The Sanna Valley Raid part 2 (homemade mission)
Theme: The Doctrine of Christ
Type: Sandbox hexmap
Time for us to complete: 22 game sessions.
Player Characters:
Philip the Raid Leader: 8th mission, 5th mission as Raid Leader. Riding Johny the horse.
Starflower the Lion Warrior (with Regulus the Lion): 8th mission, 5th mission as a Lion Warrior. Riding Alogo the horse.
William the Bear Knight (with Bill the Bear): 8th mission, 4th mission as a Bear Knight. Riding Arled the horse.
Edward the Knight of the Way (Forest Specialty): 8th mission. 2nd mission as a Knight of the Way. Riding Edmur the horse.
Cenbald the Potential (NPC), on his 1st mission.
Milda the Potential (NPC), with Cyna the badger. On her 1st mission.
Date in Real Life: Sunday January 16th, 2022
In Game Day: Sheva the 24th of Yuwol (6th day of mission)
“So do we head south to the lake, or continue to the west?” William asked as he rinsed his lunch dishes in the river.
“We should keep going west and come back to the lake later,” Edward suggested, putting away his cooking gear in his pack.
“No, we’ve got time,” Starflower said. “We’ve been on the trail for what? Six days? Even if this giant started making fifteen crystal balls on the day we arrived, that still gives us at least nine days to stop him, and we’re only half a day’s hike from the mountains.”
“Where’s the Raid Leader?” William muttered, glancing around. They spotted Philip and Cenbald out in the field. It looked like Philip was tossing his battle axe into the air and catching it by the handle. Cenbald was holding his hatchet. He tossed it, tried to make a grab for it, but simply ended up knocking it out of the air, where it thudded on the ground. Philip said something, then tossed his battle axe again. It spun several times as it flew up, glinting in the early afternoon sunlight, then slowed and returned to earth. Philip snatched it out of the air and held it up proudly. Cenbald clapped with glee.
"It's a wonder he doesn't chop his hand off," Edward muttered. He cupped both hands to his mouth and called out, “Yo! Philip!” Philip turned their way. He gestured to Cenbald, and the two started walking back to the group.
“Showing off again?” Starflower said when they came closer.
Philip grinned. “Like it?”
“Where are we going?” William demanded, getting right to the point.
“To the lake. It’s not far. I feel the Overlord wants us to take care of this water troll problem. Is everyone ready to go?”
“Where’s Milda?” Edward said, looking around. “Milda!” he called out.
“Coming!” her voice came from near the bridge. Milda poked her head up above the river bank.
“Checking out that troll’s cave again? We already got all the treasure,” Philip said, patting the pouch on his belt that held the gold and jewels they had discovered.
“Cyna was curious,” Milda said, gesturing to her badger, who followed her across the grass.
“Okay, let’s mount up and head to the lake,” Philip said, heading to the horses. “Is Bill still around?”
“Yeah, he’s here. Still invisible,” William said, checking telepathically with his bear. The invisibility pill would wear off at midnight. He considered riding him, but wondered what the fishermen at the lake would think about a bear knight apparently floating on air. Best to be subtle, and not reveal Bill’s presence unless necessary.
The lakeshore was a quick ride south, following the river. As they crested a slight incline, they could see the large lake. The land descended into a shallow depression. The lake water was calm and blue, and the team could see two small islands on the lake. On the shore near them, they could see several huts. Two fishing boats were on the beach, and several people will milling about. Some men were resting, others were repairing nets, and women folk were busying themselves with whatever chores needed to be done.
“Fishermen,” Cenbald said, cheerfully.
“Wind’s a bit chilly up here,” Milda pointed out.
The team picked their way down the grassy slope and came to the fishing village.
Philip slid off of Johny’s back and came closer to the buildings. “Excuse me,” Philip said, approaching a man who was relaxing in a hammock stretched between two drying racks.
