Next up - Sassy Snake's back, and she meets some old friends, as well as...

Well, you'll see!

 
So, I'm standing in a hospital tending to patients.

Well, actually, it’s a far cry from a hospital as there wasn't much time to organize one, so it’s more like fifty or sixty beds set up in whatever shelter or lodging I could find. The innkeeper helped for a bit but when money ran out, so did Sassy (that's me) and her credit. You wouldn't believe the things I had to do and the things I promised to do just to get a place for the wounded. Anyway, I'm trying to help said wounded and trying not to think about the blood. Yeah, like that’s even possible! It's everywhere - there doesn't seem to be an end to it. The sight of it, the smell of it; sometimes it is all I can do to keep from running screaming. I know it's stupid to be a healer and be afraid of blood; but there it is, that's me. In a flash, in my memory, come all of the taunts and teasings that I took from practically everyone about it.

"Sissy Snake," one hisses in my ears, "She's afraid of blood. Wants to be a healer! Maybe you could get your patients to promise not to bleed and if you bat your pretty eyelashes and say please, they will do it. Grow up and face the real world, honey, and while you are at it, choose a better profession."

I shake my head to clear it of those painful memories and try to go on with my work. I'm helping a woman who was stabbed into the hospital when I smell it! Above the smell of the blood on her, I smell fire or sulphur or whatever it is, it’s foul and horrid. I hand my patient over to one of the nurses and turn around to find the source of the smell. Just when I am turning around, I feel it. A strong and unpleasant vibration; the earth shaking and quaking. "I have got to get out of here now, before it is too late," my brain says to me and I find myself moving fast. I notice that there are a lot more people in town than usual and they are definitely not the kind of guys who are polite and want to dance with you. I keep running until my path is blocked by a rather ugly and unpleasant hulk of a guy who smells worse than anything I have smelled today and that is saying something.

"Excuse me please, sir." I say to him and try to wedge my way past him.

"Hang on pretty one, where ya going to so fast?"

"uhhh, uh, no no nowhere I guess, please let me by."

"Not a chance, doll!" He reaches for me and pulls me into an embrace. My sword leaps from its scabbard and I find it in my hand, not even sure how it got there. "Oh, well now, she has a sword, guys! Pretty girls shouldn't be playing with those, they could cut you."

"I'll use it to cut you if you don't let me go!" He begins to laugh wickedly, but I have had enough! I raise the sword and prepare to use it, then lean in to him and say, "I have a secret for you." He leans down and closer to me curious to find out what it is. That's when my left fist plunges in to his face and he falls down and I take to my heels. I am not headed into town, especially with the present company there. I head out toward the farmlands and the open road.

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I can hear angry shouts and yells behind me as I leave the town behind, running out toward the open fields and farmlands. When I chance a look back, I don't notice anyone following, so I slow my pace and duck behind some bushes and shrubs. If I stay put for a bit, it might put them off my trail.

Anyhow, I could use a breather after running so fast. I slowly relax a bit and extend my senses to take in my surroundings. Drawing on the energy around me, I manage to calm myself and I start to think a bit more rationally and logically. Whatever that was in town, it wasn't good and whoever those thugs were, they weren't good either. Might be a good idea to stay clear of town for a while. Question is; where should I go? Can't stay here; for all I know they may still be looking for me. I slowly get to my feet and have a good look around. I'm standing there thinking over my choices when I smell that horrible smell again and the earth begins to vibrate and shake and it even feels like it is getting hotter underfoot. Looking out from my concealment, I can see what looks like a long line of tough thugs heading for the town from the farmlands.

If that is where they are coming from, then I had best think about taking the road and traveling as far and fast as I can. First, I drop to the ground because I don't want these guys finding me, not alone I don't! If they pass me by and head for town, I'll wait for them to go to town before leaving my hiding place. Hopefully they haven’t seen or sensed me. I'd like to try to crawl to some higher ground just in case I have to make some kind of fight of it but for right now, I don't chance it. Best to stay where I am for right now and hope for the best. I chance a glance and see that the thugs from town have run in to this new group and they are fighting them.

"Oh swell! Just what I need." I think as I watch them beat each other up. In all of their noise, I hope that none will notice if I try to crawl to a different place as this is just too close to the fighting for my good. I slowly crawl toward a hill I the distance and find another hiding place there.

I think to myself, "How do you manage to get in to these scrapes anyway, Sassy." I can feel more ground shaking and that sound again. It seems to be getting closer! I get to my feet and run away from the smell and sounds until I find myself near a small stream. I sit down near the stream under cover of some brush and take a drink of the welcome water. The water seems to help calm me, alhough it does have a not-so-good taste to it. After resting a bit longer, I cross the stream and it feels good to have some distance between me and whatever is happening back at town.

