No Rest For The Weary:

The wounds from the whipping healed faster than the anger. Over the next few days, the group worked around the fort, learning their duties as their backs slowly healed. Much of the work was dirty and nasty, and most of the rest was just boring: standing watch on the tower was exciting for the first hour or so, and then it was just an exercise in trying to seem alert in case Orios passed by. One day, someone was whipped for breaking a pot while helping the cook. It rained.

At one point, the Group did get a chance to go out on a half-day patrol with Sostratos. They found nothing but some old tracks from the lizard riders, but it was better than hanging around the fort washing dishes.

It was perhaps four days after the Group’s whipping that riders on horseback from Fort Central arrived. They walked around the fort freely, and assumed an air of command that no one ever challenged. They stayed a couple of days, talking to Orios and the other soldiers. The Group believed they were there to investigate the fort, perhaps because of Permere’s report.

Twice, one or two of the Group found themselves in conversation with the riders. After talking with one another, they found the conversation went similarly both times. Would you like to leave the fort and transfer to Central? (Hell yes.) You know, if anything suspicious was to happen around here, there would be an investigation, and we have heap big magic to get right to the truth. Depending on what actually happened, some people could swing at the end of a rope. Can’t imagine this would be an issue, not even sure why I mentioned it, but probably good for you to know anyway. Nice meeting you guys!

The morning the riders left, the Group gathered their gear, preparing to go out on patrol. At the last minute, they were informed that they would be staying at the fort and Michodo’s squad would take the patrol instead. This was an uncomfortable development--why the sudden change?

The answer soon became clear. Orios stalked around the fort fuming, watching intently as the group cleaned or stood watches. It was not long before he had found some meaningless fault with Anthoon and Laos, and sent them into the courtyard. However, Laos had had enough. As the other soldiers assembled to watch the whipping, Laos began to shout. He called Orios a tyrant, a coward, a perpetrator of injustice who wouldn’t get away with it forever. Orios watched the tirade, a faint smirk playing on his face. He cut in when Anthoon managed to mash his left arm into Laos’s mouth for a moment.

“Very well, five lashes for you. Would you like to make it seven?”

Seven lashes could quite possibly be fatal. Laos looked around him briefly, saw Sostratos mouthing “shut up” at him, and shut up.

The whippings were brief and fierce. Anthoon managed to walk away from the post afterward. Laos, amazingly, kept his continence and his silence through all five lashes, but on the fifth lash, he collapsed completely. He could not be revived, though he was still breathing. Anthoon watched him for an hour after they had been delivered to their cots, and decided he would probably live.

As usual, Orios returned to his quarters after the whipping. No one saw him again that day, and the group finished their work for the day and ate supper. No one felt like playing music that night. As they sat around talking, Sostratos informed them that they would be going out on patrol the next day, unless of course Orios changed his mind again. Everyone looked at Laos, still breathing raggedly on his cot. Sostratos said Laos would stay behind.

They did leave for patrol the next morning, this time a full day patrol. The skies threatened rain, but while they were out, there was no more than a speckling. Kosmas noticed some large, foul animal spoor. Sostratos said he was not sure, but thought it might be scat from night hyenas--vicious, oversized hyenas they were fortunately not likely to encounter during the day. They noted the tracks were heading into Troizen territory and out of the wastes, but could not tell how old they were. They continued on, and the rest of their patrol passed without incident.

When they got back to the fort, Orios immediately demanded that Anthoon bare his back, checking to see if he had healed himself. He had not, and so escaped a second whipping. Later they found out that Laos had recovered consciousness while they were out, and had passed a similar test from Orios. The group was happy to see Laos hobbling about, and sat that night playing a bit of music before going to bed.

The next two days the group did their routine work around the fort, and each night a couple of the young men stood watch on the guard towers. When they got to chatting with one another after the watches, they found that three of them had been approached by other soldiers, and quizzed about what they would do if there was a mutiny. The word “mutiny” was never spoken, but the message was clear. Anthoon and Kosmas said much the same thing--they had told their interrogators they would not participate in a mutiny, that they didn’t want to hang. Laos said he took a neutral position with the man who questioned him, committing to nothing.

It was some time later that the group realized that Anthoon and Kosmas had been approached by the Humakt (Michodo’s squad), while Laos had been collared by someone from Nikostas’s squad.

The day after Kosmas and Anthoon stood their watches, the Group was sent out on patrol again. The weather had cleared, and apart from the odd patch of mud, the travel was pleasant. The cool breeze foretold the coming of winter, however. As the group headed out, they found several tracks in the mud of people walking, some booted and some barefoot. Sostratos guessed that these were probably broo tracks. No one could tell how old the tracks were, but everyone walked a bit more on their guard.

It was on their return trip that they were accosted, but not by broo. A band of impala riders came around a curve of a hill and stared at them. Both groups prepared for battle, but at the first arcing longbow shot from Kosmas, the riders fled. The group grinned at each other; it seemed word of their previous battle had gotten around.

They returned safely to the fort a bit before dark and let Sostratos pass on the word of the broo tracks to Orios. No shouting ensued, and Sostratos came back to the mess tent with a calm expression. Relieved, the group had a relaxed evening and slept relatively comfortably.

