LXXX. The Hunchback

"Let’s head back to the inn," Troy suggested. "Maybe more’s been going on the last few months." The rest of the party agreed, and they left the tavern for the inn.

Early in the wee hours of the next day, the adventurers met up with one of the local shopkeepers who dropped in for a nightcap. The man had an item of interest. "There was this hunchback," he related. "Seen him loading a wagon, I did." He took a swig of ale and continued. "Dumped a long sack into the wagon. Then he left town."

The adventurers learned that others had seen the hunchback also. He did not appear in any specific location; he was observed mostly near dark alleys on the south side of town.

"Sounds suspicious, for certain," said Zzyggy. "I say we try to find him, see what he’s up to," suggested Troy. The party agreed to begin a stake-out the following night.

Next day, the adventurers stocked up on potions, rations and other goods. They identified locations in town to observe: run-down streets, dark alleys, seedy taverns. After dark they began the stake-out.

For two nights, nothing unusual happened. On the third night, about 3am, Troy spotted their quarry: a small hunchback with a long tied-up object over his shoulder. The hunchback headed toward a cart, into which he deposited the object. Then he climbed aboard and began to head out of town.  Heading south.

The party decided to follow. The cart left easily followed tracks, which the adventurers followed throughout the day, for about 24 miles, following the Javan River and into the Little Hills. They then camped for the night.

The next day, the party continued tracking the cart south. Toward the end of the day, in the Little Hills, Adam found a spot where the cart seemed to have stopped. A horse had approached, then left, and the cart had then continued south through the Little Hills, proceeding into a narrow canyon. 

As dusk fell, the party paused. Adam thought he heard something. He dismounted and began to look around. Zzyggy also heard something. The gnome remained mounted. Troy heard nothing.

Adam looked up toward the western side of the canyon.

Boulders headed toward the party! Adam and Troy were struck by falling rocks. Ahead of the party, a large rockslide blocked the road. As the adventurers tried to back away from the slide, from behind them there emerge seven disreputable-looking warriors on horseback. A voice from above called out.

"Well well, lookie here, me friends!" laughed the voice. To the party, the voice continued, "If you’ll just be handing over your goods, you can be on your way!"

Adam’s reply was to rage and charge at the thieves!

The furious barbarian reached the nearest thief and brought his sword down in a savage blow. The defenseless thief fell with cloven head.

"‘E got Pepin!" cried one of the remaining bandits. The mounted outlaw raced to Troy, scimitar out, and slashed the fighter as he passed by, then wheeled around while another bandit on horseback rushed at the fighter and slashed at him. This time, Troy dodged the assault.

A mounted thief advanced on Adam, wielding a warhammer, but missed his target. An arrow flew through the air and struck the barbarian. "Good shot, Meginhard!" one of bandits cried. He drew and fired another arrow, but his shot sailed high. "Not so good, Werinbert!" laughed another thief, as he rode up to Adam, swinging another warhammer. He too missed.

They’re overconfident, this bunch, thought Zzyggy. Not even hiding their names.

A third hammer-wielding thief connecter, jolting the barbarian.

Now Troy swung his greatsword on the second scimitar-wielding thief. The blow devastated the hapless bandit, who was almost dismounted by it. As Troy was dealing with his foe, Zzyggy blasted the first bandit with barrage of magic missiles, severely wounding him. The thief desperately tried to withdraw from the melee.

"Quittin’ already, Otker? Not like you, mate," chided the second scimitar-armed bandit. The fleeing brigand ignored his fellow wounded thief. The second bandit then turned his attention to Troy. He tried to swing at the fighter. The scimitar caught on his saddle, and he fumbled the weapon! Before he could recover his weapon, Troy cut him down. "Bero!" cried one of the remaining thieves as his companion fell from the saddle.

Two more arrows whizzed past Adam and Troy’s heads from somewhere above the canyon floor. Zzyggy and Troy heard movement from above, to the west.

Adam ignored the arrows and stepped up to the two hammer-wielding bandits. He swung at the nearer one (the one who had missed him), but he also missed.

The two archers the party could see both shot at Adam, but missed, as did the first of the hammer-armed brigands. The second battered Adam, seriously wounding him.

Zzyggy shot three magic missiles at the first hammer-wielder attacking Adam. The brigand screamed in pain and fell dead from his mount.

Two more bandits came down from the canyon to replace the fallen.

Adam’s next swing eviscerated the second hammer-armed brigand. Then Meginhard and Werinbert targeted the barbarian. Meginhard shot at Adam again, piercing his arm. Werinbert rode up to the raging barbarian, drew a warhammer and swung. The barbarian ducked the blow. But Werinbert’s horse hit Adam, drawing blood from a nasty forehead wound!