The man had his hands behind his head and creaked open an eye. “You guys lost?” he said.
“No, we were looking for the lake, so we’re not lost,” Philip replied.
“Ya look like tourists. Shouldn’t you be at Lake Agrimp Lace? It’s on the other side of the valley. Y’all took a wrong turn.”
“Uh...” Philip stammered.
Before he could explain, the man continued, “That’s where all the vacationers go, ya know. Lawn chairs, beautiful sandy beaches. Lemonade. Ain’t no lemonade here.”
Philip glanced at the rocky shore. It wasn’t a sandy beach, but it wasn’t so bad. He looked back, “No, we hear you have a water troll problem. We’re here to help.”
“And just who are you?” another voice asked. It was a woman, perhaps a fisherman’s wife. She came and poked at the fish drying on the rack, and stoked the fires burning under them.
Cenbald pulled out the troll claws he had gathered from the bridge troll. “We’re troll slayers!” he exclaimed.
Philip nodded, pulling out his own claws. “Yes, we’d like to help.”
“We can’t pay ya. We didn’t hire ya.”
“No payment required. We take our payments from our Lord,” Philip said.
“Lord Gifue’s men, eh?”
“What? No...” Philip started to say, but was interrupted as a third person came up.
“Did I hear you say you can get rid of the water trolls?” This was an older woman, with crinkled skin. She stood tall, and had an air of authority emanating from her.
“Yes,” Philip said turning to this matron. Perhaps she was a leader of some sort. “We have slain the troll that was plaguing the bridge just north of here, and someone told us there were more trolls at the lake.”
“Well, if you can rid our lake of water trolls, that would be most appreciated. They’ve been taking money from us, taking fish, and generally being a nuisance.”
“Where are they? How many are there?” Philip asked.
“There’s at least two, near as I can figure out,” the man on the hammock said. “They live on one of the islands in the lake.”
“And we don’t have to pay you?” the elderly matron asked again.
“As I said before, no payment required. Our Lord provides for us,” “Lord Gifue’s men,” the man on the hammock said knowingly.
“No, we’re not Lord Gifue’s men,” Philip tried to correct.
“Lord Narms?” the other woman guessed.
“No, not Lord Narms,” Philip said, wondering if Lord Narms had any relation to the Sir Narms they had encountered at the Othrond south gate, the one fixated on his own equipment. And wasn’t Sir Gifue the name of noble at the west gate? The guy obsessed with his clothing?
“It doesn’t really matter,” the elder held up a hand. “Very well. We appreciate the service you give.”
“Little far to swim. We’ll need a boat to get to the islands,” Cenbald said, looking out across the lake. By this time, the rest of the team had joined them.
“Can we borrow your boat?” Philip asked the fisherman.
The man burst out laughing. “Do you land lubbers even know how to use a boat like that?”
Philip eyed the boat doubtfully. There were no paddles. Just a sail and ropes and some sort of stick. And did he mention ropes? Lots of ropes. “Uh... Cenbald? You’re a fisherman?”
“My family fished in the river by Hawold. We didn’t use boats,” Cenbald said fearfully.
The fisherman sat up, his eyes gleaming. “Look, how about a boating lesson? We could show you the ropes for say... a kobo each?”
Philip considered this for a moment. “Yes, let’s do that.”
“Give me a moment to round up some of the boys,” the fisherman said. The elderly matron looked pleased at this development, but didn’t say anything. The other woman moved off to check on other fires.
“So are we all going boating?” Starflower asked.
Philip glanced at Regulus and the horses. Bill was presumably nearby. “There’s the animals.” “I’ll stay a shore and watch the animals,” Milda volunteered. “I don’t really like the water all that much.”
“Coming, Cenbald?” Philip asked.
“You bet!” Cenbald said, grinning.
The next two hours were spent out on the lake with the fishermen. The raid team laughed, got wet, and finally returned to shore, with words like tiller, rudder, starboard, leeward, trimming, tacking, jibing, and other jargon swimming through their heads.
