Set Bonus Ch 04

"We're gonna fuckin' die out here, aren't we?" Lanette grumbled quietly. The forest around them was pitch dark and eerily silent. It was more a statement than a question and she didn't really expect an answer. She got one anyway.

"Good chance. Vanolf growled. "Any of those gnolls catch our scent, we're dinner. And if the 'Lord Mayor..." The title came out more like a curse, "thought we could trust these adventurers he hired to get rid of 'em, he wouldn't a sent you out here to spy on 'em. Who knows what they'll do if they catch us."

"Mn." Lanette grunted her agreement and tightened her grip on the veteran guard's belt. It was too dark to keep track of him otherwise. "Thanks for... Volunteering to come with me. If I was alone out here, I'd be hiding in the first bush I found, probably pissing myself."

"Heh. That's why I pissed before I left the barracks." replied Vanolf. "I wasn't gonna let a rookie like you come out here on your own."

"You're a good man, Guardsman. You have nothing to fear from us. And the gnolls will be... occupied shortly."

"The fuck..!" Vanolf barked at the clear and unfamiliar voice in the darkness.

Lanette mostly bit back a shriek. She still let out an undignified squeal. "Wh-who goes?" she managed to stammer out.

There was a snap of fingers and a sudden light dazzled the two guards for an instant. "My name's Tenna." The voice replied. "One of the group hired to get rid of your gnoll problem. We've been tracking you, and the others sent me to warn you before the party starts."

Lanette blinked the spots out of her eyes to get a good look at the newcomer. She was a petite woman, lightly armored with an unfamiliar holy symbol hanging around her neck, marking her as a cleric. She held one arm above her head, magical light shining from her upraised thumb. Now able to see clearly, she released Vanolf's belt and raised her spear. "Ha-hands where I c-can see them!"

"Easy, Kid." Said Vanolf, still trying to blink his vision clear. "She don't have a weapon out, and she was polite enough to introduce herself." He wiped a hand over his eyes. "So what's the story, girl? Where are the furry bastards? And what are your and your pals gonna do about 'em?"

"The camp is less than a mile that way." Tenna frowned, gesturing over her shoulder. "And we're going to have to... kill them. Or at the very least, force them to flee the area. Lu, our soldier, is pretty sure its a raiding party. There are no children and very few females. They're here to loot and pillage. They will not coexist with any settlements nearby."

"Right." grumbled Vanolf. "So you're headin' back to town for back up then. Bet you don't get any."

"No, we're being paid to take care of them and we will." replied Tenna. "They sent me back to make sure you two don't end up as collateral damage."

The veteran guard scoffed. "Hmph, well thanks. But you guys will 'take care 'em'? Reports say there's twenty or thirty of the furry bastards."

"More like forty or fifty." returned Tenna. "And yes, we've got..." Her eyes flicked upwards and to the left, as if she was distracted by an errant thought. "Alright, brace yourselves. We're going to engage them. It's probably about to get loud."

"Engage them!?" hissed Lanette. "And there's fifty of them!? How many are in you party?!"

"Five, counting me." said Tenna, turning to face the camp. "But don't worry. They sent me back because I was..." She rolled her eyes, "the least 'tactically necessary'."

"Tactically--!" began Lanette, the expression on her face a mix of fury an confusion. "What in the hells--?"

She was cut off as the howling, cackling,and yipping rose from the direction Tenna had indicated. It sounded as though a great many monstrous creatures had just been roused. It was hard to read emotion in the bestial cacophony, but it sounded almost gleeful.

"Shit! That sounds like a fuck ton of howlers!" growled Vanolf, flinching and raising his spear. "If your friends we gonna try to take 'em by surprise, I think they're dead."

Tenna glanced back over her shoulder with a smirk. "Wait for it."

Suddenly several of the feral howls turned to strangled shrieks as the mood of the uproar seemed to shift. Then there was a low rumble as an orange glow became visible through the trees as many of the bestial voices cut off entirely. It became clear that the creatures making the racket were engaged in combat and from the sounds of things, losing very badly already.

"You... you said there's only four people?" stammered Lanette. "And fifty gnolls?"

"Well, three really." replied Tenna. "I'm here and Myx is strictly recon. And honestly, if Lunara kills more than a couple, we're doing it wrong."

The pair of guards shared a glance before staring at Tenna's back, their mouths hanging open. Finally Vanolf spoke. "Who in the hells are your friends?"

"We just want to help." said Tenna. "These gnolls are a problem for everyone in the area."

