"Did you hear about it?"
"Yeah. unbelievable. The newbies just managed to beat those veterans."
"You know what is the scary part? Don't touch that monster"
"She is not normal. So that is why the judge had banned that party from duels."
The morning is like that. Black Sheep's members feel uneasy and unpleasant. Afterall, one friend is being brought out for bad speculation, then next thing, people seem to look at them in fear and doubt rather than out of respect.
"Exterminating wolves in the south? Be careful and back in one piece." - The receptionist stamps.
The four head out to the south. On the road.
"So what to do with the spoils?" - Mawra looks around
"Well, after we beat them, hopefully their hides are intact since I am afraid that Tiary will break their bones, rendering them useless. Another thing is that, if any of us managed to capture one alive " - Polwil looks at Tiary - "or being scary enough to force one or two of them back to our town in control. After all, a tamer might reward us handsomely."
"Wolf hides can't be used for armor, they are only as good as rugs or decoration for nobles. I demand good meat." - Darvic checks his spear head
"It will be alright, if we can catch one or two hares, we can roast them freshly, my sweet Darvic" - Tiary plays with her mace.
As they walk, the greenery plays a song, the sun guides all beings and the fate continues their paths.
Of all sudden…
"Halt" - Polwil raises his hand as he whispers - "These tracks, wolves are not alone, we have something worse going on. A settlement, likely a goblin outpost"
"We should report to the guild of this" - Mawra readies her chants
"That would be too late, by the time we come back, the settlement will be moved elsewhere. The longer this goes, the worse" - Polwil stands tall
"What is the plan? We don't have a mean for a huge fire, a river to flood them nor near the mountain around here." - Mawra glares
"This is a risky move, we should aim for their important figures. Such as the shamans, witch doctors or the warlord" - Polwil picks up a pebble
"How are we gonna do it?" -Darvic frowns
"We have one major canon of ours here" - Polwil points at Tiary
"Me? But I am not very confident of my accuracy" - Tiary flusters
"It is alright, we will prepare you some sharp sticks to throw. Besides, you only need to hear my bellow, then you will throw it at their neck. This is not a large settlement but from the tracks, I can see one or two staves" - Polwil points at the circle holes
When Black Sheep arrive, they can see the settlement. Built in haste, with logs that haven't dried and weak security at the perimeter. There is a warlord sitting and eating such a hurried meal. A very clear sight for a throw. But something is out of ordinary, where are the shamans?
Tiary prays for her throw to be true and then
It hits. Right on the right eye, punctured through the brain. The settlement is in panic, without proper leadership, they step on each other's foot and weapons.
"It is now easier for extermination, we should cut them group by group. Do not let one escape. I think that the shamans are on the way to attack the town. But they are not capable of leading large groups." - Polwil readies his sling.
"What matters now is that we are going to have a long afternoon" - Mawra sighs
"At least, it is easier than working on wolf hides for whole day" - Darvic checks his spear
At dusk, the group settles in a cave. They bring some wood from the raid, Mawra doesn't know how to cast fire, Darvic is tired, Polwil creates fire with flint and steel from dried moss, Tiary sharpens the spear for Darvic.
"That is all of them huh? A few dozen and some loot. I lost count" - Darvic drinks water
"There were around 30 of them. And yet, they are quite annoying" - Mawra bites the dried meat
"We have some goods and the head of that warlord. Thankfully, this is a new warlord. If we let this go for weeks, who knows how many that thing can rally? I heard a story that an entire village was leveled down to dirt and rocks in one night by a goblin army led by a warlord." - Polwil shakes the warlord's head.
"I mean, Tiary carries all of the loot. A few iron tools and loads of boar hides. Those iron items are not from humans they seem. They are rather coming from either elves or lizard folks. We can sell them at the guild for fair price and a good diplomacy for our country" - Mawra smirks
"I hope that those souls are now at rest in heaven" -Tiary joins her hands.
"It is not like they are weak or cowards. They fought bravely and lost to those things" -Darvic grabs the spear -"First watch, go to sleep"
The three rest, Darvic is watching over stoically. The crackle sounds of the fire, the dancing light and the starless sky are their only companions in this wilderness aside from each other
Second watch…
"Hey, it is your turn, smart guy" - Darvic pokes Polwil with the foot of the spear.
"Alright, go to sleep. I will call at dawn. We shall march" - Polwil stands up.
Now, the winds sing a song. A song that no human can understand. Polwil continues the steps of the song without knowing its true meaning. Afterall, they are just flows of the air.
At dawn, a challenge awaits them at the village.