on their horses. Several minutes after walking, the somber silence had invaded just about everyone except his mind. His yellow eyes look around him expectantly, until Feyora, the female orc, nods to him from a few feet ahead.
“It is,” she replies looking forward, scanning her surroundings. “Make sure to keep your guard up, Fluffers."
She then looks over her shoulder and greataxe twisting her body, and notices the tabaxi starting to limp. His tail and feet were dragging along the ground slightly, moving slower as he takes some nervous gulps down from his waterskin and drying off the water off of his lips. Their nearby human companion, wearing heavy armor and a cloak, also seems to notice this, looking at him in silent curiosity. She stops her horse and slides off of him quickly. The rest of the horses following suit.
“Here, Fluffers you can ride for a bit” she motions to her horse as she approaches.
“No, no, I'm fine! I can keep going!" He shortly stumbles over a tree branch, slowing down, his legs starting to show even more signs of fatigue.
“No,” Feyora stopped him with a glare, crossing her muscular arms and standing in front. “Get your ass up with Neb.”
She motions to the horse to her right with a nod as Dust groans in disappointment.
“Okay.”
Dust looks over to his left and sees Nebetah, the human who was looking at him, riding on top of another horse. He walks over to him while Feyora offers him her arm, and with a quick hop, holding a hand on Feyora’s shoulder, he gets on top. The blonde woman on the front leading the excursion looks back with a troubled look, and sighs softly.
“I fear we are too many.”
“It's too late for that Jeska,” Feyora replies, leading the horse for the pair by grabbing the reins.
“We've already come this far.”
“Is that an issue?” Dust asks, adjusting himself behind Nebetah as the group starts to move again
“We are at least prepared for an ambush” - She continues to comment.
As the group moves forward, the young pale tiefling, Aileia, looks at them with a blank expression. She then turns her gaze towards Jeska at the front.
“I can stay at the door if need be.”
“Door?” Dust interrupts, confused, turning to her.
“It's a manner of speech,” she replies, her stare still looking forward and cold. “Meaning I can stay back and keep guard when others go forward. Unless you want me to scout ahead."
He goes quiet. Looking at her with an anxious stare while his feline ears start to recede. There is sadness on his complexion as he looks back down on the horse’s back, attempting not to do much noise in the process.
“Uh, okay, no, no...” He stammers. “No I'm not gonna ask you for anything..."
Aileia sighs softly when she sees this, and makes her way closer with her horse pulling on the reins. “Get on with me.” She motions to for him with an arm while they continue to move.
“You sure?"
She nods curtly, “Kythes is a big guy, but too much weight on him can fatigue him.”
Dust proceeds to stands on the horse, balancing himself, and then jumping down. He jogs for a second towards Aileia’s spotted white horse, and with a jump, he climbs up. Once sitting behind her, he adjusts his position and looks up at her once more, tilting his head and whispering.
“Um... Hi there”
“Hi.” Her voice coolly, her body shaking slightly..
“Hey,” Dust places a gentle hand on her back while he balances his weight with the other. “Later, after this, you can talk to me if there’s something bothering you.”
Aileia nods slightly as she moves away from Nebetah and Feyora.
“Ok...” He whispers again, and then almost inaudible. “I love you.”
She lightly leans back into him in response. Meanwhile, as Nebetah rides behind Feyora, he notices her let out a sigh. He tilts over the horses neck and looks at her in interest.
“Tired?"
“No...” She speaks quietly. “Just feel like a garbage person.”
Nebetah stays quiet and watches over to the side where the tabaxi and tiefling were riding together, and over to the blonde woman riding at the front, leading the way.
“You're upset with me too?” The orc leading him speaks up.
“No,” The cleric replied. “I just don't know how to respond.”
“I let everyone down. I was going to leave...”
“That thought crossed my mind as well, recently... Then, I remembered everyone here. I decided to stay."
Dust gives Feyora a look as she nods to Nebetah, but then shakes his head lightly, looking down to the horse’s back once more.
“I hurt Kartos... And now I've hurt Aileia.. At least Sophia still loves you"
“Don't abandon everyone because of that.” Nebetah retorted. “You can still help people, and there's always a chance that things will come around between you three."
Feyora stares ahead in silence, gripping the reins tighter. “Maybe with Aileia... Kartos though... I fear I've lost my shot at a happily ever after... “
“I wish I could've done more to help, with him. Perhaps if I used more spells.”
“It's not your fault Neb... I am the one to blame for his current state, not you.”
Nebetah stays silent for a while, before speaking again. “Keep trying, Fey. Had I known anything of what was going on, I would still have performed the wedding between you... I could see the feelings you had for each other, in the way you talked.”
“You really believe that?"
“I do.”
Feyora continues to walk in a silent bit, seemingly lost in thought. “You're pretty good at your job, cleric.”
Nebetah places a single hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle pat. “And you are good at yours, Fey. I just wish we all could've met under better conditions, and not have to beat each other to grow stronger."
Feyora reaches her hand over to his, placing it on her right shoulder. “Me too Neb, me too.”
Jeska sniffs casually as the others continue riding.
“You know I'm honestly kind of surprised this many of you came along.”
“Why is that?” Neb looks back up.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Feyora arched an eyebrow. “We said we would last night”
Jeska laughs. “Oh come on now, you know why. We're outside of the majority of the protection afforded by the town of course.”