"Well, I for one, appreciate it." said Vanolf. "People have been goin' missing for weeks. But I hear you're charging ol' Lord Farkas enough for your service."

"Well, we got to eat." shrugged Tenna. "Maybe we're overcharging, but the Lord Mayor can afford it. Trust me. And this is a big job. But Lu and Myx think the hardest part of this job will be getting your boss to actually pay us."

"Hmph. Yeah, good luck." replied Vanolf. "He's a tight ass, that's for certain. But you get rid of these monsters, I say you earned it." He cocked his head, raising an ear. "And it sounds like your pals are winning. If I wouldn't a been here, I might not believe it. We'd like a look to report back to the 'Lord Mayor' if ya don't mind."

"Oh, uh..." Tenna paused. "That's, uh... Let me ask... if it's safe."

"What are you gonna do?" put in Lanette. "Shout? Won't that attract..?" She cut herself off as her guide held up a finger, her brow creased with concentration. Lanette blinked and looked to Vanolf who shrugged.

Tenna was silent for a moment before cocking her head. "Oh." the cleric raised her eyebrow. "You're sure? Okay, on our way then." She turned to the guards. "It will be clear by the time we get there. Spears up, in case we catch any stragglers and follow me."

"The hells was that?" mumbled Vanolf, readying his spear. "You one of those psychics?"

"Occasionally." Grinned Tenna. "Our wizard found a spell that lets us speak mind to mind for a little while. Telepathy, she calls it. Something to get used to, talking without, you know, talking, but it comes in handy. Let's go. By the time we get there, it should be over."

They trekked silently through the trees toward the dying noise of combat. They weren't being stealthy, Tenna still had her lit thumb over her head, but they wanted to be able to hear anything coming for them. Nothing did. Then, after a short journey, they walked into a scene of utter carnage.

There were... pieces of charred, furry bodies strew across the site of a smoldering camp. If there were any shelters, they had all been knocked flat. There wasn't much for open flame left, but masses of glowing embers meant it was easier to see than the dark woods. A short distance away, an imposing, dark figure stood sentinel amidst the slaughter. They might have been overlooked if not for the ephemeral and slightly luminous sword and shield they held. Closer, in armor only a littler heavier than Tenna's, a lean woman crouched over the upper half of a gnoll corpse.

"Hey Ten." the crouched figure greeted upon noticing them. "Just in time. Grab a dagger and start clipping ears. Proof of delivery."

"Mmm, great." Tenna grumbled. She gestured over her shoulder with her lit thumb before snapping it out. "Lu, guards from town. Guards from town, Lunara." She pulled a dagger and began surveying targets. "Looks like a successful operation. Didn't want to talk, huh?"

"We tried, but 'take us to your leader' and 'we cone in peace' didn't work." Lunara stood, dropping her grisly prizes into a sack. "Bunch of 'em rushed Nell and she-- well, turns out she didn't *have to defend herself, but she did."

"Right." chuckled Tenna. "Where's Vi?"

"Oh, she heard you were bringing friends and she turned invisible." Lunara replied with a grin. "She's shy."

"She just left Nell... hanging?" Tenna poorly suppressed a giggle.

"She offered to cover her as well, but you know how paladins love being the center of attention." Smirked Lunara.

The shadow obscured figure turned her head slightly toward the soldier.

"Kidding! Kidding." Laughed Lunara. "She wanted to be a target for any further violence. Which I appreciate."

The pair of guards had barely heard any of the exchange. Their jaws were both slack from the scene before them. There were severed limbs... everywhere. And a few blackened... Craters wasn't quite the word. They were circles where something fiery and bad had happened with piles of cooked bodies strewn through them.

"It... looks like an army came through here." Stammered Lanette.

"No, Kid, it don't." said Vanolf quietly. "And that's scary. Look around. Army woulda left footprints. Grounds pretty clear. Even an overwhelming force would have lost a couple of unlucky bastards. Gnolls ain't no pushovers. But there's no human bodies. Well, fresh ones anyway. And the wounds are too... I dunno, clean. Even the best trained soldiers got to hack and slash. But who ever did this, it was a hot knife through butter. I dunno much about magic, but I seen fireballs a couple of times And they ain't as big as those burn marks. This is some scary shit."

"You know your stuff, guardsman." said Lunara, stowing two more ears.

"I been around the block." replied Vanolf. "Served a few tours. Seen some shit. Look, I don't care how scary you ladies are. All I care about is that these dogmen aren't eatin' my neighbors any more. Now if ya don't mind, I'm gonna light a torch and have a look around."

