“Let’s get moving!” Grukk snapped out of his trance at Kara’s call. Quickly shoving the rune stone in his belt bag. “Moving?” The Half-Orc asked. “But we just finished a battle, we need rest.”
“Believe me, I could use some rest. But I don’t want to find out what a rotting ogre carcass will attract.”

The others thought a moment at that. Alydrezea nodded. “She’s right. All kinds of critters are going to want to come to eat the leftovers.”

Kara nodded at the drow. “Thank you! Now, there was plenty of food in this carriage that the ogres didn’t touch. I took as much as I could. Boris? Be dear and carry some of it, will ya?” The minotaur looked to his druidic friend, and only accepted to carry the extra supplies when Alydrezea gave a smile of encouragement.
They waited for their pickpocket friend to speak again, figuring she had some idea by now. Kara was looking down the road. “Okay, well, Red Wake is down this road. I have no idea how long it will take to get there. Another day or two on foot.”

“Why go to this town?” Grukk asked, curious about Kara’s intentions. “I know that’s where the carriage was taking us, but we have the option to head elsewhere now.”
The thief paused, gathering her thoughts. “Because the only one of us that’s any good at healing an injury is her.” Kara pointed to the drow, who perked up with a proud smile and friendly wave. “We need to keep on the move until the authorities in Iroas stop worrying about our prison break stunt. And we can’t do that without supplies.”

Grukk nodded along with Kara’s plan. “Red Wake is a trading hub. There will be lots of supply shops there. But that doesn’t solve one major problem. We hardly have any money.”
“Why not sell some of this stuff?” Alydrezea was holding up some fine silk clothing form the wreckage of the supply carriage they were stuffed in this morning.
“That’s the best we can do.” Kara sighed. “We should start moving. We’ll rest at sunset, once we’re all far away from this.” Her gloved hand gestured to the wreckage and the slaughtered ogres. Packing up, the party marched down the road. Heading south towards the town of Red Wake. The road was a simple dirt path, worn through the surrounding grasses and patches of woodlands. There was little traffic on the road on the latter half of this day. That made Kara feel a bit better. Grukk spoke only when spoken too, and would constantly take that ogre’s rune stone out of his bag, fiddle with it, and then put it back again. The amber-skinned woman’s eyes narrowed at that. Boris stayed quiet, with Alydrezea doing plenty of talking for the both of them. Mostly, the dark elf complained as to how bright it was during the day and insisted that she got to buy a hooded cloak or something to keep her eyes shielded.

“If that’s such problem, then why don’t you turn into bird or something and perch on the minotaur’s shoulder.” Kara retorted in annoyance at the drow’s griping.

Alydrezea responded with indignance. “Because I can only do that so many times, miss bossy! I need to relax and commune with the stars before I can change again.” Her voice got low, hinted with embarrassment. “B-besides, I don’t know how to turn into a bird yet…”
“The stars?” Grukk asked. “I though druids worshipped…trees or something?”
“Hahah! You are all so stupid! Only some druids worship trees or something! I look to the stars.” The drow druid said, puffing up with pride as they marched along.
“Okay, but what’s so special about the stars?” A question from Kara, that Alydrezea would have been glad to answer, had her mouth not been suddenly covered by the large rough hand of her minotaur friend.
“Don’t get her started. She’ll talk until you fall asleep tonight.” At the stoic barbarian’s statement, Alydrezea pushed his hand away. “I will not!” She protested with a pout.
The other two nodded. “So…why can’t you turn into a bird? You turned into a wolf and a panther and a spider before now.”
“Uuuh…” The drow woman placed her hand to her chin, staring up to the sky and thinking. “I don’t know. Maybe something doesn’t want me to do that yet?”
“Something like the stars? Or Nature?”
The druid could only shrug. Her expression one of innocent ignorance, and her silvery-white hair scuffing up with her movements.
“Okay okay, how about this.” Kara’s voice had changed. No longer nervous or barking out orders with street smart confidence. “Why don’t you change into a horse or something? We’d all take turns riding on your back. Or you could go ahead of us at least.”
“I don’t want to leave Boris behind. Or the rest of you, I guess….and there is no way I’ll let anybody ride me! I’m not some riding horse!” The expression behind her eyes was proof, she felt a bit insulted.
Kara raised up her hands in a gesture of apology. “Alright, alright. Geez. You druids sure are touchy. But why not turn into a wolf and stay like that all the time?”
“Pfft! If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to cast my magic. Then who would fix you guys up when an ogre smashes your face in?”
Grukk gave a glance to Kara, “She’s got a point.”
“Besides,” The druid mention in a matter-of-fact voice. “I can’t only take on an animal form for like an hour…maybe two.”
“Got it. Only useful for a short time.” Kara looked up at the sky. The sun was far off in the west, vanishing over the horizon. It would be dark soon. “Let’s set up a camp here.”

