Blue Fire 3

Blue Fire 3 is an encounter in Kingdom Aflame.
==Enemies==
* Royalist Stonebound Warrior (Kingdom Aflame) (180 Gold, 180 XP, 180 Energy, 3 HP)
* Royalist Stonebound Cleric (Kingdom Aflame) (180 Gold, 180 XP, 180 Energy, 3 HP)
==Transcript==
===Introduction===
"Now!" Tessa said.
She emphasized the point by letting her arrow fly. Hugh didn't know if she was aiming for the dragon's eye on the soldier's tabard, or if it was just good fortune. But the red-fletched shaft protruded from it like a burst of blood. The dragon and soldier fell and died together.
Rakshara and the Titaran weren't far behind the missile. Her crystal shield blocked the first crossbow bolt. His magic aegis absorbed a blast of lightning flung from a mage's fingers. Then their blades went to work, with such savage precision and inescapable strokes that it almost seemed like murder instead of battle. But better to murder than be murdered, as the old pub proverb went.
Rogar's Dream took off a sergeant's head. It rolled away, into one of the tents. Hugh's cleaver justified its name by taking off another soldier's arm. She shrieked, but a second hack took care of that.
The little camp was a bloody mess in seconds. Only they and their allies still stood, surrounded and slathered by gore. Hugh looked around at the carnage -- the aftermath of this latest momentary massacre. Such things were now as much a part of his life as pies.
"See you in hell," he whispered.
***
Some warriors relish guard duty. In fact, if a soldier's life consisted entirely of collecting %his% pay for lazing around at %his% post, instead of painstaking marches and brutal bloodshed, half the kingdom would probably enlist. But you're most certainly not one of them. So it occurs to you that being left out of the raiding parties, though presented as an honor and responsibility, might be Tessa's way of getting back at you for the smug smile you gave her in the command tent. Or else she still hasn't forgiven you for enjoying yourself during the celebration, rather than devoting yourself to temperance as she suggested.
This irks you, but you could hardly have refused. Carolyn insisted that a trusted leader remain behind to watch over the troops. Someone they'd look up to. Thus you've spent the past hours observing their training, whilst offering a few words of advice which you have a suspicious feeling were regurgitated from those once spoken to you by your family's masters.
Now you're sitting on the grass, looking at the horizon, and longing for the approach of an enemy force so you can lay it to waste. But it doesn't seem likely.
"Bored, Kasan?"
Theadric crouches beside you.
"When they tell heroes' stories," you say, "these are the parts the bards leave out."
"Then why don't we give them a reason to write a new verse?" There's a broad, eager smile on his face, echoed in his eyes. "Ralmarthan."
"You heard what they said."
"A bird came with a scout's report. Just now. Tarringan's sent her militia out to guard the countryside. To protect their flocks and crops, I'll wager."
"That makes sense. She's worried we'll raid their farms."
"They can't stand against us in the field. We could destroy a chunk of her forces out in the open, and they won't have enough good men and women left to hold the walls. This is our chance, Kasan! If we hesitate, we might lose it!"
"Tessa, Carolyn, and the others..."
"They took some of our best fighters, but we have enough. And we have you to lead us. We'll follow your orders. Just give the word..."
***
"No chance," Kel said. The quartermaster's one eye squinted. Her eyepatch twitched, making the embroidered pitchfork tense as though readying for a thrust. "It's too far."
Several voices concurred. Nevis didn't blame them. The painted straw target was far away, separated from the young slinger by a long stretch of grass.
"With a magic sling, maybe," she said. "But not with that thing."
"Nevis is good slinger!" Chumgrak said. "Nevis will hit target like Chumgrak hits people with axe!"
"Let's see it then."
Nevis put the bullet in his sling and glanced at the quartermaster.
"Give the lad room, Kel," someone said, "unless you want to lose the other one too!"
She laughed, made an obscene gesture, and moved away.
The sling spun, describing its swift, sure circles. The boy took aim and let the weapon's motion flow through him. He fired.
"Right in the..." Chumgrak's awed voice trailed off and gave way to a cough. "Right in middle! Nevis is mighty slinger! Almost as mighty as Chumgrak! Ha ha ha ha!"
Kel clapped the boy on his back.
"Nice shot!" she said. "Even Medon couldn't have done better."
Cheers and applause rang out. Ryli ruffled his hair with a furry paw.
"Get ready! All of you, get ready to march!"
The voice was only half audible at first, buried beneath the calls and claps. But they became quieter by degrees and it grew louder. Everyone looked round at the robed mage, one of Theadric's inner circle.
"The Kasan's given the order!" she said. "Ralmarthan falls!"
===Conclusion===
Grangath Stonehewer didn't trust the sky. There was far too much of it, for a start. You knew where you were in a tunnel or cavern. The ceiling was right there above you, nice and safe as long as you knew how to support the stone and didn't make one of those shoddy goblin passages that collapse whenever someone farts in the wrong direction. But the sky... Well, anything could be hiding up in those clouds. Thunder. Lightning. Rain. Dragons. Gods. No, the surface was no place for a proper dwarf. Not with all that sky plotting against him. Grangath wished he could lead his warriors back to the cave and down into the depths. But an oath was an oath, and a Stonebound who didn't honor his word was no better than the surface kin who swanned around worshipping Rensha and dancing naked in the wind (or so he'd heard, anyway).
Krandel Tarringan had done him a service fifty years ago, give or take. And Mayor Hortensia had every right to call on him for help. Even if she did have far too much sky in her territory.
Grangath sat down and munched his rations. Those were decent, at least. Lady Tarringan provided good bread and salted meat. He'd heard she was living on militia rations herself these days. He could respect that, he mused, as he masticated a hard, spicy piece of preserved beef. Beef... The surface did have some good things.
"Enemies!"
The shout made Grangath Stonehewer stare straight up at the sky. But the untrustworthy heavens were as empty as before. No wyverns were descending nor deities squatting to crap on his head -- both of which his father had warned him of, when he was a lad. He directed his gaze to the horizon instead.
"To arms!" He tossed the remains of his meal aside and picked up his hammer. "To arms! Send word to the city, tell them-"
"I'll tell them you died like true Stonebound."
Grangath turned and swung in a single motion. A dark shape flashed above his hammer's arc. He looked up, into the woman's masked face, and met her eyes as her blade slipped behind his collarbone. The dwarf's back thumped against the soft earth. His killer moved on, swept up in the flurry of silent assassins and shouting Stonebound, and vanished.
The dying dwarf stared at the clouds as his vision grew dark.
This was just the kind of thing that happened when you had sky over your head...
Category:Kingdom Aflame