"Go ahead." confirmed Lunara. "I think we got them all, but stay within sight of Nell, and she'll watch your back for you." She gestured to the shadowed warrior.

"Bring me a stick and I'll light it up." Added Tenna.

Lanette let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. 'Scary shit' Vanolf had said and in the context he'd laid out, she understood. But the elder guard seemed... perhaps at ease was not accurate, but at least not afraid. Gripping her spear tightly, she took a few steps toward the darkened sentinel. A paladin they'd said. "Hello Muh-ma'am."

The silhouette was tall and broad in the shoulder. Lanette had guessed it was a man, but the others referred to her as a she. And upon being addressed, she tilted her clearly helmeted head in acknowledgment.

"Did you... kill all these gnolls?"

The warrior shifted her head again and shrugged. She lifted her luminous sword and used it to gesture to the large scorch marks, before shaking her head, no.

"I see." said Lanette. "The wizard your friend spoke of. Well, I know you're getting paid... but... thank you for your service here."

The supposed paladin tilted her head again before giving a nod.

"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, what sort of armor are you wearing" Lanette pressed on. "Your helm looks pretty heavy, but can't make out anything else. As many as you must have fought, I'd expect full plate, but I can't see any plates. It almost looks like..." Behind her, light flare as the cleric finally lit Vanolf's stick, also illuminating fully the warrior's back. And Lanette got her first good look at Nell."BLOODY HELLS YOU'RE NOT WEARING ANY ARMOR!!"

"Oh. right." groaned Tenna. "Sorry Nell. I guess the cat's out of the bag."

The imposing, largely naked warrior sagged for a moment before straightening again. Her face was entirely hidden under her helm with apparently no opening for even her eyes so her expression was unreadable.

"Jiminy, Kid. Settle down." said Vanolf, raising his improvised magic torch. "They're gonna think we're unprofessional. Now what are you..?" His eyes fell on the paladin"s bare backside. "Oh. Well. There's something you don't see every day." He blinked a few times. "I'm not even gonna ask. Bottom line is the job's done."

"We appreciate that, Guardsman." said Lunara. "Suffice it to say there's magic involved and leave it at that."

"Would be polite to avert your eyes though." Tenna added with a smirk.

"Hm? Oh aye." Vanolf turned away. "Not easy though. Bet you can bounce a copper piece to the rafters off that behind."

"You could bounce an arrow off of it, but I take your meaning." said Lunara. "Nell says thank you. For looking away that is."

Lanette, however, had not looked away. "But... but... She fought like that?! And there's not a scratch on her!? I can see that there's not a scratch on her! And her face! How can she see?!"

"Magic, Guardsman." sighed Lunara."The items she's wearing protect her, let her see sort of, and empower her weapons. Down side is, that's all she can wear while she's using it. Goes the same for the other two you haven't met yet. Little worse even for them." Lunara's eyes flicked to the side. "Oh what do you care. You turned invisible right away. Least they can't see you. Bottom line, the gear is embarrassing but effective. Now, we'd very much like to keep this stuff a secret for various reasons. Some more obvious than others. You guys report what you want, we're not going to twist any arms, but it would be... helpful if you left the mostly naked paladin out."

Lanette finally tore her gaze away from Nell to look to Vanolf who caught the unspoken inquiry over his shoulder and shrugged.

* * *

"Yesir. We ran into the cleric just before the ruckus started." Vanolf reported. "Said she came back to keep us out of trouble. She led us to the camp but it was all over by the time we got there. For a while, it was just these two, clippin' ears." He gestured to Lunara and Tenna. "Then these other two wandered back." He pointed to Nell and Vi, now fully clothed and armored respectively. "Said they had to run down a few stragglers. Didn't see the fight, or anyone else, but it was a bloodbath, sir."

"I see." the sallow faced Lord Mayor Farkas grumbled. "So you don't know how these four were so effective?"

"Oh, I asked 'em sir." replied Vanolf. "Would a been a poor guard not to. All they said was 'tactical use of magic'. Load a crap, obviously. But they just wiped out fifty gnolls, sir. Just the two of us weren't gonna argue with 'em."

"Forty-eight, I'm told." growled Lord Farkas.

"A lot sir." Vanolf replied. "More than I'd a thought possible. Important thing is they cooperated with us, and the dogs are gone."

"Mn." grunted the Lord Mayor. "Anything to add, Gir-- ahem, Guard?" His gaze shifted to Lanette.