“Well, now that we know a thing or two, can we borrow the boat to deal with the water trolls?” Philip asked.
“Well, it’s a nice day, and you guys at least know the basics. I suppose we could rent a boat to you for a kobo. We need it back by sunset, though, since we go fishing at night,” the fisherman said.
“Of course. Here’s a kobo. You’ll have your boat back by sundown, you have my word,” Philip glanced at the sun as he handed the golden coin over. That gave them a few hours, yet.
In a few minutes, Philip, Edward, William, Starflower and Cenbald were sitting in the boat.
“Be careful!” Milda called out from the beach.
“Hoist the mainsail!” Philip called out dramatically once everyone was settled in. He was in the back holding the main tiller.
The folded main sail quivered, but then stopped. Philip frowned. “It didn’t go up!” he called out. “I said hoist the mainsail!”
“I’m trying!” Edward called out.
“Didn’t they say something about the halyard?” Starflower called out.
“What was the halyard again?”
“That rope you’re holding,” Starflower said, pointing. “Is it still attached to the post?”
“Mast,” Cenbald corrected.
By this time, there were loud guffaws coming from the shore line. The fishermen who had taught them were standing on the beach, slapping their knees and laughing at them. Philip felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment.
“Glad we could be of amusement,” Starflower called cheerily.
“Okay, the halyard is free,” Edward said.
“Hoist the mainsail!” Philip called out again.
Edward yanked on a rope, and the sail climbed up the mast. The wind caught it instantly, causing the boom to swing around, and knocked both Starflower and William into the water.
William came up sputtering, not looking too happy. Starflower surfaced a moment later, laughing. “I guess that’s why they call it the ‘boom’!” she called out, perhaps for the benefit of their audience. “That’s the sound it makes when it whacks you in the chest!”
“Good thing we’re still close to shore,” William muttered, wading back to the boat.
“Okay, are we all aboard, now?” Philip asked. Starflower and William were dripping on the floor. No, deck. They were dripping on the deck.
“Steer into the wind!” a fisherman called out. Philip grimaced and adjusted the rudder to get the boat lined up with the wind.
“Keep that rope tight!” one of the fisherman called out. Edward gritted his teeth and got control of the loose boom rope.
“This is a horrible start,” Cenbald observed.
“Your sail is wrinkled!” another fisherman called out.
“What do we do about that again?” Edward called back.
“The reef knot lines!” Cenbald said.
“Reefing! They’re called reefing lines,” Starflower corrected. “Not reef knot. William, it’s by you.”
“Which ones where those?” William asked. “Is it this one?” he grabbed a rope.
“No, I think that’s the jib line,” Philip said.
“Gah! I don’t know!” William said.
Starflower came over to where William was sitting. “This one,” she said, pointing, “see how it’s attached to the boom? Tighten it like they showed us.”
William managed to tighten the reefing line on his side of the boat while Edward worked the other side, and the wrinkles in the sail smoothed out.
“Okay, we’re getting somewhere,” Philip said. The craft was starting to move along the shore, the mainsail filling with the wind. “Everyone ready to turn?”
“Tacking or jibing?” Edward called out.
Philip hesitated, trying to remember which was which. “Uh... Tacking. Prepare to tack!”
“Ready!” Edward called.
“Tack!” Philip called.
Ropes were tightened and loosened, but nothing happened. If anything, they were starting to turn the wrong way. Philip could hear more laughter from the shore.
“Aren’t we trying to turn left?” William shouted. “We’re going right back to the beach!”
“Yes,” Philip said. “We’re trying to go left. I mean, port.”
“That’s a jibe, not a tack,” Edwards said.
“What? We jibed to make a port turn on the way in,” Philip argued over the wind.