A long scream suddenly interrupts my thinking and I head off to see what it is. I can hear the sounds of fighting and the screaming is getting louder. I peer out at a scene that freezes my blood cold. A woman is standing in the middle of four of the meanest and toughest thugs I have seen yet! They are certainly not behaving like gentlemen as they seem to have the poor woman surrounded and almost helpless. As I stand watching this, my sword Milanga leaps from her scabbard and flies in to my waiting hand. I whisper, "No, Milanga, we will be killed for sure."

Still, I know what she wants to do and I also know that if we take a hand and help that woman it will be bad for us too. They don't know that I am here, so if I rush them, and if I was very lucky, I might be able to do some damage before they kill me. I know that it is the only thing to do; I can’t just leave her to deal with these merciless mercenaries. I charge straight at them swinging my sword as I run. One of them goes down and another one tries to turn and fight; but Milanga has already skewered him like a pig on a spit! "Ooooh, the blood. So much blood!" I try to ignore the sight and smell of the blood, but it does seem to have disoriented me and I seem to be falling in a faint. "Not good Sassy." I think as I lost consciousness. Once again, I seem to hear the taunts of my earlier days.

"Sassy is afraid of blood!" "What kind of healer you going to be then, girl?" Their laughter seems to swirl and echo all around me and I sink into blackness.

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Interlude

Not terribly far away from Sassy's big stand, some other figures survey the incoming forces with great interest, knowing things are certainly starting to get much more interesting. Hordes of Knob Goblin thugs move over the fields and their intentions don't look good. They’re intermingled with several groups Wildfall recognizes from his time in Honorburg although he can't put a name to most of them.

Aside from a few skirmishes, several of the groups seem to be ignoring each other. There are, however, a number of Knob Goblin refuges harassing the locals which Wildfall quickly takes note of.

Wildfall might not recognize Sassy when he spots her in the distance, of course, but it’s obvious she’s fighting the Goblins.. and that she is in danger.

"There isn't enough of us to deal with even part of this," Wildfall admits. "But we should do what we can. Otherwise, what's the point of being here?"

"Tus think we here to fight Elite," the brute says. "Not wimpy enemies."

Wildfall nods. "We'll get to them, but we should do what we can here first."

"Right," Todd nods, unslinging his axe, having joined the group not that long before. "Just let me tune up here."

Wildfall nods. "You still gotta explain how you found me, Todd, but later. We might need to split up, too. You and me are good at stealth. I'm not sure about the others."

Todd smirks. "Simple- you stink." He peers off into the distance. "Hey! Who's the babe?"

Wildfall shrugs. "There's a lot of people out there who could use help. And there's a lot that Tus can smash, too."

That almost makes Tus smile.

End interlude

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Back to Sassy

When I come fully awake, I feel pain; lots of pain. It is uncomfortable and, try as I might, I can't seem to move at all. Upon looking down, I notice that all of my weapons are gone and I am tied up, hands behind my back and trussed up so tight that even breathing seems to be difficult. Memories come back and I remember the fight. I wonder where the thugs are and suddenly see them talking to each other. "One fer me and one fer yu, huh? Two pretty things to play wit til de boss comes." They both laugh in loud snorts and grunts.

"Oh boy, Sassy, now what?" I think to myself and I start to think about all of the things that thugs can do with girls. I realize that there is just no way for me to get out of this one on my own. I wonder if the other woman is tied up too or whether she managed to escape. No, that's right, they said there was two of us. I look as far as my field of vision will allow, but I can’t see her or any trace of her.

These guys may be thugs, but they aren't stupid. They have a pretty good camp set up for themselves and they said that they would stay here and wait for their boss. I wonder if that is good news or not for me (I’m guessing ‘not’) and again I wonder what they have in store for me.

I look up and see one of the thugs above me. In his hand, he holds my sword Milanga. "So, yu's awoke now, huh? Who are yu anyways and why did you kill Chip and Dip?"

I have to stop myself from even thinking about laughing, despite the fact that those names don't fit the usual thug gangsters. "You were hurting that other woman and I thought I could help her."

"Yeh, well you didn't dough, didcha?"

"Where is she?"

He leans down and with his free hand he hits my face hard. "We ask de questions heer. Who else is out dere? In dose woods? Who else?"

"I really don't know what you mean." He hits me even harder.

"Why didcha faint after yu killed Chip and Dip? Was it de blood den?"

"Ah, no not really. Guess I was just tired."

"Tired from what den?"

I know I can't keep this game of pretend up, but my only chance of escaping this is to keep him talking and hope for a break sometime. "Just tired."

His eyes light up. "Yu ben spying on us! Dat it?"

"I seem to have known where to find you, since I did that."

"Don't keer what yu say, I tink dat you fainted cause of the blood. Let's see about dat!" Leaning down, he points my own sword Milanga at me. "I tink I will start a few cuts, draw some blood and see wat dat does."

He starts to make a slashing motion toward my face, but as he brings the sword down, the sword seems to rise in the air of its own accord. No matter how hard he tries, he can't bring Milanga down on me to hurt me. "Hey, wat's de deal heer? Wat's up with dis ting anyway?"

