The Mother of Monsters

The gates to the settlement were made entirely out of local wood. Two thick columns of wood-framed a pair of enormous paneled doors that were shut tight beneath an overhead walkway. If Teyva craned her neck she could see the beginnings of a perimeter wall that stretched out of sight behind the wall of trees on either side. There were three guards positioned at the gate; the first two they had seen upon approach, standing at either side. The third had popped up as they drew closer, standing on the gate itself.

All three of them were tall, broad-shouldered, and had forest green skin. Each of them wore simple armor, padded cloth fitted with plates of metal adhered to leather to provide additional protection. They were all armed as well, carrying a set including a hatchet slipped onto their belt and an enormous bow held tightly in their hands. Teyva glanced over at Azrael then back at the men; “Bows?” She murmured, examining them with her journal.

She glanced up at the one standing atop the gate.

“Orcs are well known for their mastery of archery and the raw power they can put behind a compound bow,” Azrael said in a quiet voice. “Any information from your journal?”

Teyva raised an eyebrow; that feature of her powers Azrael was more than comfortable with. She smirked inwardly and nodded; “The two below are grunts, too tough for me but you could probably take them if it came to it. The guy up top is roughly your equal and has an aspect power,” She said, trying not to nod in his direction. She didn’t want to look like they were coming up with a plan. Azrael huffed, staring up at the Guard Captain. She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the right.

“He doesn’t look that tough.”

“Could you not say that within earshot?” Teyva asked.

“What happened to immortal and crazy?” Azrael shot back with a grin.

“Oh shut up.”

As they drew in closer, the guards moved forward and positioned themselves between the pair and the doors. One of them drew his bow and drew an arrow back. The other raised a hand and gestured for the pair to stop where they were. “That’s far enough! Not another step, strangers!” The guard, Hakal, shouted. Azrael tensed a little at the sight of the bow being drawn back and came to a stop. Teyva did the same. If Azrael was nervous, Orcs with bows were no joke. Both women raised their hands, showing they were unarmed. The mockerys trembled irritably in Teyva’s gambeson, she chided them mentally and ordered them to stand down.

Azrael spoke first; “I am Azrael Unabi, a messenger of King Thrake of the Azar. I am returning home from these lands and I seek shelter for the night for myself and my traveling companion! We mean you no harm!” She shouted.

There was a pause, Hakal and Mors looked up at Elat who had dipped into a crouch, rubbing his chin. He cupped his mouth and shouted back; “What business does the Azar King have in these lands?”

Azrael swallowed, “I was sent with a missive of peace to the Humans! I was rebuffed and I am now returning home!”

Another pause, Elat shook his head; “And they let you leave alive?”

Azrael cursed, Teyva sighed, she knew where this was going; “There was an attempt on my life, yes!” Azrael responded half-heartedly.

“We have no love for the humans in this place, but we also want no quarrel with them. I am sorry but you should find shelter elsewhere! We have our own problems to deal with as it is!” Elat called back.

Teyva grunted and called up her inventory, plucking the Signet ring from it and holding it up. “We also came to return this ring! It was found in a wolf of the forest! We believe it belongs to your settlement!” Teyva shouted, “Please! We have lost our pursuers and want nothing but a place to rest for the night!”

She couldn’t make out Elat’s face from this distance but she was sure he was squinting at the object in her hand. “Evaded or killed?”

Teyva lowered her hand, “They won’t be following us,” She said grimly.

There was a long pause as the three men turned to one another and conferred. Elat seemed to take charge of the conversation; gesturing to the two of them and then himself. The other two nodded along with what he was saying before they broke off and Elat raised a hand; “One night! Then you will have to leave, we cannot risk more than that!” He paused; “You will have to present yourselves to the Elder as well. If he decides you cannot stay; you will be asked to leave regardless!”

The two women let out a sigh of relief, Teyva running her fingers through her hair and rubbed her face, releasing a little stress; “It’s something, right?”

“Indeed,” Azrael grunted.

One of the two guards gestured for the women to approach while the other moved to push the gates open. After a minute of effort he managed to get them wide enough so that one of their kind could pass through without incident. Teyva looked up into the face Mors as she approached, trying to get a feel for him. Just like Hakal his jaw was wide and strong; a pair of tusks jutting up from his mouth that were decorated with a single silver band each. His eyebrows were hard and pronounced but his eyes were much softer. To her surprise he cracked a smile and scratched the back of his head, his thick black hair mussing a bit.