“It’s not a port/starboard thing.” Edward called back. “It’s about whether we’re turning upwind or downwind,”
Right. He knew that. So frustrating. So many things to remember. Philip glanced at the shore and saw Milda looking at them with a pained expression on her face.
“Prepare to jibe!” Philip called out. They were coming a little too close to the shore. If they didn’t turn soon, they’d run aground on the beach.
“Ready!” Edward said.
“Jibe!” Philip called out.
William and Starflower started loosening and tightening ropes. Philip’s eyes went wide as he realized their mistake. Too late, the boom swung across the deck, sweeping Cenbald and Edward into the water. More laughter from shore. “Stop!” Philip called. The boat had partially turned, but was starting to crunch on rocks at the shore.
Starflower dashed across the deck to help Edward back into the boat.
“Whoa,” Philip said, feeling the boat rock. “Keep the balance!”
Once everyone was back in the boat, Philip looked at his wet crew. “We forgot to center the mainsail before the jibe,” he explained. “That’s part of ‘prepare to jibe.’”
“My bad,” Edward said.
“Mine too,” Philip said. “I gave the command to jibe even though we weren’t ready.”
William snorted, annoyed. Cenbald scowled.
“At least we won’t need a bath,” Starflower said, determined to lighten the mood. “And let’s not forget to be gracious with each other.”
Cenbald visibly relaxed. William’s expression went from annoyed to neutral.
The fishermen ran up, laughing, calling out encouragement and tips and pushed the boat back out into deeper water. The team finally managed to get the boat turned in the right direction and the strong winds propelled the boat out into the lake.
“Which island are we heading to?” Cenbald called back.
Philip grimaced. They never did figure out from the fishermen which of the two islands had the trolls.
“Uh, let’s try the one on the right.”
Philip tried his best to work the rudder in harmony with the sails, but they ended up missing the island. They sailed right past it and had to turn around, only to sail past it again on the other side. It wasn’t a very big island. A copse of trees. A sandy beach. Some rocks. They must have wasted forty-five minutes sailing back and forth before they finally lined up right and hit the beach.
“I did it!” Philip cried.
“We did it,” Starflower said.
“Yes. We did it. This is definitely a team effort. Drop the sail and let’s check out the island.”
The team dragged the boat ashore and looked around.
“Sense any evil?” Cenbald asked. “I don’t.”
Philip closed his eyes and prayed for the Overlord’s gift of sensing evil.
“I don’t sense anything,” he said, opening his eyes. “And I get the sense my spiritual gift is working properly. Just the same, everyone look around. See if we can find anything.”
The group fanned out. Edward stayed by the boat, just in case. It only took a few minutes to explore the entire island. They found nothing of interest, except a turtle.
“Turtle soup?” Starflower asked, looking at the large turtle in Philip’s hands. At the mention of turtle soup, it retracted into its shell.
“Really?” Cenbald asked. “You usually try to talk to everything you find.”
“Oh, right. I suppose I should try,” Philip set the turtle down in the sand and stepped back. Starflower closed her eyes and prayed that the Overlord would, once again, grant her the gift of conversing with animals. “We’re really sorry, Mr. Turtle,” Starflower began, sensing that it was working, “I was joking about the turtle soup. We don’t want to eat you. We just want to talk. I apologize. Please come out.”
After a moment more of coaxing and reassuring, the turtle poked his head out of its shell.
“Hi,” Starflower said. “We’re looking for the water trolls. Are they here?”
“Wa...ter...trolls...” the turtle slowly drawled.
“Yes, are they here?”
“Oth...er... is....land...”
“Ah. Okay. Sorry to bother you. Bye, now.” Starflower stood up from where she had been kneeling on the beach.
“What’d he say?” Cenbald asked.
Starflower dusted the sand off her knees. “I apologized for the turtle soup comment, and he said the water trolls are on the other island.”
“Figures,” William said.
“Well,” Philip said, glancing around, “Back in the boat, I guess.”
