Sleeping Giants Game 8

Intro

Lyla's Last Encounter

This place is scary. You’ve seen things in the past 24 hours that you’ve only ever read about before. Animated trees, kobolds, goblins, even a dragon. You’ve seen countless creatures die, and even been responsible for some of those deaths yourself. You’ve seen your newfound companions do some incredible things as well. Who would have thought that life outside of Kittiwake would be so… fantastical?

And as you sit on the cold stone floor of this place, you can’t help but wonder if Elliot went through all of the same things on his journey. If he truly did come the same way as you, how did he deal with the kobolds, and the goblins? What kind of companions did he have with him? You already found the remains of one other adventurer. You and your brother may not have always gotten along, but he deserves better than to end up dead in a rat’s nest. And truth be told, if roles were reversed, Elliot would have gone to the ends of Dormia to find you. He would have done so for anyone in Kittiwake’s Edge. That’s just what kind of person he was.

You look around at the piles of bones in the room surrounding you, and start to think back to the last time you saw your brother. It was the night before he left town, only a few months ago. You were walking home from the library, taking your usual shortcut. You were reading through the book you just checked out, a brand new and very heavy hardcover titled “The Panthera Sovereign”, glancing up every now and then to make sure you wouldn’t run into anyone. You made a left, then a right, then a left again, cutting through the alleyways you came to know like the back of your hand.

Just as you were finishing the first chapter, you did the unthinkable: you bumped into someone, and the book landed straight on the ground, bending and dirtying the pages instantly. You stare down at the book, worry coming across your face as you realize how upset Librarian Lily will be when you tell her you ruined the only copy. You bend down hastily to pick up the book, then stand and look at the person you ran into. It’s certainly nobody you’ve ever seen before, it must be an out-of-towner. And he looks pretty seedy, to boot.

He looks down at you, grinning, and says, “You look lost, little lady. Why don’t I help you find your way?” He takes a step toward you, and you start to back up but bump into someone else behind you. You turn to see who it is and it’s yet another unsavory looking man. He grabs hold of your arm as a third man emerges from the shadows and grabs the book out of your hand. “Don’t think you’ll be needin’ this any time soon, heh heh heh,” he says, and tosses it to the side. If he was paying any attention at all, however, he would have realized that the book never hit the ground.

Within a moment of the book being thrown, it is immediately launched directly back at the third ruffian. It hits him with full force in the face, blood spraying from his nose as he doubles over in pain. You turn to see where it came from, just in time for the man holding you to be bum-rushed, losing his grip on you as he goes tumbling to the ground. In the chaos and flurry of blood, dirt, and punches, one thing stands out like a sore thumb: the bright, golden locks of Kittiwake’s Golden Boy, your brother Elliot.

The main ruffian, now clearly realizing what a mistake this was, backs up suddenly and takes off down the alley. “Lyla!” Elliot calls out to you. You turn, and he tosses you the book. “Get him!”

You throw the book with all your might, and your aim is true. You strike the ruffian directly in the back, and the weight and momentum of the book knock him out cold. You turn back to your brother, who is lifting himself up off the unconscious body of the third ruffian, and he gives you a nod of approval and a dashing smile. He puts his hand on your shoulder and pulls you close. “C’mon sis, let’s get you home.” And that’s the last thing you’re able to recall, as you are yanked back into reality by a loud knocking sound.