The two reinforcements flanked Zzyggy and Adam, respectively. Zzyggy suffered a deep scimitar wound. Adam dodged a warhammer. Troy in turn slashed Adam’s attacker.

Two more Zzyggys suddenly appeared: mirror images.

From above came voices. "If you want something done right, Tassilo," said the first, "you have to do it yourself, Waltgaud!" said the second. Two new brigands came on down. Both looked better-equipped than the other bandits. Waltgaud stepped up to Troy, pulled out a whip and tried to disarm him. But Troy managed to wriggle free from the whip’s attack.

Adam, despite still being flanked, slashed at the first new bandit. One hit, one kill! Then the raging barbarian cleaved into Meginhard. Another hit, and Meginhard staggered. The bandit was almost dead! His weak retaliatory attack missed Adam badly.

The second bandit reinforcer rushed Zzyggy, swinging a vicious scimitar. He landed a brutal blow on . . . the real Zzyggy! The gnome fell, mortally wounded. Blood kept flowing.

Tassilo, wielding a rapier, bore down on Troy and pierced the beleaguered fighter. Troy repositioned to attack Waltgaud–and provoked an attack from the brigand leader’s whip which disarmed him! Having lost his blade, Troy instead quaffed a potion of cure moderate wounds, which exposed him to another attack, this time from the rapier of Tassilo. The fighter barely avoided another piercing wound.

The inert form of the gnome continued to bleed.

Waltgaud pulled out his longsword and swung at Troy. "You should have yielded, you fool!" the brigand taunted as his blade slashed the fighter, inflicting another severe wound.

Adam approached toward Tassilo and the first reinforcing bandit. "Adalbert! Ware!" cried Waltgaud. In moving on the two brigands, the barbarian had left himself open to opportunistic attack from Waltgaud. The brigand leader tripped him! But Adam proved sure-footed enough to remain standing. His attack, however, missed–he was still slightly off-balance.

The remaining bandits continued their attacks. Meginhard shot at Troy, grazing him; Troy ignored the pinprick, drew his greatsword, and slashed Waltgaud across the abdomen. Adalbert moved to flank Adam, then swung his warhammer, but missed. "Ha!" gloated Adam. "Ha!" exclaimed Tassilo as he flanked the barbarian and, roguishly, landed a sneak attack with his rapier. "Ahhh!" cried Adam as the rapier pierced his left shoulder, severely injuring him.

"Now you die!" Waltgaud shouted at Troy. He landed a huge blow, and the fighter went down. Adam was now left to confront the bandits by himself. He attacked Adalbert, but missed. Meginhart’s shot missed the barbarian, due to the confusion of melee.

Adalbert and Tassilo flanked Adam. Both swung at the barbarian. Scimitar and rapier both found their mark. Adam was obviously near to falling! Meanwhile, neither Troy nor Zzyggy stabilized; both continued to bleed, nearing death.

Suddenly, Graves and Fiora showed up! "Adam! Zzyggy! Troy! We’re here!" Graves shouted above the din of melee. Waldgaud spotted the two adventurers approaching.

Energized by the unexpected appearance of his allies, Adam shook off his many wounds and renewed his attack on Adalbert. The raging barbarian brought down the bandit with a mighty swing, then cleaved at Tassilo. The rogue staggered under the attack, suffering a critical wound!

Meginhart shot at Adam again, but missed again.

Fiora entered the battle, on horseback, taking up a defensive position. Graves followed, then loosed an arrow at Meginhart. The bandit ducked as the arrow grazed his arm.

"Take the barbarian!" Waltgaud ordered Meginhart. "I’ll handle the newcomers!" Immediately, the bandit leader charged at Graves. A ferocious blow devastated the adventurer. Fiora galloped to Graves’ aid, rapier drawn, but missed the brigand.

Adam turned his attention to the dying gnome. A potion of cure light wounds quickly stabilized him. But Meginhart’s next shot wounded the barbarian again. Adam staggered, and with his last strength tried to leave the battle. Graves stepped into the gap, shooting at Waltgaud and piercing the bandit leader’s leg. Blood gushed from the wound, and the brigand realized the battle had turned. He tried to flee back toward Meginhart, who had likewise opted for retreat.

As the two bandits ran off, fleeing into a side canyon, Adam quaffed a cure moderate wounds potion. "That’s better!" he called out to the other adventurers. "Now Zzyggy and Troy need help!" Fiora and Graves sped to their fallen friends and administered healing potions.

Leaving Troy and Zzyggy to rest, Adam, Fiora and Graves searched the bodies of the bandits. They found a number of masterwork weapons, some magic armor, and a few potions, as well as a goodly amount of gold and silver pieces. They also took charge of the dead bandits’ mounts.

After burying the dead bandits, the party continued south for a few hundred yards, until they were out of sight of the battleground. They then made camp for the night, and prepared themselves for the next stage of the pursuit.