An Abundance of Rain

Author's note (David): I, unfortunately, didn't do a great job of record keeping this time, so some of the exact wording of the dialogue may be lost. I mostly remember the kinds of things my character said, but aside from very "key" converstaions I don't remember what others said. So this may be slightly inaccurate in that regard.



The grinding crunch of gravel gave way under the soft earth and quieted as the four adventurers set off from the Zamunsol, a twenty day journey in the gloom spead out at their feet. Azariah walked ahead in the darkness, keeping his own quiet counsel as he lead them along paths that were familiar from his training in fieldcraft. Nobo'ru, doggedly walked nearby, with a luminescent mushroom shifting about his person as he idly passed it about without comment, his motion more expressive than his face. Only Andreas truly stood out, a torch looped to the bottom of his shield illuminating the path before him. The light of it clung the bottom of his mixed armor of leather and steel like a beggar pleading for a coin. It reached out and lapped at Azariah's heels as he strode forward, always slightly out of the lamp's reach. Abel stepped sprightly behind Andreas, white radiance washed about his person, his youthful optimism and excitement seeming to shine from him, or would have if his wooden staff of power did not overpower it beyond one's ability to see.

As they advanced, a mist began to fall. Azariah stopped only to offer a quiet warning: "If it worstens, we must find shelter." Stopping again, he paused, and feeling the winds, said "I feel an abundance of rain. We should go around, off the path." While Azariah assured that it would be far better than risking the wetness of the rain, Nobo'ru began to walk off the path without a word. They again moved on, this time with Andreas walking in step with Azariah. It seemed that they had avoided the worst of the storm, though crackles and peals of thunder began to smite the earth a ways off to the north as they headed east. After a time of travel, Azariah, Andreas and Nobo'ru caught a faint glowing light in the far distance. Andreas pointed to the light and, looking to Abel who knew more about the deep magic of the world than the rest of them, inquired, "Abel, can you discern the nature of the light over there? What kind of light is it?"

"It is like the light in my dreams!" He exclaimed softly. "It is not a magical kind of light." There was a pause and then, as though perfectly timed between the cracks of thunder, a bloodcurdling shriek was heard faintly on the wind.

Andreas sprang into a run towards the sound as though it were a clarion for his destiny to be fulfilled, and the rain that he had once avoided for want of keeping his accoutrements intact was of no consequence to him at all any more. His piercing eyes narrowed against the hard rain as it coursed about his face amongst the stubble, pattered on his armor and quenched his lamp. As Andreas charged off, Azariah followed, his instinct starting to come over his mind. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nobo'ru sweep to the right, ranging out to avoid the eyes of foes trained on the three others who charged ahead.

Andreas arrived first, and seeing the two children hog-tied on the sodden ground, he wasted no time ripping his sword from it's scabbard and cutting their bonds. One of them rose immediately and shouted "They got my brother, they got my brother!" as he pointed emphatically into the darkness. Ahead a small glowing light bobbed frantically. Azariah, hardly having stopped running, charged off again toward the light. Andreas paused only a moment to sever the ropes binding the other boy and set off at Azariah's heels. While the two continued recklessly into the dark, Nobo'ru coninued forward, his luminsescent mushoom barely able to send its light ahead of his swift feet.

Abel arrived at where the children were. Stripping off their remaining ropes, he took them under his robe to shield them from the rain, and encouraged them as best he could, saying "You're safe now," as he lit up his staff again with a wave of his hand.

In the distance, Azariah's feed pounded in the darkness. He could see the light ahead, and with that in the attention of his eye, he never saw the Ruk Shol coming. With a sudden shuddering roar, Azariah was struck in his stomach with a blow that might have cut him in two and put an end to his life, if he had not been struck with the haft instead of the blade of the axe. As he staggered under the blow's weight, he straightened with a roar and tore his blades from their scabbards. In an instant, he swung them with such a savage hatred brought on by his surprise and loathing for the creature before him that the bite of his scimitars was inevitable, slicing deep into the flesh of the Ruk Shol. Andreas was caught in another Ruk Shol's surprise attack, and was hammered by a weighty blow from another Ruk Shol's axe. The melee turned vicious for the two men; but as the furious blows of the Ruk Shol began to tell, Andreas bellowed a battle cry that would straighten the spine of the most weary soldier as he pierced his sword deep into the crearture's dark flesh with a well calculated strike. The other Ruk Shol swung wildly at Azariah, missing him and hitting Andreas in the back, opening him up for a crushing blow from another. Andreas crumpled to the ground with a grunt. With a slavering roar, the other Ruk Shol turned to Azariah and for the first time in his adulthood, Azariah knew fear.