They managed to push out to sea with less trouble than before, but still had a few false starts.
Once they got going again, Starflower was able to sit and enjoy the ride for a few moments. The wind was a bit cold, but the sun was helping them dry out quickly. Starflower smiled as she looked across the water. The sun was making the water sparkle like so many jewels. The mountains in the distance were breathtaking. It was so peaceful once they got moving. The Overlord had created all this beauty.
“Prepare to jibe!” Philip called out. Starflower shook her head and paid attention to the ropes. She saw that Philip was waiting for Edward to finish centering the boom.
“Ready!” Edward called.
“Jibe!” Philip called out. Starflower grabbed her jib line and started reeling it in.
“Philip! You’re turning too sharply!” Cenbald yelled from the front of the boat.
“I know! I know!” Philip yelled back. “I’m trying to bring it back!”
Starflower felt the boat listing to the starboard side. “William!” She called out, “Grab some rigging and lean back! We have to balance the boat!” She and William leaned out over the port side of the boat, attempting to change the center of gravity.
“We’re tipping!” Cenbald yelled.
“Starflower, jump!” William said, then let go of the rigging. Starflower sucked in a breath of air and let go of the ropes as well, letting herself drop into the water, which by this time, was a few feet of a drop as the boat was capsizing.
The shock of the cold water almost knocked the breath out of her, but she managed to surface just fine. William was already treading water beside her. They were looking at the underside of the boat, which was facing them. Philip’s head came out of the water to their right.
“Everyone okay?” Philip called out.
“We’re here!” Starflower called out, waving.
“Capsize!” Cenbald called from somewhere on the other side of the boat, to her left.
“Where’s Edward?” Philip called.
Starflower’s eyes widened. If the boat fell over sideways, Edward might be trapped beneath the sail! She took a breath and dove under the water. What if the mast had hit him in the head, and he was unconscious and drowning? She kicked hard and used powerful arm strokes to get herself under the boat and under the sail, which was right on the surface of the water. She spotted Edward. He was awake, and struggling to get himself untangled from some rope. Starflower got to him and helped loosen the cord that was holding him. Edward grabbed her quarterstaff which was still strapped to her back, and she swam out from under the sail with him in tow and broke the surface.
Edward took a deep gasp of air. “Thank you!” he managed to say after a moment.
“Edward’s here, Philip!” Starflower called out.
“Praise be to the Rescuer!” Philip exclaimed. “Okay, we need to get this thing back upright. Just like the fishermen showed us.”
Several moments of exertion later, they managed to get the boat upright, and everyone had climbed aboard and was lying on the deck, catching their breath.
“So now I know how sharply I can turn,” Philip suggested.
Starflower turned her head and looked at him. “Some people learn lessons the hard way, right?”
“This whole boating thing is hard,” William said.
Philip sat up. “Yes. No argument there. But we’re getting better. Imagine all the boating experience we’re getting today. Okay, let’s persevere. We’re almost at the island. Back to your posts, everyone.”
There was some groaning as everyone got into position, but they were able to make it to the island without any further mishap, other than missing the beach a couple of times and losing a bit more daylight.
“Drop the sail. Let’s bring it in,” Philip said. A few moments later, they had dragged the boat up onto the beach beside a large rock.
“Sense any evil?” Edward asked.
Philip and Cenbald both nodded.
“Yes,” Philip said, pulling out his battle axe.
“Definitely,” Cenbald agreed, taking out his war hammer.
At that moment, a large creature stepped out from the copse of trees further inland. The hulking beast was twice as tall as any of them. It had red eyes, grey skin, fangs and dagger-sized claws. It was wearing only a loin cloth.
“Trespassers!” the water troll bellowed. “What are you doing on my island?”
“Who said it was your island?” Cenbald retorted at the creature.
“I say so. Now, if you pay the visitor fee of one kobo each, then I’ll overlook this offence.”