Just off to the side of the road, the party got to work to set up a camp. Kara made a campfire, Boris went to get firewood and kindling. Aly made sure there weren’t any dangerous animals nearby, best she could tell. Her mood improved with the sun going down and the starts sprinkling the night sky. Over the campfire, the group ate their rations, with Boris roasting a bizarre smelling piece of meat over the fire. Using a javelin like a roasting spicket. Much to the confusing of Grukk and Kara. Alydrezea didn’t seam to mind. She was eating and staring up at the stars.
“Uh…Boris?” Grukk asked as politely as he managed. “Where did you…get that meat? Did you hunt something while gathering the firewood?”
The minotaur grunted out a ‘no’ as he tore off a piece of charred meat to consume. After he swallowed, the half-orc got his answer. “I didn’t want to waste our kill from earlier.”
Kara cocked an eyebrow. Hazel eyes reflecting the crackling light of the fire. “Kill from-? Oh…oh my gods…you didn’t!”
“Ah, the ogres eh?” Grukk questioned, a bit sickened but unlike Kara, he tried to hide it. “How uh…how is it?”
“…a bit tough.” Boris mentioned, tearing off another bite for himself. Poor Kara turned her head to the side, her hand covering her mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

The night continued without much of a bother. Alydrezea offered to take first watch. A dark elf was still an elf, and her kind did not sleep. But they did dream. As she gazed at the stars, she felt her mind wander to her past. She recalled in her trance, the first time she met Boris. A forest similar to this one by them, but without a road running through it. She recalled the stars, the sound of a hunt, running through the trees as a doe to-. Her trance broke as she was shaken on the shoulder. Grukk was up to take watch.
For the half-orc, he sat and watched the fire slowly die out. Hearing something in the woods, he stood up and walked a mere ten feet to the edge of the roadside woods. Peering in. Half-orcs can see well enough in the dark. He heard it first. A whisper. Beckoning and innocent.
“Over here…hey…come here…. we’re here…come here…follow us…”
Then, Grukk saw it. An orb…just, an orb. Floating five feet off the ground, moving like a flying insect, and glowing a soft, eerie blue with a green tint. The former solider was considering investigating when a hand on his wrist stopped him. Turning back, he saw it was Alydrezea. Her warm, confident expression changed to a dower and serious one.
“Don’t.” She warned. “Don’t follow them.” The druid’s serious tone was a bit unnerving to the half-orc. He turned to look once more into the forest, seeing the glowing orb was now gone. Returning to the camp, he sat by the now dead fire.
“What was that?”
“Will-o-whisp. They like to trick people.” The druid stated, laying on her sleeping man and looking up at the stars. Grukk just nodded, fiddling the rune stone in his left hand as he kept watch.

