NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: The Worst Plan Ever
Chapter 25
Touwon returned and whispered something to Fox. Penny stretched and then nuzzled up beside Oskar, purring softly. Relatively softly. Fox turned to him and translated that Touwon had looted the Hyenas and scouted around but found very little. There should not have been Hyenas in this area. The Kobolds suspected Valla had somehow contacted or contracted them, and if so, more were sure to come.
First step, obviously, was to leave the area of their last known location, but even still, she's already found them once. Perhaps when she’d hit Fox with that dark energy, she’d left a mark that she could use to follow her. The safest thing for them to do that did not include running in an indiscriminate direction for an unknown amount of time was to head for the Great Collective.
Great Collectives were semi-permanent settlements with a few core members that were of the Great Collective proper, and then the auxiliary Collectives who pandered and bootlicked for them. The upside is that because the settlements were trade focused, there was strict protection in the settlement itself, and even Valla would not dare use her dark magic in such a place.
The area surrounding the settlement, however, was usually a no-man’s-land where sometimes, desperate gangs would waylay travelers to gain enough resources to enter the settlement itself. Some, though, enjoyed the implied protection of being near the Great Collective, but had no desire to be bound by the rules. Inside though, active traders had access to safer and more available food and water.
As a human and two Kobolds, they would have no political power, but if they showed with something valuable enough to trade, they’d have access to safety and most likely “better than campfire lizard” food. Valla was surely on her way to just such a Collective, but apparently had recently been cast out of the nearby Great Collective. Fox wasn't certain what the reason was, but Vulk's earlier threat that Valla had certain... appetites aligned with her best guess. She likely had contacts and a background that might allow her access to most settlements with her presence alone.
Fox hated the idea of becoming reliant on a Great Collective and knew getting out of it could be harder than getting in, but they had no shelter or protection. The Vulk Collective had been in the area for a reason, maybe the same reason the Hyena's had been here, but the Kobolds had never learned what that reason was. But, they couldn't discount that the attack was the first of many. She feared that if they didn’t find a safe place soon, they’d be hunted until Valla eventually killed them. They needed the safety a Great Collective, despite places like that coming with a danger of their own. As long as they didn’t appear too useful, the Great Collective had a vested interest in keeping the peace and the things brought to them.
“So basically,” Oskar said with a grimace, “I need to act like a beggar, and you need to act like you just so happened upon something useful enough to trade.”
“That is a truth. The issue now is finding something they want enough to keep us safe. Something they are interested in enough to say no to Valla’s wishes on the off chance she is allowed back into the Gramm Collective. What is something they want more than three slaves and to keep that royal pain from getting what she wants?”
Touwon barked out a few words and Fox groaned. "We might be able to dig up a ruins if we found it, but he can only sense water and living things. He is not a metal Finder."
His chin rested on a purple hand as he thought. After a few moments, he turned back to Fox, and said something with a decidedly more serious tone.
“We cannot kill the Gryphus Vulture. The Gryphus Vulture has lived longer than both of us and would never be caught unawares. Know it true. Many dry brained fools have overplayed their hand fighting that beast.”
“What’s the Gryphus Vulture?” Oskar asked.
Fox explained that there was a massive bird that roamed the desert. It was not originally a hunter. “It grew in power and size until it had to be more proactive in feeding itself. The beast is a terror. With black feathers that are hard as steel, I have never even heard of it being harmed.”
Touwon shrugged, and they both went silent in thought again, but something stuck out in Oskar’s memory. “I saw a gigantic bird when I first met Penny, just… massive,” Oskar said, hands held out wide, and Penny poked her head up at her name. She kwinned and then purred as she settled back into place.
“If this thing is what you’re talking about, it was half dead when it flew over me. It was missing almost all the feathers on one wing. I have no idea how it stayed up in the air, though with the wind like it is, anything with a death-wish and the ability to glide can stay up for a little while.”
Touwon stared at him as Fox began asking more questions than he had answers for. It had flown over. It was huge, the feathers had probably been black, but were faded and pale from what he saw. It was terrible enough that he’d not even felt comfortable enough to stare at it for long due to the feeling of dread he’d felt even looking at the giant beast.
“Even if it is this Gryphus, how would killing it give us access to the Great Collective?” Oskar asked.
“There is a rumor that Gramm has a Gambit to recover the bones or Gear of his father, Gram, from the great bird. He had sought to kill the beast for whatever reason silly people in power do such things, and…” she paused for effect and then added a deadpan, “and was promptly eaten for his troubles.”
“Wait,” Oskar asked, “The leader of the Gramm Collective is Gramm, obviously, but his father’s name is Gramm as well? Is that normal?”
“No. The son of a shared name will often add another letter. The father is Gram with one ‘m.’ The son is Gram-mm,” she over enunciated the second M, making both Touwon and Oskar chuckle, but Oskar was unsure if she was joking.
“Adding on to the name is supposed to carry the accomplishments and pride of the father to the son. As you can imagine, this particular instance is a bit of an embarrassment to the family.” Fox paused before continuing. “However, even if we kill the Gryphus in its wounded state, we cannot claim to have done so. It would be an insult to him. Either we ‘found it dead’ or we must somehow implicate Gram with one M in its death.”
“So, to be clear… we need to kill the huge bird and then... pretend like we did no such thing and then hope it hasn’t digested Papa Gram’s gear and bones?” Oskar asked quizzically.
“If they are part of a Gambit, they will drop upon the creature’s death.” Fox explained. “It is the way it has always been. Is your world not the same?”
“When I say we have no magic in my world, I mean we have nothing. No quests, no drops. People can only be looted of things they physically carry on their person, whether that person is dead or alive,” he answered.
“Odd, I would learn more of your world soon, Oskar. However, we must not leap ahead of ourselves. First, we watch and see if killing it is even possible, if we can do so without being hunted ourselves."
She paused, her brows lowered and she caught herself just short of nervously rubbing her hands together and let out a breath.
"Yes, ideally, we kill the Gryphus Vulture and take the remains to the Gramm Collective. If Gramm’s quest is for the bones of his father, our path is straightforward. It is said his father had a matching Gear set, however. If it drops, we may need to consider other options. That would be a valuable prize. Possibly even worth abandoning the potential safety of the Gramm Collective.”
“This might be the worst plan ever, but it's better than wandering around the desert till Valla nails us down. I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Oskar said.