Runner
Camp for the Order of the Golden Warriors
Weirdly enough, she slept great that night. Like, really weirdly.
Runner was certain she wouldn't be getting any rest for at least a few days, which would suck because it would severely hurt her ability to try and figure a way out of this situation. Trying to sneak around when she was wobbly as a newborn deer would not be a great idea.
She knew why she slept so well. That was no mystery. It was Baz's doing. Now, Runner could say it was because he was a reassuring presence who she trusted with her life and future. That would be a total lie. She trusted him decently enough, but she still only knew the guy for… what… a bit over a week? Not counting the week she lost when she FUCKING DIED. Eshah. That in its own right should have kept her awake each night. But, once again, she knew why it didn't.
Baz.
The big guy was a fairly decent fighter. Certainly better than your average street fighter who only got into scraps every so often. Seeing him fight side by side with Eldrig did show that Baz was not nearly as trained as the soldier(knight?). But, still pretty good. And then there was the healing magic stuff. Baz had some holy magic that was usually reserved for the type of people who chanted praises to the many different invisible gods above and below. He could mend light wounds quickly and more dangerous injuries slowly. Helpful for when a certain dragonborn girl potentially fell into pit trap and got a wooden spike through her foot. Just a random example.
But Baz didn't seem to be the type to sing praises to the omniscient folk upstairs. He seemed… more like her. Weirdly enough. Someone who has gone through some serious bad luck and has tried their best to make the most of it. Someone who knows just how fucked up the streets can be to people who don't fight tooth and nail to survive, no matter what city or country they are in.
But no, he was some sort of holy guy. A priest or cleric or clergyman. Someone who communed with the higher planes and borrowed from their magic.
Runner didn't know why he chose to worship a deity of sleep, but it really was coincidentally convenient. Baz always held his symbol, the one that he kept tucked away under his armor nearly at all times, up and chanted some words. After that, they all slept like babies. Like baby puppies. One time, Runner woke up before most of them and saw Ina with her tongue out the side of her fanged maw. Like, how was she supposed to take that seriously? It was so cute and funny that Runner wished she could draw to capture it.
But Baz's help was indisputable. She was able to get several nights of uninterrupted sleep. No night terrors nor restlessness. She didn't even find anything snatched from those around her when she woke up. Yes, she has stolen things while sleeping in the past. Sleepwalking is one thing, sleep-thieving is another. It was ridiculous, but so was her stupid curse.
All in all, she slept great.
But the embarrassment of puking her guts up remained. It was hard not to when she watched that thing twist and turn and get scrambled into a bloody pulp by its evil ritual. She wasn't the only one who lost their last meal, Selm did too. It was just so fucking horrifying. Not just what happened to that gnoll, who likely deserved it, but to what almost happened to her.
If Selm hadn't stopped her from stepping onto that circle… could that have been her? Would the magic have locked her into a floating flesh ball too?
It plagued her mind when she woke up and for the next several hours. At Eldrig's suggestion, they were given the day off from going out into the field. Mental recovery or something like that. Sadly, Runner kind of needed it.
Her mind replayed over and over the times she had nearly died over the past few weeks. Nearly starved to death? Nearly eaten? Somehow survived an evil mage and her horde(total bullshit)? Now nearly caught in a fucked up ritual that would have done gods know what to her? It was all too much. Even for her.
And to top it off, she somehow had to figure out how to return Yule's magic quill thing without him noticing. Damned curse.
She knew that coming up to Keldanis would be tough and that she wouldn't get cured right away… but this was just unfair. Wasn't this place supposed to be the place where the gods were the kindest? Why in the hells did they want her to bite the cobble then? Proverbially, of course.
Eshah.
Well then.
It's not like Runner was just going to give up. No. It was going to take more than one stupid ugly ass gnoll getting pasted by its shitty ritual to stop her from getting her hands cured so she can finally live a normal fucking life.
Runner grunted, finally rolling over in her bedroll and facing the sunlight trickling into the tent. She sat up and rubbed at her sore back. She needed to find a way out of this place. Out of the debt. She couldn't afford to just waste her time away while the debt remained.