When it was time for Boris to keep watch, he sat in the camp. Quiet. A voice calling to him. He could see a face in the ashes of the campfire. A great bestial face. Like in features to the minotaur, but with ten huge horns and burning, baleful red eyes. The minotaur looked to make sure the others were all asleep. He pulled out a water skin and poured its contents onto the ashes. The red blood of one of the ogres. The blood was soaked into the ashes in an unnatural manner…and the fiendish face disappeared. After that, Boris gritted his teeth, his muscles convulsing in place, as if he were to go into a barbaric rage! But he kept quiet. Biting down so hard, he bit through is cheek, causing some blood to trickle down his bovine chin. It was over as soon as it began, and the glint of magic behind his eyes shined ever so slightly brighter.

Finally, Kara Marsh. She demanded to have the last watch of the night. Thank goodness too. Alydrezea didn’t sleep but her trance kept her still and, thankfully, quiet. Boris was quiet in his sleep as well. It made her a bit nervous. But Grukk…Gods Above! That half-orc snored so loud she felt like sleeping next to a sawmill would be quieter! A breeze brought movement to the chill and stillness of the night air. The moon was hanging low in the sky at this point. As she watched each of her new allies sleep, she wondered about a few things. They seemed strong…good. None of them seemed too interested in money. Also, good. More for her. The Rajan woman pulled out a copper coin and flicked it up and down. Tink. Tink. Tink. After looking at this coin with nostalgia and worry, she put it away with a light sigh. Eyeing once more, her sleeping companions. Alydrezea’s silvery white hair was complimented will by moonlight. For a moment, Kara wondered how she would look with lighter hair. Boris and Alydrezea didn’t have much on them. That was obvious by the way they dressed. But Grukk…that solider boy was hiding something. Someone with secrets…takes one to know one, she thought. Quietly, and covered by the half-orc’s snoring, her hands expertly slipped into his bags. An old badge of office? Seemed he was in the Ironian military. She couldn’t tell what rank or position he was. Interesting but worthless. She slipped it back in the bag. He carried only as much coin as he said he was. Rations…rope...tinderbox…a set of dice… “Tch!” Her breath hitched with a light hiss as a sharp pain went into her finger. She froze! Grukk grunted in his sleep, but did not move, nor did he awake. The tension left her. But her finger was bleeding…. she pulled out a piece of a broken blade? It was still sharp. Kara’s hazel eyes rose at this. Why did he have this? Oh well, not like it was worth anything. She put it back. Then came the runic stone. It didn’t seem worth much to her, but Alydrezea did say it was magical. And Grukk said it was written in giant speak. But he kept fiddling with it…why? Sadly, the stone itself held no answers. She slipped it back into its proper pack, and the pickpocket moved away from her sleeping companion, to keep watch properly.

When morning came, Kara was the last one to awake. Finding the others were already packing up. With a yawn she gathered her bedroll and started off down the road once more. She could tell they were getting closer and closer to Red Wake. Not only was the roadside forest getting thinner, but the dirt beneath their feet was also getting more red.
“Why is the ground changing color?” Boris asked.
“Well good morning to you too.” Kara chuckled. These were the first words capped buffalo minotaur had spoken since yesterday. “Red Wake sits near a large clay deposit. The ocean water mixes with some odd minerals in the ground or something. The clay turns the ground a reddish brown. Clay is also the main export of the town.”
After several more hours of quick marching, Alydrezea complaining, and Grukk sharing ‘wartime tips’…not to mention a small skirmish with a large brown bear, the party finally found themselves at the entrance to the village of Red Wake. Kara Marsh could already feel relief at being in another town. News of them had yet to reach here, as the guards let them in without so much as a warning. "Okay, now we need to talk about what we do while we're here. Boris, you'll stay with me. We're going to get medical supplies. Grukk, see if you can find a weapon shop or smith. Alydrezea, you-...." Kara stopped, looked around confused. "Where'd she go?"

Grukk moved his head around on a swivvel, hopping to catch sight of the pettite drow woman. Boris, however, simply let out a sigh of familiar frustration and rubbed his eyes with forefinger and thumb.