Record Author: Izyad Mishtan, Acolyte of Osiris
Location: Central Wilds
We had no further trouble that day, nor during the night. I and my fellows put up a two-person watch (on either end of the campsite) and rotated the duty during the night with each other.
The teamsters are not in the habit of having any guards at night whatsoever, which seems ridiculous and foolhardy in the extreme. When Fabro confronted Antoro about this lapse of sound thinking the man replied – “I have a guard dog that barks at beasts and scares them off.”
The guard dog is a fluffy little thing, no bigger than a wineskin. Its squeaky yip is not in the least threatening. How have these people lived unmolested for so many years? The grace of Osiris must watch over them...
The next day was quite boring. Not much wildlife or game to be seen. The monotony did not lessen our vigilance, however! After the orc scouts we ran into, we and the teamsters were quite diligent in their inspection of the terrain and horizon. But nothing was out of the ordinary and the day passed quietly.
The same can not be said for the night.
Nihani and I were on guard duty when a single blast from a T-cannon sounded in the darkness! This was obviously a prearranged signal, since the guttural battle cries of orcs suddenly rose up on all sides of the camp in response to it. Movement and activity throughout the camp was the near-instant result.
A brilliant flash lit up the night, blinding all those whose eyes were questing the darkness for the source of the noise. I learned later that the sudden appearance of light was due to a Vincha magic item called a T-flasher bomb. The orcs must have stolen it from someone else, since they lack the skill to make such a complex device.
Suddenly, two groups of orcs appeared, running down either end of the road towards our camp. Nihani leapt into the saddle of her glass-scorpion with a cry of her own and charged bravely towards the biggest orc that she saw. Sadly, the confusion of noise and sudden movement must have disoriented her beast, because it missed – it’s claw snaps too early, hit the orc’s helm like a gong, and bounced back to smack the beast on its own head.
Nihani did not take the mishap with good grace. “Bad, Francis! Bad!”
Who is Francis, you may wonder? Could it be that the name of her fearful pet monster is this trivial epithet? I found out later that this is indeed the truth. So. The name does not seem to suit the glass scorpion’s personality, but perhaps I am not privy to the… softer side of the beast?
Fabro shot at a solitary orc at the top of the hill. He hit! But the orc is merely wounded and ducked behind a rock.
I saw that Dhaja had jumped from his tent and he opened fire with his own T-hand cannon. Sparks lit up the rock that now sheltered the cowering orc that Fabro had located.
Antoro shouted from inside the Steam Cart, “Fools! Why must you have your target practice in the middle of the night? Really!”
Of all of those involved in this night battle, only Antoro was clueless to the danger we faced. His ignorance and lack of interest in the welfare of his men is amazing. Can it be that he is so self-absorbed that he lacks the wit to see how he must appear to others? It is possible, and I truly hope it is so, because otherwise I fear his callous attitude will not do him any favors when Osiris judges the weight of his heart...
Such thoughts came to me as I pondered event later, however. Let me return to my narrative of the battle.
The orc on top of the hill popped into sight from behind his cover and fired his own weapon at Fabro, lighting up the night with a small blue flicker of light. The attack was hastily aimed and Fabro seemed unhurt.
Another group of orcs crested the hill above us, firing their missile weapons as they came into sight. Orcish crossbows twanged and one of these orcs also had a T-hand cannon and it was used to good effect. A sharp crack and one of Antoro’s men screamed and fell to the ground.
The three charging orcs near the glass scorpion slammed into it and hacked at it in an attempt to kill the beast. The satisfied grunts of the brutish orcs indicated that their blows had struck home.
The other group of orcs were armed with longspears and they charged towards the teamsters struggling to escape from their bedrolls. The nearly helpless targets were too much for the orcs to resist and they jabbed viciously at the unarmed folk. The screams of wounded men and women soon rent the night air!
“Squeal for me, pinkie!” hooted one of the foul orcs. The rest only growled and roared like beasts as they jabbed their weapons at the helpless teamsters again and again.
Nihani’s scorpion attacked the orcs in front of it, lifting up the obvious leader of the band and snipping him in half. The lifeless orc corpse hit the ground in meaty chunks to cries of dismay from his fellows:
“Kraggak!”