"No, sir." she replied as evenly as she was able.

"Fine." Farkas growled. "That will be all, Guardsmen." He waited until the two guards had exited the audience hall before addressing the remaining four adventurers. "It seems you have fulfilled your task." His voice was flat, as if he wasn't really happy the threat was gone.

"We have, Lord Mayor." replied Lunara. "We would not have taken the job if we thought we couldn't do it."

"And how did you do it.?" The Mayor's voice became a little more harsh. "Forty eight hostile monstrosities with just the four of you? Hard to believe." His count was based on what the barracks had told him after a few poor clerks spent the early morning counting gory ears. "And don't try to give me 'tactics' like I'm some idiot."

"We did have a plan and we stuck to it." replied Lunara. "The results are what matter."

"You expect me to believe you four killed all of those monsters?" The Lord Mayor's cheeks were slightly red as he nearly shouted the question.

"Believe what you want." returned Lunara. "Maybe we did have an army back there with us. In that case, you got a bargain. Either way, job's done. Now, are you going to pay us?"

Farkas fumed for a moment, before clenching his face and trying to appear relaxed. "Your pay. Of course. As you've no doubt seen, this is a poor area. It will take a little time to gather so much coin."

Lunara let a long breath out through her nose. She had deliberately left her halberd in their shared room at the local inn to appear less threatening for this exact exchange. "Or," she said slowly, "you could just take it from your vault and we'll be on our way."

"Oh ho, you peasants!" crowed Farkas. "You think that just because I have Lord in my title, you assume I have a vault stuffed with gold!"

Lunara resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, and to leap forward and beat this flabby sack of gnoll crap to unconsciousness. "Behind the cabinet on the back side of the main stair case. Down the stone steps, behind a heavy wooden door, is a room full of gold and treasure. Maybe you don't call it a vault, but all the same, there's more than enough gold in there to pay us immediately. And we'll be on our way"

The Lord mayor blanched for a moment be for his face clenched in fury. "How... dare you threaten me. Guards!"

The pair of his own personal guard in the room exchanged a look. These four just killed a camp full of gnolls. And did not look the least bit concerned at the moment. What were they supposed to do? Fortunately for them, the spokeswoman went on.

"Not a threat, Lord Mayor." continued Lunara calmly. "We have no intention of using this knowledge to rob you. As we have no intention of allowing you to rob us. You can, of course, take your time gathering our pay. And we would have to wait. In the town you overtaxed to make your piles of gold, and put off protecting to avoid paying for it. We would just hang around waiting,talking to you citizens. Maybe telling them about your not vault, your extra gold, and how you waited to get rid of the monsters killing them to maybe save a coin or two." She paused for a few beats, staring back at the furious Lord Mayor. "Now that was a threat."

* * *

"Good work everyone." said Lunara, striding toward the inn. "Way to look scary but not threatening. I think the guard on the left had to change his shorts after trying to stare Nell down. So assuming the prick didn't short us, that will be one fifty a piece. We'll spread some of the rest around town. Maybe over pay for our room a little. Any leftovers we can use for materials for the keep. Acceptable Nell?"

"Quite acceptable." The Paladin replied.

"Good." Lunara led the party into the inn and up to their room. "Ten, you gave Van and Lan the keep location so they can contact us if they need some muscle?" She smirked a bit at her unintentional rhyme. "Odds are Farkas won't be hiring us again."

"Yeah." Tenna replied. "I emphasized we only charge that much for pricks and Lord Mayors."

"Good. Vi, I don't care to stay longer that necessary after pissing off the boss. Can you teleport us back to the Keep when we're ready?"

"I can safely teleport myself and three others." Vi sighed and sagged a little. "So I will need to... use my gear."

"I'll leave that up to you." Lunara ushered them all into the room they'd been using during this mission. "Not going to make you." Finally she closed and secured the door behind them. "And I suppose we'd better find..."

A hovering female form faded into view directly in front of the Soldier. Myx, still firmly held in her gear and, for all important metrics, naked, glared at Lunara for a moment before lifting her feet and driving them into the Soldier's breastplate with a muted thump. Muted partially by the Rogue's silencing gag, partially by her unimpressive strength. The kick hardly rocked Lunara at all.

"There she is." said Lunara. "We lost track of you once the communication spell ended, but I knew you wouldn't be far. Good work last night. Your intell made thing a lot..."

Myx drove two more double kicks into Lunara's chest before resuming her glare.