Chapter 1: Flamefade

Thalen and Ophira run toward the tanners house. As they arrive, Ophira steps close to Thalen and touches her arm, whispering, "Be safe..."

Lirann does not like the idea of them being out here all on their own. She was thinking about escorting Charina back to the inn, but with her friends heading head first in to danger, she relents with an annoyed sigh and follows after them.

Once they reach the fields she lets herself fall behind. Instead of rushing to the tanners house she surveys the area from the edge to the village, looking for anyone that might be trying to outflank Thalen and Ophira.

At the tanner's

As Ophira draws closer, the unmistakably pungent stench of the tannery—some foul blend of rot, urine and lye—seeps into her nostrils. Lirann and Thalen, both keeping an eye out for danger, are far enough away to be mercifully spared from the worst of it.


Ophira


"Damn it all. Urgh... twice-cursed fools." Ophira recognizes the voice before she can make out the contours of the rugged face. Norn slumps against the timber-framed wall of the tannery. One hand grips his leg, stained dark with crimson, while the other clutches a woodsman's axe. It too drips with blood. He doesn't seem to notice the young witch. His eyes instead linger on the two lying in the dirt close to him.

One of them takes Ophira a moment to recognize. Judd Tanner's lanky form is sprawled out in the dirt in front of his own house, a puddle of blood slowly congealing around him. The other, larger shape she knows immediately. Galthic, face-down in the dirt. Neither man shows any sign of life.


Lirann

Not far away, Lirann keeps a keen eye open. From the side of the tannery, just outside of Ophira's and Norn's view, the dark shape of a man creeps along the wall, towards them. A hood obscures his features, and in his hand is a short blade.


Thalen

At the same time, Thalen, skulking along, spots another shape, moving on the opposite side of the tannery. Squinting his eyes, the young storyteller can just barely make out another man, armed with a club, but moving with a pronounced limp towards the corner, ready to ambush Ophira as she nears the house.

With his attention drawn, Thalen does not notice the third man until he almost walks into him. Hooded, in dark leathers, standing tall and still, the man is similarly observing the scene at the tannery.

Standing very still. No slight twitches to the hand, no shifting of the weight from one leg to another. For all outward appearances, he might as well have been a statue. For the moment, he gives no sign of having noticed Thalen, who stands only a few feet to his side.

Thalen squints and thinks.

"Watch out! It's an Ambush!" Lirann shouts and points at the shady figure she sees skulking around at the tanners house.

Ophira approaches carefully... and notices the threatening men!

At the inn
Soot-stained, red-faced and with adrenaline pumping as he stands in awe of the now raging fire, Gaelan tries to make sense of the scene. Families are reuniting and voices are breaking, hands are clapping the heroes on the shoulders, but when Charina brings the news of raiders, the broad-shouldered young man catches Wildheart's eye and gestures with his head. They need to help!

Searching for a weapon in the chaos -- an axe, a shovel, a heavy plank -- he then rushes to Charina's side.

"Where?!" he asks urgently. "Charina, where have these raiders been seen?"

Thea quickly slips her axe from the loop on her belt and looses her sturdy shield. "We'll make them realize what a huge mistake they've made coming to our town," the local hero vows, ready to follow Gaelan into the fray.

The Inn


At the question, Charina gestures vaguely in the direction of the Fentir River. "The man who attacked me, it was somewhere over there." Then, catching herself, she adds; "Your friend, Ophira? She said she saw something over at Judd's. She was going to look closer. Your other two friends went with her, I think."

As soon as the words leave Charina's lips, Thea races off, axe in hand, side by side with Beric. Gaelan grabs a shovel leaning on a nearby wall and follows close behind his friends. Behind them, dozens of villagers scatter in all four directions, suddenly fearful for what might have befallen their homes while they were occupied. The barely heard shouts of Elder Caitrina and the other councilors do little to restore order. Some at least dutifully remain to keep the flames in check.

The Tanner's

Ophira picks up the telltale sound of the halting man as he drags his bad foot through the grass. She has enough to time to gather her thoughts as one of them barks out an order.

"She's alone, get her!"

Both men round the corners, just as Lirann's warning rings out. It causes them to stop in their tracks for a moment, heads turning to locate the origin of the sound. The man closest to Lirann, an older man with a grimy gray beard and a single eye, notices her first.

"Ignore her, we only need the one!" Both of them ready to move in on Ophira, weapons brandished.The third man—is that right, man? Something's off. His chest is not moving, there's no sign of air being exhaled—suddenly starts moving at the order given by the older man. Not a rush, just a quick walk forward towards Ophira. A sickle gleams in his hand.


As he passes Thalen, he turns his head towards the storyteller, noticing him for the first time. And then he continues on, showing no interest. Yet seeing his face now, it's all Thalen can do not to retch.

The face is a decaying mess, parts of the skin fallen off, exposing yellow-white bone. The eyes are greyish, dull and unfocused. Yet even through all that, something sparks a memory in Thalen. It is a face he has seen before.

And then he sees the the wound, a crack in the skull just above the left eye. Thalen was there when it happened, when his friend Gaelan drove an axe into the murderer's head. Ulrich, his name was, back when he waylaid travelers. Back when the two of them had to put a stop to him...

Thalen pauses, his mind racing, he sniffs the air, and heaves. He unslings his bow and fumbles at the arrows in his quiver. If Ulrich is still alive, then that means... His mind couldn't complete the thought. And he is after my friends. I have to do something.

"Hey! Ugly! I thought we killed you! Guess we're just going to have to do it again."

He pulls and then lets loose an arrow. The arrow flies wide and clatters uselessly against the tree trunk.

Thalen stares at Ulrich, his mouth agape.

---

Leaving the Inn
A long-handled shovel in his hands -- not the best weapon but it will do! -- Gaelan races after Beric and Thea. To the tannery!

Lirann brandishes her staff and chants a quick incantation before sending a bolt of deadly magic at the one eyed assailant.

There's a flash of light as the bolt strikes the man. He barely even has time to react as the impact lifts him off his feet and slams him into the wall. He crumples into a heap on the ground, unmoving.

"Damn it!" The other assailant, a man, in his 40's perhaps, with greasy hair and a desperate look, moves forward towards Ophira, wincing in pain each time he has to lean on his bad leg.

Ulrich, whatever remains of him, pauses briefly as the arrow whizzes past him. Then, as if suddenly registering the new threat, he turns on the spot, lunging with ferocious speed back towards Thalen!

Ophira prepares to conjure forth her sorcery to protect herself, only to remember that she used it to save someone's life just minutes ago! Ah well; 'twas worth it, even if it leaves me in a bind now! she thinks, and quickly backpedals away from the threatening men. She cheers when Lirann drops one of the men with her magic, but shouts a warning when the seemingly dead man lunges at Thalen, saying, "Thalen, no!" Then, at the dead man, she yells, "You stay away from them! May the Moonlit Lady curse your blade, you foul thing!"

"Stay away from her!" Norn shouts as the bandit gives chase. The stranger passes his fallen comrade and picks up the blade lying on the ground. Lirann sees him take aim with the club and throw with all his might. Moments later, Ophira feels the impact as it slams into her, nearly knocking her off balance. Looking over her shoulder, she sees he is still after her, now with the short sword in hand. Yet with his wounded leg, he struggles to catch up to her.Ulrich heaves forward towards Thalen, slashing wildly with the sickle. Yet between Thalen's agile footwork and Ophira's quickly woven spell, he strikes nothing but air.