Philip dug out a few coins from his pouch.
“Don’t give him anything or you’ll be under the money love enchantment,” Starflower hissed to Philip.
“I know. I’m trying to lure him closer so that we can attack him,” Philip whispered back.
“Wouldn’t it be better to use range weapons? You got hurt at the bridge this morning, or did you forget?”
“Right. Good point.” Philip stuffed the money back in his pocket. “We have a message for you from the Overlord, Creator of the land and the sea!”
“Oh yeah?” the troll sneered, coming closer. “What’s that?”
“You stand condemned by your actions against the fishermen. Your reign of terror ends here!” with that, Philip hurled his battle axe at the water troll. The blade whistled through the air, and bit deep into the troll’s shoulder. The troll roared in pain. Cenbald threw his war hammer as well, hitting the dark creature in the head. The hammer bounced off, and the troll reached a hand to its eye for a moment. His hand came down, and there was an ugly bruise on its face, along with a black eye.
“They’re a little tougher than goblins,” Starflower reminded them as she notched an arrow.
“Right,” Philip said, drawing a sword while Cenbald pulled out his trident. “That would have totally killed a goblin.”
“I think we just made it angry,” Edward called.
“Spread out. He can’t attack us all at once,” Philip ordered, edging towards the rock.
Starflower let an arrow fly, which met its mark in the creature’s shoulder, near the wound from the battle axe, which now lay on the beach somewhere. She pulled another arrow out immediately, and tried to put it on the string. She missed, and had to spare a second to look down at her bow string. As she was looking back up, she saw movement near the rock.
“Philip! Behind you!” she screamed.
Too late. A second water troll jumped out of hiding from behind the rock, tackling Philip from behind. Philip had his arms pinned to his sides, and kicked helplessly as the troll lifted him off the ground, then dove into the water.
“Philip!” Starflower screamed, fighting hysteria. She ran to the point on the beach where the creature had disappeared. Rescuer, save him! Help us!
She felt a calm reassurance settle on her soul. Philip was alive. He was a prisoner. Thank you, Rescuer. Keep him safe until we can get to him.
“Starflower! A little help!” Edward called.
Starflower spun around to see the first troll charging towards Cenbald. She raised her bow and fired an arrow at its head at the same time that Edward and William sent missiles from their slings. The creature lumbered into Cenbald, swiping at him with its large hand. Starflower saw its claws go right through Cenbald’s shield, scraping a large slash across his arm, knocking him onto the ground with the force of the blow. The troll crashed to the beach as well.
Starflower had another arrow ready in a flash, but the troll wasn’t moving. “Is it dead?” William asked, moving closer.
Starflower ran up to get a better look. When she came around to the right to check on Cenbald, she saw that Cenbald’s trident was lodged into the creature’s neck. Blood was oozing out. The red eyes of the troll were lifeless.
“Are you okay?” Starflower asked.
Cenbald stood up shakily. “I... I don’t know.”
Starflower examined his arm and chest. “There’s not a scratch on you. It’s like you weren’t hurt at all. But I saw you get injured.”
“I was praying,” William said. “Guess the Rescuer saw fit to heal you.”
“Praise be to the Overlord. I thought I was half dead,” Cenbald said.
“We have to rescue Philip!” Starflower remembered. She ran back to the beach, slinging her bow over her shoulder as she ran.
“Take his battle axe,” she heard Edward say. A moment later, Cenbald was beside her, fastening the battle axe and his war hammer to his back.
“I’ll stay with the boat,” Edward called out.
“Follow me,” Starflower said, diving into the water. Cenbald and William dove in after her.
Starflower quickly got her bearings and spotted the cave entrance she knew she would find. She swam towards it, gripped the sides, and pulled herself through the opening. The tunnel went on for a few feet, then curved upwards. She broke the surface of an underground pool. A dim light was coming from an opening in the rock wall ahead. She could make out a small beach just before the opening. Cenbald surfaced beside her a moment later.