Not when she ran the risk of stealing the wrong thing from the wrong person who just so happened to be able to put her in the ground. She saw what these knights could do in the training arena. She watched Eldrig fight. They weren't the run-of-the-mill thugs who relied on instinct and brawn. They were trained professionals. She could not afford to piss them off… too much.
Thankfully, she wasn't alone in this. She had Baz, who wasn't happy about this debt either. And Ina, who was still snoring softly. And Yule. And Selm. They were all in the same half-sunk boat together. Like it or not, they would have to paddle to shore together too.
Enough moping about. She had eavesdropping to do. She wanted to know who really was in charge around here. Because it for sure was not that Lieutenant guy, nor was it the Golden Warrior. Someone else was pulling strings, and she was going to find out who. Her silver was on whoever this "Lord Commander" guy was.
~~~
The central area of the camp was well-guarded. Runner had personally never been in a military camp before, but seeing the amount of guards around was disheartening. She understood why there were so many guards. Military secrets and what not.
She still wanted to know what was happening inside the big important tents. Naturally, she couldn't just stroll right past the guards in front of each tent entryway. That level of subtleness would be inhuman. She couldn't even eavesdrop in the spaces between the big tents because they had a guard who patrolled through there, not to mention the layout of those tents meant there was no way for her to casually just stroll in their 'alleyways'.
What she could do, however, was go to the medical tent. It was in the same central area as the other important tents and it was available for people to just come and go from. Well, come and go as long as you have a medical concern. Runner incidentally was limping today, go figure.
She ducked into the tent, expecting it to be as empty as the day they woke up, but instead found that there was a medical staff present. A couple of clergymen moved about the tent, keeping themselves busy with tinctures and wrappings. An older priestly man was overseeing the affair while checking things off on a scroll. He noticed her in the entryway, looking up from his work and over his half-moon glasses.
"Come in. What seems to be ailing you?" He spoke slowly and methodically, in the voice of an old man who spent much of his life muttering praise to the gods above. Around his neck, Runner noticed, was a holy symbol. A circle with eight points protruding out the edges evenly. A representation of the sun, the chosen symbol for the Lightbringer.
"Oh… just hurt my leg. Out there… in the field. Hunting gnolls," She said, vaguely. "Baz healed me up but it's still sore." She was still sore so it wasn't a full lie.
"Ah I see. Getting hurt again so soon? I would expect that you all would be staying as far from any sort of fighting as you could, given your recent circumstances." He chuckled humorously. A joke in poor taste, apparently, as Runner scowled at him.
"We don't really have a choice, now do we?"
He stopped chuckling, partly puzzled at her annoyed tone. "I am sorry? I am not quite sure I follow?"
Her hands itched as she neared him. "You should know how much it cost to fix us. Eshah, we have to pay for that with labor." She itched to poke the priest in his chest to accentuate her point but restrained herself.
The priest looked a might bit shocked. "What? I was not made aware of this." He walked over to one of the tables cluttered with small bottles of medicines and ointments. Instead of grabbing one of those, he grabbed a small leather bag from behind them and rifled though it. Another scroll appeared in his hand, of which he unfurled and read from for a moment.
Runner wasn't sure about this guy. His confusion did seem genuine. "You didn't know they foisted the bill onto us?"
He set the scroll down with a sigh. "No, no I did not." His gaze was a lot softer and the humor from before was gone. "My name is Father Aldergard Yieros, but Father Yieros is fine. You are Miss Runner, I presume?"
"Mhm." Her spine tingled as much as her hands did now. This guy supposedly helped Melia save them, but was also the one who almost said to not bother. He was the one who had nearly put them into an early grave. She was a bit miffed at that but by the description Melia had given them… she could see his point. Especially after that gnoll. Seeing something so horribly mutilated but still alive like that had made her wonder if they were anything similar. She certainly wouldn't want to try and treat someone who looked well beyond saving. Still. She didn't know how much she liked this guy.
"I do apologize for my joke, I was unaware of the full situation." He bowed his head in apology, likely understanding her look. The wrinkles on his face crinkled as his sun-beaten skin bent to show his remorse. "I am a healer, first and foremost. Aside from spreading the divine word of Celiar, I am meant to spare those graced by his light from pain and misery. If it were not for the acute senses of Sister Melia… I would have ceased your pain. As you are now, it is effortless to say that that would have been the wrong decision."
