Demonsub is Five Leagues From The Borderlands

Dar sat a short distance away from the others deep in thought and looked around at the landscape below him. He thought about all he and the others had gone through in their times in the Untamed Coast and what might they accomplish yet. Kremmel approached with Kiri helping him as he was still recovering from his wounds. It was time to leave. They were heading back to Hillsend, a few days’ travel from here. Dar looked across at Hands, who was walking much easier now. All this exercise must have done him good, his wounds had healed well and he was itching for more adventure.

Petra had hoped to teach Kiri some tricks hunting with her bow but no animals had been spotted, and there was not much in the way of berries to forage, wrong time of year, as winter had set in. She was grateful for her warm fur.

A day later they heard singing on the road ahead. It was a travelling merchant. He wasn’t carrying much but he was excited to meet the warband. So much so in fact that he wanted to join. After a little thought and a few questions Kremmel accepted as an extra sword, or in this case, staff was welcome in combat.

The merchant’s name was Jeromy and he was board of just selling folk stuff. He wanted adventure and excitement. 

As they approached Hillsend a guard’s captain approached them. He asked the group if they would be willing to do some patrolling over the next month or so as the area was getting rough with reports of thieves and worse annoying the locals and country folk. Some coin had been raised as payment upon fulfilment of the contract. Kremmel signed.

With Kremmel back at the inn resting, the others, along with Jeromy went on patrol. After a few hours walking, they met a wailing farmer by the roadside. He had been robbed. There was a gang of locals who had been going around robbing and stealing from those who couldn’t defend themselves. Directions were given and the warband went in search of the robbers.

They were soon spotted at the bottom of a hill near a track. They were a sorry bunch, these petty robbers, but one of them had a keen eye as he pointed directly at Dar coming down the hill. All six of the robbers ran into the tree line and spread out.

An arrow woodshed past Petra directly into the chest of a robber armed with a bow, dropping him. Petra looked back to see Kiri with a smile on her face. 

Hands and Jeromy crept forward to the path while Dar struggled to keep up.

Petra, finding a vantage point on the hill, took careful aim and shot at a robber, who was creeping around a tree back towards the path. He never knew what hit him as he fell.

Some of the other robbers shouted and a few pointed up the hill at Petra and they started to make their way towards her. One of the robbers, Petra, noticed, turned tail and ran.

Calmly Petra took out another arrow and shot, killing another robber with her bow. These men were not fighters, more like cowards preying on the weak.

Suddenly a robber was upon Dar but couldn’t get past Dar’s shield. Jeromy, seeing his chance at last as a hero he was surely to be, charged the robber his staff held high. He stopped and looked down, the robber’s blade deep in his chest. As he sank slowly to the group, his eyes glazed over while the snow on the ground turned red. 

Dar jumped forward and sliced the robber while Hands, seeing Jeromy on the ground, ran up behind the robber and stabbed him in the back, spitting on his corpse. 

With this the last thief who was running up the hill towards Petra turned tail and fled. Petra let him go.

They buried Jeromy in a small grave off the path, leaving his hat as a marker held down by a few stones. The party was quiet as they looked over the bodies of the robbers. They found a bag of turnips, a single gold coin and a map making kit which would be very useful. They headed back to Hillsend.