“Sshh!” she hissed, and swam as quietly as she could to shore. Cenbald followed, making barely a ripple. As they swam, they could make out the voice of a troll from the next chamber. Starflower couldn’t make out many words, but she thought she heard the words “money love potion.” And if they took Philip’s stuff, he’s going to be under an enchantment when we get in there. Great. And where was William? He isn’t the best swimmer. He’s probably having trouble finding the entrance. But we can’t wait!
“Let him go!” Starflower yelled as she jumped into the room, brandishing her quarterstaff. They were in what was probably the troll’s home. There was a large table with various things on it, surrounded by chairs. A cauldron was over a fire, with a liquid bubbling in it. Philip was tied to a chair at the far end of the room, and the troll was standing to the right of him, facing him. The only light in the room was coming from the fire.
The dark creature turned its evil red eyes to the newcomers. Starflower felt Cenbald’s presence beside her.
“What’s this, a pathetic rescue attempt?” the troll mocked. “Come now, hand over the quarterstaff before anyone gets hurt.”
“Do it, Starflower!” Philip said. “Maybe we can negotiate a hostage release.”
Starflower’s eyes flicked briefly to the table. She saw that Philip’s Lightraider pack was on the table, which meant he was under a money love enchantment if the troll had taken it from him.
“We are not doing business with you,” Starflower said, taking a step closer. Cenbald stepped up beside her. He had his trident out.
“Then die!” the troll roared, charging them.
This was what Starflower was waiting for. She whirled neatly to the side, smacking the troll as hard as she could in the back. The troll stumbled, but recovered quickly, and swiped its claws at her. She managed to lean back far enough to avoid injury. Cenbald started darting in and out with his trident, managing to stab the beast a couple of times in the armpits.
“I’m here!” William called out from the entrance. Starflower glanced over to see their friend, dripping wet, and holding twin daggers.
“Can you get to Philip?” Starflower called out, ducking under the troll’s arm and striking it with her staff in its midsection.
“I’m closer!” Cenbald called, rolling out of the way of the troll’s next attack, and towards Philip.
William ran in, throwing both of his daggers at the troll. One sunk into a muscle on its arm, the other scratched its chest. It roared in pain and anger.
Cenbald came out of his roll at Philip’s side, and had his knife in his hand a moment later, cutting the ropes. “Here’s your battle axe!” he said.
Philip accepted his weapon as he jumped to his feet.
“YAAAHHH!!” Cenbald yelled, charging at the troll with his trident bearing down on it. The troll was charging towards Starflower.
Starflower felt pain across her shoulder as the troll swiped with its claws again. “Youch!” She yelled, striking at the creature’s knees. She braced herself for another attack, but the troll reared up in pain and spun around. Starflower saw Cenbald jumping back, his trident glistening with fresh blood. But as the troll turned, she also saw Philip’s battle axe buried deep in its back. Philip was standing on the chair he used to be tied to, and he had that over confident grin on his face again.
The troll reached behind him, and grabbed the battle axe, ripping it out of it’s own back. Starflower side stepped a spray of blood that came out. Gross.
“IS THIS YOURS?” the troll roared, and hurled the battle axe back at Philip.
Starflower gasped. Philip never stopped grinning however, but leaned back and reached his hand out, plucking the spinning battle axe out of the air. He spun around on the chair and whirled it right back at the troll. “Yes! Catch!” Philip yelled.
Starflower decided to attack it from behind at the same moment, stabbing her staff at the creature’s spine. She saw Cenbald lunge with his trident as well.
That did it. The water troll crashed to the ground and didn’t rise again.
Cenbald leaned on his trident, breathing heavily. “I can’t believe you caught that,” he said between gulps of air.
“Told you it was a useful skill,” Philip said, jumping down from the chair. “It’s all about knowing your weapon. Maybe I should give lessons. I bet I could make a lot of money. Axe throwing lessons.” Philip scratched his chin thoughtfully.
