It will certainly prove wiser to postphone your experiments, till your hair nerves lay peaceful. Thus you're to watch passively the rest of the company, focusing on Elév and Flax expecially, as they are the most noteworthy.
The rest of the villagers began to discuss moral dillemas brought by the influence of southerners, namely catsplosion, whatever those mean. Elév, having no interest in such topics, scurries to you instead.
"The sudden gust, surely that was your doing?" he inquires, and you nod in response.
"Just what was it you did it for?"
"Ey, I attempted to speed the party a bit." you explain yourself, and this seems to have amused the wolf.
"Your ideas are sound. But wind alone is insufficient." he states. "It won't carry our feet until they are lighter."
"Lighter?" you ask, somewhat surprised, as you have not considered such an option.
"Watch, I'll show you..."
The others have grown louder, and at a bad time, when the spell was to be explained. But you're afraid to speak up yourself, after all, they warned you not to.
"But lynx is not a cat, loggerhead!" Pik growls, his hair upright and gnashing teeth exposed, like when charging down the hilltop.
"Understand, with so many, you could harvest various resources! Picture this, selling cat claws in pouches, for thirty pieces copper each!" Esem babbles, conversely not at all heated, but all the more invested.
"Gods above, who is in need of cat claws?" Sas shakes his head, apparently doing just fine chatting with his comrades. "Pelts I'll grant, but what do you want to do with the rest? And besides, having more cats in settlement than actual settlers for sake of claw market, that's... Against the nature!"
"Maybe shamans could find them useful!" grunts Pik, settling down a deal, so you can only guess what was he so worked up about. "Blackhoof has that necklace thing..."
"Aaaaaand look at them, they're at it again!" Uzin whispers, but you catch his words. "Who knows what they're on about, better safe than sorry, I say!"
"Maybe it's cats too on their mind." proposes Esem.
"Or a secret conspiracy of the beast-kin." Uzin snarls. "Hey, wolf! Come here! Trot by my side, you will!"
"Fine, I'll do my part whenever you'll start." Elév barks, and runs off to heed the leader's command.
Despite the lesson being disrupted by pointless gossip, it cheered you up a notch. Hence, you proceed with the spell.
The wind shall be now your companion, gently nudging you forth.
The rest of the day you've strided, it was just upon the sun settling down, that Uzin gave the signal to stop, and proclaimed thusly:
"You did surprise me, lads! See, you can rock the leg swift when you want! Except you, Cegad, what was that wobble about?"
"Kibble did I wobble!" Flax protests. "I went as fast as I could, hop at times, to keep up with you madmen!"
"Anyways..." continues Uzin with a smile, a great and rare phenomenon to behold. "We could push throughout the night to reach our home, but we'll take the sleep well deserved! We are on time regardles..."
The campfire ritual went just like before: brand was set, rations handed out and watches assigned. This time, you would share yours with Olo, and Pik afterwards.
Today's experience granted you soft sleep and content mind. Fallen to slumber you have the first of all, if your memoried don't deceive, as maintaining the magic did quite exhaust you, but again, to have helped you associates, it was well worth the bliss.
Fast you flicker eyes back open, and dread before them! A tall, black mirage towering, branches sprouting from its head, it's the chieftain! What is he doing here?
Scouting the surroundings, you see they too appear very much warped. It must be a dream, hopefully...
When the picture got clearer, you could see the warlord's silent stare piercing forward, at you. Then he turns around, and walks off to the distance, other figures appearing beside him, the tribe.
They ventured through the ever white fields, then a wood has grown up from the ground, mighty pines marking your land. It was shifting then again.
Someone new has appeared, blocking their path.
A person of similar stature, but obscured by a thick, black smoke, leaving only his ghastly shape and a spear behind his back to be seen.
The tribe had halted, the women clumped together and the chieftain rallied his warrior. A fight was to take place, clearly.
The stranger raised his left hand, and a host of his own came to be from thin air.
Of many forms were these, some had antlers, some did not. Of many sizes they were too, and like one set off after your people.
The tribesmen tried to hold the line, but the gloomy beings surrounded them completely, and one after the other have the warriors disappeared within.
The chieftain himself rushed towards the stranger, but he dodged his strike, and resting his own spear, laid the left free hand onto him.
As with draining his breath from his maw, the chief has collapsed dead. The grim cloud surrounding the attacker has spread far and wide, and when it lifted...
The dark warrior was standing alone, on a plain full of bones, antlers and ash.
Then he faced you, and leapt forward, to claim your life as well.
Olo's hums broke you free of the vision, and likewise his hand, shaking with your shoulder. Relieved you were it is over, and wondered, what did it mean.
The dutiful guard pulled your arm some more, eager to lift you. Yet it was not the campfire you were to be taken to. When regaining your senses fully, you could hear the rest of the party, all awake.
"Oh, so he was asleep!" uttered Uzin, when you approached the lot.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" you question them, but nobody is paying much attention. That is suspicious, and prompts you to get closer.
When you dig through the circle of companions, you join their eyes gazing at a single spot. But there is nothing there.
"Excuse me, what is up?"
"You see, the wolf was sleeping there..." the leader explains, while you alarmed check around yourself.
"Right you are, where is he?"
"Must have run away, most likely during my watch."
"Oh..."
"We did see he could turn himself invisible." Esem reminds you, while examining the tracks, and perhaps for the first time you hear him speak serious. "He could have escaped anytime anyway!"
"Can you... Sense him, Blackhoof?" the leader asks you, and a change with him you hear too, comes over more as a plea than an order this time.
And you'll come to give an answer soon enough, you just have to concentrate....
"I cannot sense any trail. Either he did use magic, but a long time ago, or he concealed it... Somehow. I cannot say."
Uzin's face contorted back to its frowning, vicious self, and an exclaim was to be expected. Ultimately, he just sighed.
"Well, we tried. Did what we could. I shall inform the sorcerers myself... and... Let's forget about this accursed ordeal. Okay, back to sleep, it's your shift, Blackhoof. Have a good watch! Goodnight."
Now you assume your place by the fire, Olo resting opposite. The rest goes to resume their slumber.
When Flax passed around, with a smirk he dropped something in your lap, and inconspicuously carried on thereafter. This is admittedly puzzling, but the best course of action you calculate is to snatch the object before anyone takes notice, as your fellow watchman very likely could.
It's a tiny vial of blood. But you have no time to study it, it must be hidden, but where? You have no pockets nor packs, so for the time being, you'll have to sit on it. Your resolve was sufficiently quick, it seems no one is aware.
Olo is silent, as usual. You wouldn't probably talk to him right away anyway, as there is so much to ponder, happenning only this one night...
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Topic: Dwarf Fortress -Drawings- : Tales of the Deer Wizard (Read 169690 times)