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NW D 5

The troop were watching the bandit camp from a far shrowded by darkness and the trees of the forest, Meredith was perched in a tree over looking the bandit encampment there were ten large tents each one probably housing between ten and twenty ruffians, there was a large fire in the centre of the camp and a collection of weapons being tended by a blacksmith of to one side where they appeared to have constructed a makeshift forge. Around the fire were a dozen or so bandits eating and talking, outside of each tent was another small fire with small groups around. Meredith watched in silence taking in every detail of the scene, around the camps permieter was a low wooden palisade with a front and rear entrance, pit latreens were outside of the make shift wall and every hundred or so meters there was a sleepy looking guard with a torch pole, walking from one entrance to the other around the permieter were patrols of two bandits. Most of the bandits were armed with spears and short swords a few of them had bows or cross bows. There were no signs of more powerful adversaries, Meredith made a few shapes with her hands and continued to watch.

Flacidious turned to the others and relayed what Mererdith had seen quietly they were collected into a huddle.

“So the plan stays the same, we attack them at dawn?” Sial asked for confirmation.

“It seems best, we’ll start by setting the tents alight and then moving on the patrols while they’re dissoriented.”

They all nodded at the suggestion.

“Do we have to hold back?” Primela asked excitedly.

“No. They’re bandits, wipe them out, judging by their armemaments they were guards at some point maybe soldiers.”

“Most bandits are, maybe defectors from the wars in the north?” Gilnar noted.

“I wouldn’t be suprised. Maybe even formed local forces that decided to act on the current uncertainty.”

Primela face turned into the picture of unadulterated excitement.

“Primela I want you to slip into the encampent before the attack and sow the seeds of confusion. That is your forte afterall”

“I’ll see what i can do.” Primela said the excitement paltible in her tone.

“The rest of us will split up to assault the patrols” Flacidious indicated a few points using a stick and a rough sketch of the encampment on the floor.

Primela slipped past the guards with ease and found herself in the compound. She looked up to where Meredith was looking down at her and grinned. Meredith took little note and instead seemed to be concentrating on the buildings as Primela moved at great speed towards the weapons, the sky was lightening and the patrols seemed to have stopped patrolling while the guards looked half asleep.

Meredith stood up on the branch she had been perched and pointed her arm in the direction of the camp and splayed her fingers, her eyes began to burn a blazing red, her mouth moved making sounds that could not be heard and if they could have been would have brought the hearer to maddness, brilliant rays of fire exploded from her hand the roofs of the tents burst into flame despite being made of material built to protect from fire arrows.

The half asleep guards looked back shock on their faces and the sound of fire and super heated air erupted behind them at the same moment the other eight lept from the tree line baring down on the bandits. Within Primela’s claws sliced through men as they emerged paniced from burning tents many already suffering grusome burns only to find their limbs severed and stomachs opened effortlessly. One guard reached the alarm bell and as he blindly grabbed the cord to pull he was confused to find no noise, and it was oddly wet, then he looked down to see that the bell had been replaced by the head and a bloody stalk of neck without the guard noticing. He let out a shriek as Sial lept onto the palisade infront of him and hacked his arm off he stood dumbfounded for an instant before Sial’s other blade took sliced the mans head open and Sial slipped past the falling corpse.

Primela found herself surrrounded by three men armed with axes, they looked chared and scared of the grey women who stood without a single scratch on her but covered in blood and gore she grinned razor sharp teeth smeered with blood on show. The men lept forward and she moved with frightning grace, blood spreying from the mens throats and arms they seemed to float through the air before flopping to the ground, gurgling in their own blood.

Flacidious walked through the front entrance his long sword drawn, behind him was Long wielding a battle axe and Feng had a pair of short swords, a group of unarmed bandits came clambering along the side and stopped as it seemed they had noticed the three men. For a moment they stood and did nothing but then Feng and Long charged the men down and effortlessly hacked them to pieces, Flacidious joined the slaughter killing one unarmed bandit after another, on occasion one would have a short sword or a shield but the confused mass was no match for the practiced butchery of the Black Fang and above them all Meredith rained her own silent death down on the battlefield whenever someone looked that they may escape the carnage she would let loose an arrow lined with poison. Every one of her practiced shots made their mark and the poor victims would crumple to the ground and begin to writhe in agony.