The next day, the group was back to dull chores. It was late in the day and Kosmas and Laos were manning the watch towers when two figures on foot staggered around a hill. They were men; Laos soon recognized them as part of Spryos’s patrol who had left earlier that day. Kosmas ran down to let them in as Laos kept watch.

The men, Astynoc and Alcibius, came inside. Alcibius had lost a hand; other freshly healed wounds were evident on both of them. They were helped to their cots and cleaned up. Astynoc told their story: they had stopped for lunch and were ambushed by broo. Six broo set upon the five soldiers. Though the soldiers fought fiercely, and slew two of their attackers, the battle turned against them by degrees, not least because one of the broo was an oversized monster swinging a great axe that cleaved through shield and bone alike. The two survivors barely escaped, and that only because their comrades had managed to cripple a couple of the remaining broo before they were themselves slain.

The mood that evening at supper was sober. Orios was furious, and glared angrily at the two survivors, but said nothing to them. He announced that Nikostas’s squad would journey south the next day to retrieve the bodies. There was only quiet conversation that night before those who were not on watch went to bed.

The next day the Group expected Orios to seek someone out for blame, and they were not disappointed. Fortunately, if not justly, the blame fell on a warrior from Michodo’s squad. The Group was on watch and did not leave their posts to attend to the whipping. They never found out what the man was supposed to have done.

Nikostas’s squad returned with the three bodies later that day. They had been stripped, mutilated, and decapitated. The squad could not find any of the heads. The bodies were lowered into the freshly dug graves and a funeral service was held. Orios spoke with sincerity and eloquence before returning back to his quarters. The remaining soldiers of the fort were quiet at suppertime, and those who were not on watch went to sleep as early as possible.

The group had not been up long the following morning before Sostratos informed them that they would be traveling that day, though he did not know where. An hour later he told them: some new recruits were being dropped at the old drop point, and The Group was going to escort them in. This was through the same territory where Spryos’s squad had been attacked, and indeed where the heroes themselves had been ambushed a few weeks prior. Kosmas groaned.

Then the news got worse. Apparently, the recruits were not to disembark at all unless an escort was present. Therefore, no chances would be taken on the escort being late. They would leave today, and stay the night at the drop point in order to ensure their presence when the ship arrived. If they still lived, of course.

At least this time they got to take the cart as they went out. They piled their gear onto the cart and set out, watching as alertly as they could. The hours ticked by and no broo swarmed over any hills at them, though at one point they did come upon tracks that were probably broo tracks. There was nothing to do but proceed on, though they tensed up as the approached the crest of each hill for a while.

About eight hours later they had reached the drop point, alive, and with a little light of day still left. Sostratos suggested they removed themselves a bit from the drop point, as it was by now fairly well known. They did so, traveling a half hour back into the hills and making camp. Anthoon announced he had an idea for defensive fortifications, and began gathering rocks. Half an hour later he announced he was done, gesturing grandly at the eight foot long, eight inch high barrier he had erected along one edge of the camp. Kosmas and Laos chuckled; Sostratos only shook his head. They ate and talked quietly for a while into the evening, huddling under their blankets against the chill night air. They did not make a fire.

It was about midnight that Laos saw something glinting off in the dark. Something green. He woke up Sostratos and asked him to check it out. Sostratos woke and looked around. They both saw the green glint more clearly. The glint was eyes, glowing green eyes, now rushing toward them. Sostratos shouted at the others to wake up. They started to wake, too slowly.

Laos and Sostratos stepped in front of their sleeping comrades and prepared to meet the charge of the monsters. There were three. They were big, doglike things with huge heads and jaws. And glowing green eyes.

One animal veered around Laos and headed straight for Anthoon, who was groggily getting to his feet. The creature was closing in, ready to tear off Anthoon’s leg, when Laos spun around with preternatural speed and stabbed his spear precisely into the beast’s scruffy ear. The monster fell to the ground, twitching.

Meanwhile, Sostratos was locked in struggle with another one of the beasts, and the third had circled around to attack Leucas. It looked bad for the unarmed and unarmored magician as the monster raced in to rip out his throat. But at the last instant, Leucas sprang sideways and rolled, ending up behind the confused creature.

There were still two fiends left, now facing Sostratos and Kosmas. Sostratos missed his attacker and got a savage bite on the arm, and Kosmas only just managed to leap back before a wild snap, barely saving his leg. Now, however, all the group was awake. Laos ran back around to the creature fighting Sostratos, and thrust his spear into its side. Anthoon picked up his own spear and managed to catch the remaining beast under the armpit as it tried another unlucky lunge. Both monsters continued to struggle feebly for a moment, but were quickly hacked down.

The group took a moment to heal Sostratos’s arm, and found it very difficult to heal, though he did regain its use after several healing spells. Sostratos explained that these were night hyenas, and those who survived their attacks found that their wounds did heal poorly. He congratulated the group on their victory, and then looked wearily around at the corpses lying on the ground. Something would have to be done about those before anybody got back to sleep.