“Oh, noes!”
“Opps!”
“That got to hurt bad.”
Nihani laughed, “Good work, Francis!”
Fabro moved slightly to shift to a new target and the night was rent by the sound of his T-hand cannon once again. Another orc was slammed to the ground as the bullet struck into the only part of him that was visible – his head. I was quite impressed with the Fabro’s accuracy and the deadliness of the customized weapon.
Dhaja fired his weapon at the orcs who were hurting the teamsters, but the shot missed and the orcs continued their foul melee. Screams of injuries and indignation were everywhere. It was chaos.
I ran to assist those who were being attacked by the fire and was rewarded by a spear thrust that almost killed me. I said a quick prayer to Osiris as I staggered. It was heard! My injuries were lessened to a level that I could endure.
Three of the orcs turned tail and ran from the unexpected resistance and power of Nihani and her pet. They were fellows who had seen their leader die and had no stomach for the glass scorpion’s wrath.
Unfortunately for them, Francis had other ideas. One of the orcs was snagged as it turned and the snapping of bones was distinct over the other noises of the fray.
Fabro pivoted once again and blasted another orc to the ground. Dhaja turned and fired his own T-hand cannon at the staggered orc and finished it off with a loud blast of fire.
The orcs that were not fleeing turned all of their attentions to the scorpion, either to gain vengeance for the downing of their leader or simply because they saw it as the biggest threat I do not know. So. They were orcs. I suppose I could be giving them too much credit – it is quite reasonable to assume that their choice of target was completely random.
In any event, the glass scorpion took a slice from a heavy sword and two crossbow bolts found chinks in the beast’s thick armor plates. It stood unsteadily on its legs, wobbling and reeling from the wounds. Nihani screamed in distress and concern for the beast.
I took aim at the offending orc, copying my own stance from Fabro’s example and pulled the trigger. Having practiced with the weapon I was not surprised at the blast or the force that resulted, the weapon bucked in my hands like a wild horse. Amazement! My aim was true and I had hit the orc in the shoulder! I shouted with glee at my success!
The damaged orc looked at me in shock, but not for long – Francis made short work of such a stationary target. Then it collapsed with the effort, limbs twitching in pain.
Fabro ran to get a better angle at one of the orcs still on the hilltop and fired. Return fire hit Fabro and he grunted with pain. He rolled behind a tree to gain some cover.
Dhaja was closest to the downed glass scorpion at this point in the battle. He ran to its side and a jet of vaporous glass coated the beast’s side. I watched with amazement as the injuries under the coating of glass were healed. This desert magic is quite unlike anything I have encountered previously.
I sighted my weapon on one of the orcs who were still trying to kill unarmed men, struggling to escape the confines of their bedrolls. To my disgrace, I must confess that my aim was less than true – I accidentally struck the man as he struggled to his feet. With a shout the man fell back to the ground.
You can not imagine my distress. My embarrassment. My fear that I had slain an innocent man.
I had assumed that such a powerful magic item would not allow me to harm one I did not wish it to, but alas! I understood with a sudden clarity that like all weapons, they rely on their wielder to do good or evil. I cursed my foolishness as I rushed over to stave off the man's death and heal the wounds I myself had inflicted.
Osiris be praised: I was in time!
I was heedless to all else during my rush to the wounded man's side. I learned after the battle that my well-trained companions reduced the orcs numbers at a prodigious rate and that the rest of the foul monsters fled back into the night.
This was little comfort to myself – wallowing in self-recriminations as I was. I do believe that the others found my shame to be a bit of a relief, or so I imagine from Dhaja's muttered comment: “Maybe now you will stop waving that thing around like a flag.”
Oh, regret! Remorse! How foolish I was to assume that the knowledge of this new form of magic would come easily! Of course, sacrifices must be made! Was I a child to have thought otherwise in my exuberance of the discovery itself or the ownership I had of but a single weapon? And what of those in my homeland? Would a single example of this Art help them in their trials? No. And I burned with the shame of my lack of foresight. I have never felt as low as I did at this moment.
I committed myself, at that instant, to gaining true skill before I would ever attack with that deadly magic weapon again... and mastery 'ere I should return home...
Chapter 1 < Chapter 7
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