Less then half an hour had past since the onslaught began and the camp had fallen mostly silent kicking while rummaging thorugh the remains Flacidious found the pits where the bandits were keeping prisoners a dozen or so terrified boys and girls huddled in the darkness they stared silently up at Flacidious, a dreadful stench wafted up to his nose he covered his face and shook his head.

“Meredith” He shouted. She bolted over and looked, taken a back for a moment.

“By Irisi” She also covered her nose and scrunched up her face, then looked at him out the corner of her eye.

“Get this shit cleaned up.” Flacidious walked off leaving the job to her.

It took her several hours but she eventually had the boys and girls vaguely presentable there was a variety of races from Larsi to Peck but mostly human. There of course were no Iri among the collection, they were all silent, she’d fashioned them with clothes and they sat drinking a thick soup she’d prepared.

“You got them cleaned up then?” Flacidious asked.

“Of course she did, she’s our little angel” Primela said with a laugh, Meredith scoweled at her. “now now little Mere angels don’t scowl” Meredith ignored her and looked at Flacidious

“Yes. I did.” Her hands were filthy and she looked exhausted.

“Good.” He looked them up and down and then stroked his goatie.

“Let me guess, you need me to take them back to the city like some kind of piper and have someone their deal with them for us?” Meredith observed. Flacidious clicked his fingers and grinned.

“That sounds like a wodnerful idea! We’ll be in that village!”

“Wonderful, well try not to be to bestial.” Meredith said with a sigh and a shake of the head and then she looked at the children “Shit.”


Meredith took the children back to the town and spent several hours arguing with various officials and eventually left them in the custody of the towns temple of the benevolent child where the master of the temple promissed that they would ensure that they would look for the childrens parents and if they were unable to find them they would ensure that they were sent to good homes. Meredith paid a substantial tithe and decided to head to the lodge they had aquired so that she could have a few hours of uninterupted sleep. Once in she sat on the cot she’d slept in before, looked around and laid down within moments she was fast asleep.

When meredith woke up it was pitch black in the room, she let out an irritated sigh but then shrugged and hopped out of bed her eyes adjusting to the darkness letting her move around with ease. A wagon passed her as she headed to the baths again and spent an hour or so there relaxing, “Two baths in one month, it must be my birthday.” She said as she got out and headed into the town, it was reasonably early but there was a cold bite to the air, she visited several different stores and ate a hearty meal people looked at her with suspicion but she never seemed phased. To those looking at her she must have seemed so very different not just her height, but her eyes that seemed to change on a whim, her skin seemed to give off a slight glow in the dark, her hair was prestine, and her figure was ever so slightly different to most other races. An unmistakable feel of the other hung about her like the smell of incense clung to a priestess. Where ever she stopped she seemed lost in endless thought as though she saw another world. She strummed her fingers on the table and bit her lip then she stood up with a start and headed back towards the temple.

As she got to the building she saw a wagon with a large box on the back of it, the master of the temple was having a whispered conversation with a shrivled raisen of a human, her finger twitched a moment as she watched, she bit her lip again.

“Never trust” she muttered to herself, before walking towards the pair, she noted another two, both men in brigandine armour and carry short swords and shields they saw her coming towards them and for a moment tensed up, but then seemed to relax.

“Why, little lady how can we help you?” One of the large men asked mockingly.

Meredith ignored them and walked past heading streight to the master and the raisen as she past them there was a small noise and then they collapsed to the ground.

“What’s in the box?” She demanded.

“Just supplies.” The master said then a moment of realisation appeared on her face.

“Supplies?” She said “Supplies!” She turned to the raisen “Open it. Now.” The box was about five foot high and twice as deep. The man stared at her mockingly.

“I think not child.”

“Deny me again and it will be the last thing you ever do.” She glared. “It may be anyway.”

“Ha” the Raisen drew a blade and the Master started to run back to the temple. Meredith drew her short sword and exploded towards the man who was stunned by the speed and while trying to step back instinctvly he tripped over his own feet falling to the ground. Her sword slashed and the mans head from below the cheak across the nose and up through the crown of his head came away. She turned to the wagon and let out a small sigh. she clambered up to the top and smashed part of it open and inside was the gore ridden collection she had feared.

“Torn up for parts” she looked back up at the sky, silent tears and bawled up fists. She looked back at the temple where the master had fled ground her teeth a moement and headed after her. The Town would be down a temple that day.