I am glad that he can't hurt me with Milanga and I begin to pray for my deliverance. Anyone right now would be welcome. "Hey, girl, yu playing some kind of game? Yu tink dis is funny?"

"No, not really," I say, "It's just that we have been through a lot together, that sword and me. I killed a guy to get it."

Of course I am lying, but he is intrigued. "Really, how didcha do dat, honey?" I think it might be better to keep him guessing and keep him interested, so I tell him some lies and he goes away. I say another silent prayer for help and I wonder what they plan for me. Probably a lot of pain followed by humiliation. But then what? Slavery? It would be like them to do that; of course, their boss might have other ideas. These guys are not the brightest, but I am really scared as to what is going to come and how soon it will come my way. Time seems to stretch on longer than it does as this continues, but soon enough something happens. The fire goes out and we're plunged into darkness!

"W'ot's goin on?!" the thug asks as he grabs me! I have no idea but maybe I can use the opportunity to escape? But I can't break his grip on me. Before I know it, all of Mr. Smelly's friends are tripping over each other trying to figure what's going on. Oh, and then there is a voice I don't quite recognize.

"Pardon me, thugs and ruffians - I was asked not to show off, so this is going to happen without witnesses. Round 1... Start!" The unfamiliar voice seems to come from a fair distance away, but that can't be right as there's a meaty thud of impact and then it seems everyone is trying to hit someone or something bounding around in the dark. And that voice again! I feel like I should be afraid but the voice just isn’t very scary. If he’s attacking the kidnappers, I sure hope doesn’t think I’m with them voluntarily! "Now, violence is very unbecoming for civilized folk - especially when it's so easy to make you hit each other." taunted the stranger. "Won't anyone give 'peace & love' a chance?"

What in the world is he talking about? I have no idea but then again, I'm not very familiar with this dimension so maybe it's a local expression. I take advantage of the situation, slamming my elbow into my bewildered captor and taking the opportunity to slip free from his grasp. He doesn't even turn for me, he just drops like a sack of wet rocks. That's when I realize a smaller figure has smacked him in the back of the head with some kind of stick weapon!

I start to back off but the figure shh'es me and tells me to go with him if I want to be safe.

Something about his voice immediately put me at ease. It isn't a familiar accent; it isn't anyone local to the Kingdom either of this dimension or mine. He leads me away from the fighting, which judging by the screams of the kidnappers and murderers isn't a good idea.. I just hope the other girl - ohh, that's right! He's leading me somewhere but I pull back.

"Wait, kind sir," I say, hoping to get it all out before he thinks I'm crazy. "There's another woman, I'm not sure where, but these ruffians " - I'm not sure what else to call them so I'll go with the mysterious voice on this one - "said they'd kidnapped her as well. I'd like to make sure she's safe."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he assures me, sounding quite annoyed and impatient. "Come on, let me get you to a safe spot and I'll double back and bring your friend to me."

Well she really isn't my friend yet but that's besides the point. "No, I must insist we take care of her."

He sighs slightly. Maybe that is because his friend- one of those furry guys I'd been seeing around the place- has made his way up to us. This guy is a fox and he isn't dressed at all for fighting, but he is holding a guitar so that told me he wasn't there to fight. He had been poking around the carcasses- not sure why but he was muttering.

"Not a slaver in the bunch, thank the Vix- whoa! Man where'd you find the babe?"

At first I am not quite sure who he is talking about but then I figure it might be me. "Thank you for the kind words sir, but as I was telling your friend here, I'd meant to head back to ensure the other lady is able to escape unharmed. I don't know if I don't ungrateful but I really do need to double back and see if I can sneak her out or not."

The fox guy chuckles. "No offense, ma'am - but if you plan on going back in there.. . well you'd stand out like a baby in an Aldaran brothel. Relax, and let people used to sneakin' around do the job."

I think about arguing but decide, "You're right, if you're sure you'll be safe."

"Just wait here," the non fox guy suggests. "We'll be back before you can think of a recipe to Ireaca leftover and peanut stew."

"Okay," The non fox guy says. "Let's go take care o' business, Todd."

Todd, so that's his name. With a nod, the two are off, leaving me to follow! I know they said to stay behind but hey, my sword and I agree we should follow so really, it’s not like they outvoted me, is it?

It was fun stopping in Sassy's story, even though Todd and Wildfall don't meet her into deep into the piece, and they don't really have time to get to know her.. Her style is so wonderfully different, the first person present tense point of view. It's more than that, too, it's just the way Sassy's stories are written. I'm really quite fond of them.

Plus throwing Todd and Wildfall, along with Tus, into the mix shakes things up, too. It's a shame we don't see more out of the trio during roleplaying but if the next mission gets finished, we've got at least a little more from all three there, and they are together for some of that.

Only two more pieces to go! We actually start to deal with Kadlin's tower in the final roleplay of the mission, but we get to visit Ninja Village with Sir Fumblies before that!