"Well… good! Uh. Apology accepted? I think?" She said, caught off guard. It wasn't often someone would apologize to her. That was a rarity. It made her feel awkward. "Maybe you should apologize to the others too? I mean- they uh… they should get one too. I mean, if you are willing," She added.
"Of course. I will make some time this evening, should they be on the grounds?" He trailed off, looking at her expectantly, to which she simply nodded in affirmation. "Yes, then this evening. Regardless, I believe we have gotten off track. You said that your leg is sore. What further can you tell me about the injury?"
For the next several minutes, she bluffed her way through a small examination. The tale she told was reliant on the fact that her muscles simply were not healing right, leading him to prescribe her some rest and a small bottle of a medicinal tonic. Ironically, it was one of the bottles that Runner had snatched earlier that she had placed back during their initial conversation. Hah.
"Now then… is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Well, I am kind of honest… if it wasn't you who put the bill on us… who was it? Melia? The Lieutenant? Golden Bi-, ahem, Warrior Mivera?" She would have added this mysterious "Lord Commander" to the list, as he was the most likely suspect, but unfortunately she had the gut instinct that she wasn't supposed to know about that. That asking that aloud to random people was just asking for trouble.
As the priest went back to the table to sort through the bottles that had reappeared in the last hour, he took a moment to consider her question. He sighed as he turned back around, leaning against the piece of furniture wearily. "It was not Sister Melia, she has no authority here outside of being a competent healer and an adventurer of the guild. Nor was it honorable Mivera, for she has little to no need for the medical tent. And she had no part in your revival, as she was out on official business until a few days before your awakening."
"So it was the Lieutenant!"
"Likely…" He said, rubbing his shaved chin. Father Yieros was not a particularly skinny man, but he was not massive either. He sported a belly of someone who ate well enough and his muscles were well protected. His round face was clean-shaven, perhaps a priest thing? Maybe. She has seen priests with weird hair, including facial hair, before.
She tilted her head. "Only likely?"
He nodded. "I am unaware of exactly who in the chain of command has taken interest in you and your allies. Perhaps it is something for Lieutenant Commander Isomeren to show off to his betters, a way to make this expedition look better on a report. However, and this may simply be the opinion of an old priest, I doubt that."
"Okay then… so who?"
He shrugged, a very unpriestly gesture that almost made her snort. "These are questions outside of my field, I am afraid. My field and my station. Perhaps the Lightbringer shall provide some level of insight into this, come the 'morrow. I shall pray on it then, at least for some peace of mind."
Well, cool. That is nice of him. But Runner was still wondering on who the hells could it be. Maybe Father Yieros wasn't telling her everything. Maybe he was. She couldn't be sure, really.
"I must once again apologize. You are very fortunate that you all survived such grievous wounds. Never in my life…" He trailed off.
"Yeah yeah, never seen someone so hurt but still living. Melia gave us that talk. But you three brought us back so it's fine. We're fine"
"...Three?" He looked at her inquisitively. "Only Sister Melia and I were skilled enough to operate on you. Who is this third?"
She blinked. "You, Melia, and Bonesy."
At this, Father Yieros shook his head in further confusion. "No, I am quite certain it was simply us two who healed you. I know most everyone in this camp, there is no Bonesy here. May I ask, who is that?"
"Okay… I knew that name was bullfrog bullshit. Uh. Let's see. Big round guy, tall and bearded. Orange hair? Really fucking drunk, which would be weird for a healer right? Lots of loud guffaws and belly shaking? Is any of that ringing any bells?"
"Only alarm bells. I know of none like that in this camp. If you excuse me… I believe I must go report to Lieutenant Commander Isomeran. You should come along as well. There may be someone sneaking about camp right under our noses… and that is never a good sign."
Runner wasn't about to tell the priest that that was exactly what she was trying to do. But also… what in the hells? She knew it. She fucking knew it. Now she had another mystery to solve. Hurrah.