Right. The money-love enchantment. Starflower marched up to Philip. “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Snap out of it. The OverLord provides for us. We have a higher calling than the pursuit of wealth.”
Philip sat down in the chair as if she had slapped him hard. He gave his head a quick shake. “Right, yes. Sorry. Don’t know what came over me.”
“What do you suppose this is?” Cenbald asked. He was looking at the stuff on the table. Besides Philip’s gear, there were several jars and vials of strange liquids.
William came and looked over his shoulder. “Probably ingredients for the money-love potion.”
“What should we do with it?” Cenbald asked.
“Destroy it!” Starflower said.
Cenbald looked around. “We could pour it out on the fire, I suppose.” He and William worked on that while Philip gathered his gear.
Starflower spotted a leather box in the corner. “What’s that?”
Philip stepped over. “It’s a box.” He grunted with the lid. “Locked. William! Your skills please?”
“Coming,” William said. He pulled out some tools and started working on the lock. After several moments, he stood up. “I can’t get it open. I was only the son of a bandit, I’m not an expert.”
Philip shrugged. “Cenbald, give me your war hammer for a moment.”
In a moment, Philip had the war hammer. In another moment, the box was broken open on the floor. “Now there’s a lock pick set,” Philip said, kissing the head of the hammer dramatically before handing it back to Cenbald.
“Subtle,” William commented dryly.
“Coins,” Philip said, rummaging through the contents of the box. “Probably taken from the fishermen. We should bring these back to them. Oh, what’s this? A scroll?”
“Let me see,” Starflower reached out her hand, snatching the parchment from him. “It’s from the sacred scrolls!” she said excitedly.
“What’s that doing here?” William asked.
“What greater treasure is there?” Cenbald asked.
Starflower shrugged. She read the scroll:
Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the
everlasting God,
the Creator of the
ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired
or weary, and his
understanding
no one can fathom
“We should get back to the surface. Edward is probably worried,” Cenbald said. Starflower nodded.
A few minutes later, they were back on the beach.
“You’re hurt,” Edward said, pointing at Starflower’s shoulder. Starflower glanced at her shoulder, frowning at the blood.
“It’s okay, I was praying the whole time, and the Rescuer opened my eyes to some medicinal herbs that were growing right over there,” he pointed to a random patch of grass. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“We’re losing daylight,” Philip commented as the first aid treatments wrapped up.
“Are we going to camp here for the night, or sail back to the village?” Cenbald asked.
“We have to sail back. The fishermen need the boats at night. It’s their livelihood. We don’t have a choice. I gave my word.” Philip looked at them all, and they nodded in understanding.
The team managed to hoist the sail and set out from the now troll free island before it got too dark. The sun set while they were out on the water, making their way back to the shore just that much more difficult.
“I can’t see!” Edward complained as the sail went slack yet again. “I can’t find the rope.”
Philip cleared his throat. “Psalm 119:105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105.” A divine glow illuminated their end of the boat. “Better?”
“Yeah. Thanks,” Edward said.
They made several more sailing errors on the way back, but over all, they felt like they were getting better at boating.
When they arrived at the beach, the fishermen hurried them out of the boat, grumbling about getting a late start. The other fishing boat was already out on the water.
“You’re back! I was wondering if I should be concerned!” Milda said, rushing to them.
“Could you see the boat from here?” Starflower asked.
“Most of the time. It looked like you guys even tipped over once!”
“We did. And we are eager to dry out these wet clothes,” Philip said.
“Understandably!” Milda agreed. “I made a campfire over there, where the horses are. Oh, William, I’m so sorry, I don’t know where Bill is! I think I lost him!”
William blinked. He had never lost his connection with Bill the whole time. “He’s right over there, napping.” William pointed.
“Oh good. Do you know how hard it is to take care of an invisible animal?”
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