Behind him, he could not see that Nobo'ru had fought past a Ruk Shol to run to the other by Azariah. With a word that undoes flesh, the Ruk Shol that had laid Andreas low howled as his flesh was pierced by an inscrutable magic power.

Off in the distance, as he heard the clash of battle, Abel wasted no time. Hoisting a child under each arm, and levitating his illuminated staff before him, he ran to the nearest tree, placed the children underneath, planted his staff in the earth before them and said "Please stay here until I come back! Don't go anywhere, OK!?". The children only nodded emphatically as Abel sprinted towards the roars and ringing of steel.

Dazed from the weighty swings of the Ruk Shol's axe, and his power draining from him like water, Azariah whirled again his blades, but could not wound the Ruk Shol deeply enough to end its life. The Ruk Shol Nobo'ru had distracted pounded Nobo'ru squarely in the shoulder, staggering him. Again the Ruk Shol before Azariah swung wildly, and Azariah dodged the blow. The axe turned in the air and the flat of its blade connected with the back of Nobo'ru's head, knocking his face into the ground at the other Ruk Shol's feet.

With a blistering cry, Azariah thrust both of his blades into the Ruk Shol which had denied him the satisfaction of a kill so long, puncturing both lungs at once. Azariah's moment of fear died with the Ruk Shol and left him like the blood dribbling from its lips. Tearing them out he saw the other Ruk Shol leaning over Nobo'ru's crumpled form and with uncanny speed drew his long bow. Haste and exhaustion plagued his aim, and though he shot with a rapidity that would be the envy of many, he only found his mark once, sending an arrow piercing through the Ruk Shol's skin as though it were merely another bone ornament threaded through its flesh.

Like a dawn that comes suddenly, Azariah saw to his right a burst of bright light as magical energy streaked into the third Ruk Shol a distance away and seared his flesh. Abel stood at the clearing with lighting cackling in his hands. The Ruk Shol, incredibly, turned and ran to Andreas' body and fell on it, its tongue hanging out.

The other Ruk Shol that Azariah had shot did the same to Nobo'ru, and Azariah's eyes widened as he saw their jaws open to feed. Dropping his bow and taking up his scimitars again, he shook off his dazed exhaustion and laid his blade into the Ruk Shol over Nobo'ru. It rose and struck Azariah in the face with its fist, it's crude, grimy thumbnail slicing his forehead open. Nearly unconscious, lights flickered in Azariah's eyes as he reeled; it was only through sheer will that he was stayed on his feet. The other Ruk Shol stood up again and began to move towards Azariah.

Abel moved toward Andreas, still far away, and suddenly winked into existence beside him and took Andreas under the arms, who was even now regaining consciousness. With clarity of mind sliding back in, Andreas gathered himself, shouted for Nobo'ru to get up, and stepped in to engage the Ruk Shol who had been a moment ago looking for a good place to sink its teeth into his body. Nobo'ru responded to Andreas' impeccable timing, and planted a dagger deep into the Ruk Shol's back as it turned to face to Andreas, who stepped back to avoid it's reach.

Azariah, in a swift move responded to the blow he received before and slashed the Ruk Shol's face as he ran to help Andreas, sending it to the ground howling in agony. Without a lost moment, he slipped between Andreas and the last Ruk Shol, ready to die if he had to, as the Ruk Shol drew his axe back for a final blow.

It never came. With a soft splitting sound, a dagger point sprouted from the Ruk Shol's forehead and a single drop of blood flew out from its tip and struck Azariah's face. The Ruk Shol's white eyes went vacant and it collapsed to the side. On the other side stood a very disheveled Nobo'ru, his emotion, if he had any at all, only expressed in his heavy breathing, which seemed more like a necessity of his flesh than any tell of emotion.

Remembering the boy they had suffered so long to find, Azariah sheathed his blades distractedly and immediately tracked the boy's steps as Andreas took his sword and punched it into the Ruk Shol who had knocked him out before repeadly, putting an end to its groaning. Finding the boy, Azariah grabbed his shoulder and said simply, "I have you now, and you will be safe. Come with me, we have found your brother and your friend." Andreas came and took the boy, and they ran back to the clearing where the boys were.

Abel's staff stood loyally where he had left it, it's white radiance bathing the earth under the tree, but the boys were gone.