| Chapter 5 "All for a bugbear?" Winnie thought as she hovered near Culm, watching as he prepared to break through the door into the Thief's Den. Of course there hadn't been much else to do except to accept the Captain of the Guard's 'offer' for the band of four to clear out the den. It was either that or watch as a nasty band of rabble-rousers tear poor Grodd apart at the limbs. So their stay in Stronghold hadn't been completely without complications. Naturally, she sighed deeply. Now the crew found themselves faced with yet another odd adventure. Fiona to her left, Culm out front, the ever faithful Grodd at his side, the four faced down two Harpys and a flock of stirges already. Narrowly escaping death, the injured party bedded down for the night, questioning the worth of pressing on. Of course Fiona had spoken her piece, urging them onwards in the hopes that this would be worth more than just gaining Grodd's freedom from the angry fearful mob in town. Although this time Winnie agreed with her, it was about time that they enjoyed some sort of fruit of their labors. Winnie watched as the others slept. She decided that Culm still frightened her somewhat. His Berserker frenzies had kept them all alive, but still the frenzies were so unpredictable and deadly, to even themselves. There was no controlling his actions when he was in that state. Anything living would submit to his rage and as far as Winnie noticed that submission often ended in death. He was a powerful ally, but an even worse enemy, something, she mused, to keep in mind during battle. Fiona snored loudly. Not quite as melodious a sound as often came from her throat. Winnie shook her head as she stirred beneath her blanket. What was it that drove that woman? Greed? The need for fame and fortune? Or was she merely trying to prove some cosmic point to an unseen demon that haunted her? Winnie doubted that they'd ever know what drove Fiona, perhaps it was best to just stay clear of any 'business' issues and let her handle terms and booty. Dawn crept over the horizon and a new day dawned. Time to move on, Culm grunted as he choked down his rations. No time for the genteel, Winnie thought as she swallowed her dry bread with some difficulty, tossing the crust in the bushes in hopes that a hungry bird might find it more to its liking than Winnie did. Besides, who needed to die on a full stomach? Culm and Grodd trudged ahead before the women could break camp. Winnie watched the pair as they made the turn towards the thief's den. What laid ahead for the four was about to be discovered. Breathlessly Fiona and Winnie steadied themselves as Culm broke down the door to the den. Grodd emitted an audible grunt as he poked his head inside the door. He waved his huge paw behind him. Motioning for the women to follow he and the large Barbarian. Winnie squinted, letting her Elven eyes adjust to the darkness inside. "Smell anything, elf?" Culm asked, gruffly. Fiona and Winnie exchanged glances and shrugged. Culm shook his head and regarded the three doors that faced them. Without another word he broke through the first door and stopped short. Inside the shabbily decorated room was nothing more than a chest. Without hesitation Culm wielded his axe upwards, bringing the backside of the blade down onto the lock and hinge. "Wait!" Winnie shouted as she fixed her eyes on the chest. A small breeze blew past her cheek and she breathed in deeply. "I detect only a small amount of magical powers within the room." "Open it, let's see what is inside." Fiona said almost greedily, leaning forward to view the impending contents of the chest. In one motion, before anyone could even consider reacting, Culm opened the lid and Fiona peered inside only to be met with a puff of dusty grey smoke. Winnie watched as she bard lurched forward, then reared back and fell faint on the dirt floor. Culm and Winnie looked on in disbelief as Grodd lunged forward, scooping her nearly lifeless body into his bear-like arms. The chest had been trapped and now one of their comrades was under the influence of some terrible poison, the full effects yet to be seen. "Town�must go back�save elf." Grodd boomed loudly as he made for Fiona's mount. He threw her limp form over the saddle and began running, nearly dragging the horse down the path towards town. Culm and Winnie followed closely, fearing that their adventure may have killed their bard. |