Nebetah and Feyora, failing to see the humor, just stare at her in confusion and shock, Nebetah moving his hand back up.
“...What?”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Feyora looked annoyed.
Jeska looks back. “What? Did you see something?”
“What are you saying?” Neb narrowed his eyes.
The blonde fighter waves a hand and shakes her head with a sigh. “Nevermind, likely more thallid watching over us. As for what I mean, you lot are all adventurers too, right?”
Feyora grunts. “We’ve been outside the city before Jeska.”
Suddenly, Nebetah pulls up on the reins from behind Feyora opening his eyes wide.
“You... Bitch. We could die out here.”
Feyora stops in her tracks. “What?!”
Jeska gently pulls on the reins, slowing down her horse to a stop. She turns in the saddle and looks over the group. “You all seriously don't know? If something is capable of besting us, without any healing or support, we're very capable of being slain once and for all.” She shrugs, almost nonchalantly. “Well until somebody performs a resurrection. Speaking of which! Whats everyones safe combination? We should trade notes.”
Jeska then snorts at the angry cleric, continuing to talk.
“How am I the bitch here? I am the one who told everybody that I'd be setting out, even leaving by myself. We can go back so you can write out your last will still. It'll only set us back a day."
Neb stares daggers at Jeska. “I have no intention of coming back out here.”
“Wait!”
Feyora looks around the group in sudden alarm. The others stare silently, unsure on how to react, while Jeska just seems to be surprised at their naïvety.
“Did the Dark Lords not give you lot any introduction or notice about the boundaries of the lands?”
“They did not,” Neb replies “not to me.”
“Nor me and I would imagine Dust and Aileia don’t know either.”
Jeska groans, “Oh wow, this'll be a nasty shocker then. Well tits, guess I'm the harbinger now.” She sighed, shoulders slumping. “Look... We're adventurers. This is literally what we do for fun. Or at least I'm an adventurer and this is what I've done for fun. I've slain a dragon. I've seen entirely new worlds. Are you so faint hearted that you'd deny yourself the chance to explore? To seek a thrill? To rescue a companion? To save a stranger's life?”
She takes off her helmet, a very clear sign of surprise and concern on her face. The group then looks to Nebetah who crosses his arms.
“I am not, apparently... But, that doesn't concern me in the slightest.”
“I mean,” Jeska resumes. “A benefit out this far is no randomly being sucked into a fight to the death or knock out at the whimsy of a faceless diabolical yet somehow dotting overlord."
“I’m heading back.” he retorts.
Feyora looks back to Neb in concern, then back to the other woman. “Jeska. None of claimed to be adventurers. And none of us have lived your thrilling life. You assumed we knew things about this place none of us would have thought to ask.”
“Exactly.” Nebetah added.
“I would have never put these three in danger if I had known this,” she motions to the others. “I would have made them stay back and just gone with you myself”
Jeska took a very deep breath before she spoke again. Taking a moment to think, to find her words. She then looks back to Nebetah.
“I called you a coward because you abandoned us once when things got a little dangerous. I saw my worst fears played out in front of me again and again and again that night and I still composed myself to fight. I went without my only reliable weapon and I continued to fight.”
Jeska then looks to Feyora.
“I tackled you at the beginning of your rage and you murdered me in cold blood on the blood sands. It took everything I had to take you cliffside during our second fight to get you over the edge long enough to get some sense in your head. You hurt me beyond words, but I am still travelling with you without spite and venom.”
Finally, she turns to Aileia. “You and Dust are young yet and unaware of the fullest dangers in the world. Your leaving I understand if you so choose. I'll even let you take Kalesha back.” She pats at her horse, before starting to dismount. There is steely look of conviction in her eyes as she lectures everyone.
“But I am going to be thrice damned by the Gods and all the lords of the Nine Hells if I abandon one of our own to some maniac. Life is danger. You can not live if you are never at risk of pain or hurt. You can never grow without adversity and rising to each challenge is what makes us better than who we were the moment before.”
She starts unpacking her gear from the saddle bags while everyone stares, placing them on her body gearing up as she speaks. Looking into the eyes of each and every fighter around her.
“I do not know this Eli, but I have every intention of helping his safe return and the end of the thallid presence. Because that is who I am. I am an adventurer and whether you believe it or not, that is why I am a hero. Because I will always sacrifice everything if it means helping those in need.”
Her green eyes almost seem to turn hazel as a fire burns behind them as she looked back. Once geared up and the horse unpacked, she pulls out a dagger and cut off an entire length of one of her braids. Determined, she walks over to where Aileia and Dust are, and hands the blond braid to Aileia.
“My safe combination is 4-3-8-2-8. I have Six Hundred Platinum in there. I pray you find someone to bring me back if I am not returned in a week.” She turns around and begins to walk away, facing away from the fighters. “You can be who you know you are in your hearts, or you can go back to the town. Ataaras and I never give in to a challenge and I'll not fall short of hers or my own expectations.”
Feyora turns to Neb and others and slides off Kythes and grabbing her things as well. She looks at Neb and Dust first. “This is an order to the two of you. Go home. Now. Take Aileia and get back safe. Jeska’s right about Eli. He needs help and Jeska and I will take care of this. I won’t watch her get herself killed and I won’t let a new fighter die either”
...To Be Continued
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