Sleeping Giants Game 32

Intro

Horatio's New Companion

As you meander through the Daryen Forest, searching for one particular location, you find yourself focusing on specific details in the environment. A bush that is broken just so, to signify that a rider has come through here recently. Some hoof prints in the mud, with the unmistakable hammer symbol on it. A bit of torn cloth from a careless rider who was clearly in a hurry.

It’s a different environment, but this is the kind of work you’re used to. Spotting details that would prefer not to be spotted. Such focused effort comes at a price, however. You have to let down your guard in order to properly follow the clues. It could be all too easy to walk into a trap in unfamiliar territory.

“Well, well, what have we here?” Your focus is broken, and you look up to see an elven woman crouched in a tree in front of you. Your senses rush back to you all at once, and you spot five – no, six – others hidden among the trees and bushes surrounding you. The glint of metal in the sun denotes arrows, all pointed at you.

“A bit far from home, aren’t we?”

“I’m… not that far.” you respond. As you do, the woman gestures and two men emerge from the bushes on either side of you, approaching you slowly. The woman explains that they are a group called “Marchand d’Esclaves”, which you know translates from Elven to “Merchants of Slaves”. Slave traders, great.

Both of the lackeys reach you, and one of them puts a hand on your shoulder and begins forcing you to the ground while the other unravels a spool of rope. You won’t be taken easily, however, and in a flash you unsheathe your sword and stab the man forcing you to the ground, who reels back. A moment later, all of the glinting arrows in the bushes let loose and fly toward you.

That’s when you spot a small bead falling from the trees directly above you. As the bead strikes the ground, a magical bubble of sorts pops into existence around you just in time for all of the arrows to break and bounce off of it. You glance up to where the bead came from, just in time to see a small humanoid shape. It is upside-down, and has just begun rappelling from one of the branches. As it falls toward the ground, it stretches its arms out, which both end in loaded hand crossbows. In an instant, the creature reaches the end of its rappel, perfectly positioned with the crossbows at the necks of each of the lackeys. It squeezes the triggers and their bodies collapse. In one swift motion, the creature flips itself right-side-up.

You turn to get a good look at your rescuer, and from under its hood pokes a short, draconic snout with a thick, lit cigar in its teeth.

“You get the girl, I’ll get her friends,” the creature instructs, before turning and darting into the nearby bushes. You instantly rush the elven woman, who has now lowered herself to the ground. There is a quick exchange of blows by the two of you, each more deadly than the last. All around you, the archers are falling from the trees as the draconic-snouted creature leaps from one to the next. Finally, as the elven woman’s life is leaving her, she makes one final desperate lunge. It is effective, but not enough to bring you down. You stab through her stomach, then wrap your arm around her and lower her to the ground gently. You grab a wool blanket that is strapped to her side and toss it open, lowering it down onto her lifeless corpse.

After the dust has settled, your new companion rejoins you in the center of the clearing. He tosses you a set of matches and takes a few more puffs of his cigar, and introduces himself as Special Agent Meepo. He’s not quite sure why or how he’s here, but until he figures it out he asks to accompany you wherever you are headed. Naturally, you agree.