Snippet #2182840

Hima kneels on two thick branches high in the trees. She peers back on the road, watching, eyes transfixed for something or someone she is sure is either following her or just happens to be moving in the same direction. She hasn't seen anything, but she's sure she's heard something and from her vantage point up high she will be able to see them before they see her.
"The Gods be cursed!" she hisses, trying to focus on two things at once: keeping her balance and keeping watch. "I know I heard something." The run from when she first heard the noise tired her a bit. She's quick and agile, an entertaining and apt wielder with a blade in an inn, a badly burned building, and other places where she can use the debris around her to her advantage. Up in the trees, the only way she can be caught is if she falls down and that would necessitate shaking the tree causing her to fall which would difficult with the large trunk this tree has or shooting her down with an arrow, but it would take an excellent bowman or a man with a long bow to bring her down at this height, with so many branches between her and the ground. Besides, if she finds herself under assault, there are a large number of trees with thick, bushy branches to provide her cover. This is an excellent location for her to be stationed; high enough to see and not be easily seen.

Fifteen minutes pass and still nothing. She has succeeded in staying virtually motionless, the only movement being her steady breathing and her head, as she repositions it to get newer views of the area. Finally, she is sure she hears something and it's not her imagination. The only problem is, it's coming from the other direction. "I am cursed!" she spits. She shifts her head around trying to make out what it could be, but to no avail. She's going to have to wait until it passes underneath to get a look. If she moves her feet it could cause the branches to shake and alert the passer-by or passers.

She waits, her breathing slows. She is sure she hears more than one set of hooves. Finally, the sound is underneath and she can make it out. There are several white horses traveling in pairs along the road. Riding atop each horse is a man in armor. She thinks it's chain, but from the height, she can't be totally sure. "One, two, three.." she counts the pairs as they pass under her. "...seven." she stops momentarily as she absorbs the thought, "Seven? What lord could be..." She stops her whispering as she watches two coaches pass by underneath, a large one first containing two men on the front, one holding the reigns the other a crossbow, she can't be sure, not at this height. Then man on the back she is sure of the sword he has resting on the top of the coach.
The second coach is being pulled by a team of six horses. It is much grander than the previous coach and has three people on the front, two sitting on the coach and two in the back. Then another procession of horses, black horses this time, follows: four pairs of horses.

She watches and waits for them to exit the woods and then she rises slowly, her legs aching as she does. "Crimey!" she curses. "Where could they be going?" she looks out at the procession as it moves out of sight the view obscured by the trees. "That's practically an entire army. I have to see where they came from." she says softly to herself.

Hima slides down out of the tree and lands on the ground. As she makes contact with the ground she leans into the tree, bends down and studies the road, both the ruts and tracks and both directions. Satisfied it's safe, she slowly and carefully zigs through the trees like she's traveling through a wooded maze. Upon exiting the woods she studies the tracks intently before deciding to move on.

It's nearly dusk when she notices smoke billowing in the distance. "A town." she crows excitedly. Normally, she'd have no interest in some little shanty town on the road, but she's tired, hungry and she may be able to glean some information from the locals about who or what the procession was about.
Padding along the road quickly, constantly alert for thieves, bandits and other ne'er-do-wells, she reaches the top of the hill and peers down on the town below. A look of horror washes across her face; the smoke is not from a chimney or some outdoor cooking stove. Rather, the town has been leveled and set a blaze, judging from the look and smell, within the last half-day.
Hima lowers herself to the ground, blending with the hill as the sun sets and the quarter moon rises. She watches the remains of the town for any movement, any sign of life, anything.
Satisfied that there is nothing, she rises up and creeps toward the burned out village, constantly on guard for anything that moves or seems unsightly. She plans on offering aid to anyone if she finds anyone living, but at the same time, if everyone is dead, then she'll also help herself to anything of value this town possesses.
She searches for the better part of an hour; she finds no one living, but she is able to find some pieces of copper, a gold ingot, same beads of glass, some herbs and a few pieces of meat and vegetables. She places everything on the ground and helps herself to the meat, while sorting through her bag, shifting items around to make room for her newly acquired finds. As she's about finished, she hears movement. Someone or something crawling on the ground to her left, behind the charred remains of a building.

Hima grabs her dagger and quickly moves toward the sound. On the ground she finds a woman, badly burned and beaten. In her hand she carries a piece of folded paper. "Are you... you okay." she says knowing that the woman is not okay. As she bends down over her in the dark, she can see where the woman has been badly beaten and tortured. "Can... can.. can i help?" she asks, sure that there isn't anything she can do but comfort her.
The woman places the paper in her hand. "Take this." she wheezes, "It's part of a map. It will help you find the scroll." she says pushing the paper hard into her hand.
"Scroll?" Hima says puzzled. "What scroll?"
"The Scroll of Creation. It's what they were looking for. Don't let them get this piece of the map. They'll... they'll do unspeakable evil. Now go." the woman commands before dying.
Hima takes the paper and unfolds it, "Scroll of Creation." she says her face scrunching as she does. She turns back and looks at the body of the woman, "What is the..?" she almost throws the paper away, but stops looking at the ruins that a mere day ago was most likely a vibrant village, that is now just a burned shell of it's original self. "There has to be a reason why they did this." she reasons. "Maybe this map is it." Satisfied with her logic she carefully places the paper in her belt pouch and seals it shut. "It might make me a lot of money." She grabs some of the food she found and sits in an area with no dead bodies around, the thought of a scroll fills her with visions of wealth.

Hima feels badly for the residents of the town. She would never wish death upon anyone, especially death like this. But, short of saying a small prayer for them and tossing some dirt over their bodies, there is nothing she can do for them now. She might as well see if she can find this scroll before anyone else does.