“You lot look like you’ve seen a bit,” He said with a jovial voice, “Hope the elder lets you stay, you could use the rest I think! That and uh… it’s not often we get visitors,” he added the last bit in a lower tone.

“Hakal! Hurry it up!” Elat shouted from above.

Teyva offered Hakal a smile before passing him by, not wanting to get him into trouble. He seemed like a good enough sort at least. Azrael on the other hand stuck close by Teyva, her expression hard and her eyes flitting left and right as if in search of something. Teyva glanced her way, cocking an eyebrow in question. Azrael made a face; “My people have been in conflict with Orckin on occasion. They have a talent for ambushes,” Azrael said in a low voice.

Teyva frowned at her as they entered the settlement, glancing around. It was surprisingly large, with wooden buildings framing either side of a central street that intersected with another almost two city blocks down. There were dozens of people here, all of them going about their days. It didn’t seem like much of an ambush to Teyva. Azrael also looked confused, standing up straighter and peering around at the buildings. Most of them were just a story tall with a few select structures rising to two.

“It comes with the territory,” came a voice from behind them; they turned to see Elat walking toward them; “Though I hear that the Azar never back down from a challenge; even one of our ‘ambushes’.” Elat said, resting his hands on his hips. He was broader than the guards, his eyes more intense with a bit of a glow about them. “Especially a Warden.”

Azrael stiffened and opened her mouth but he just chuckled; “I saw your sword, I’ve seen its like before.”

Azrael relaxed and crossed her arms, frowning at the big man. Teyva marveled at him now that he was close; he had to be at least two heads taller than her.

“Well? Azar and…” Elat lingered on Teyva who smiled weakly, “Friend? Do you have names?”

“Azrael Unabi,” Azrael said, bringing her fist up to her chest.

“Teyva Akura,” Teyva said, she wasn’t sure what to do with her hands at this point so she just let them hang there.

“I am Elat Troud, Captain of this settlement’s guard, I’ll be taking you to see our Elder now so let’s not waste time, yes?” He said, gesturing to the street ahead of them.

“Thank you, for giving us a chance,” Teyva said.

“Don’t thank me yet,” He grunted in response and turned to the path. He lead them through the center of town, most of the locals stopping to stare. A few of them muttered the word ‘Azar’ under their breath and watched Azrael closely. On the other hand, they looked at Teyva with more confusion than anything. A few times she tried to smile but her teeth sent those she smiled at shuffling away. Azrael couldn’t help but throw in a snicker at that and Teyva nudged her with her elbow in retaliation. By the time they had arrived with Elat to the center of town, the two of them had fallen into silent bickering.

“Ladies?” Elat said, clearing his throat.

Teyva was just about to shoot off a remark when she turned, blinking in Elat’s direction. Azrael’s arms were crossed again but her expression was far less moody than it usually was. They were both standing at the meeting point of the two streets. Erected in the dead center of it all was a narrow tower-looking building that had to be no more than an ungainly-looking hut. The streets themselves wrapped around the hut, forming a roundabout. A simple wooden door was affixed to the front of the obelisk-looking building.

“Our Elder is inside,” He said after giving the duo a stern look; “Please be respectful of him and his time.”

The women nodded and he opened the door, the scent of incense and flowers rushing over them in a wave. Azrael wrinkled her nose but Teyva found it oddly soothing. She stepped in first, finding herself in a small room no larger than ten feet by ten feet. The walls and floor were covered in tapestry and cloth, objects of all sorts had been set here and there with no discernable order to it all. At the dead center of the room were a few sets of pillows on either side of a large basin filled with glowing coals.

“Elder, these two wish to stay the night with us here in the settlement,” Elat said behind Teyva and a reluctant-looking Azrael. Teyva was about to point out that the room was empty when a hissing sound caught her off guard.

“Sit down ladies, please,” Came a shaky voice from somewhere deeper inside. Teyva blinked and there he was; as if he’d always been there. Thin, tired, and old with white hair and withered muscles. The Elder looked more like a mummy than a living person. His green skin had grown pallid with age and there was the occasional spot on his arms, legs, and neck. His tusks were far more pronounced than his younger kin; marked with several gold rings. He raised a thin hand to Elat; “Leave us.”

Elat shut the door without hesitation, leaving the three of them in the dark. A single candle burst to life nearby, its flame flickering for a moment before growing strong. Teyva didn’t even see the old man move nor did she hear him speak.

“Sorcerer,” Azrael breathed.

“That’s right, young lady. Now, why don’t you two tell me what you’re doing all the way out in these dangerous woods?” The old man said, leaning forward, a pair of sharp blue eyes gleaming at them.