Tedworthy
The Silent Salamander
{The patrol group proceeded quickly through the caverns that riddled Summermarsh, easily crossing the many lava rivers and lakes. Not usually were there intruders to this realm as the immense amount of lava kept them away, but this time they had gotten a report of a band of mercenaries which appeared to be operating on the outskirts. They could not risk enemies getting complacent in this realm, as it would provide a base for any other potential invaders.
When the patrol approached the suspected point of intrusion, the leader, Harram, brought the group to a halt.
"If these trespassers are what we think they are, then all we have to deal with are some mercs, probably Rogues, Thieves or something similar. There are three ways to enter the cavern they're holed up in, and we'll exploit all three. We can't have any stragglers escaping."
The patrol group all nodded in agreement, and the leader continued.
"Essam, Tershi and Kora, take the northern passage and wait for my signal. Tedworthy and Shalmir, take the southern entrance. Ecthelion, Sumar and Gerask, you're all with me. We're gonna take the western pass, and take them head on. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded, quickly splitting up into their respective groups and proceeding to their designated positions.
When they reached the southern entrance, Ted and Shalmir waited, listening for the signal to begin the attack. Ted took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He always got nervous before an engagement like this, when the enemy was unknown. Shalmir looked over to him, whispering,
"Hey Ted, how you holding up?"
"I'm... fine. I'll be alright once we get started."
He nodded to her, looking down the passage where the enemies supposedly were.
"What do you think we'll find in there?"
Shalmir shrugged.
"Rogues, most probably. It's too hot in this place for Heroes, and there's nothing of worth here for a Keeper, so I'm guessing these mercs are just smuggling stuff past the Hero checkpoints in adjoining realms."
She smirked at her companion, who responded with a slight frown. All throughout school, Ted and Shalmir were rivals in terms of their knowledge and general intelligence.
Suddenly, a sharp, high-pitched sound echoed through the caverns. This was the signal they had waited for. The Salamander pair counted to three before charging into the passage, ready to take on any merc. The passage curved to the left, then to the right, and then led into a large cave system. At the other end, Ted could see the mercenary camp, although they were not just Rogues. Several Thieves, Human Archers and an assortment of Dwarves were present too, along with a Black Knight.
Shalmir pointed at a ledge of rock above the camp, where they could safely oversee the entire camp. The pair quickly proceeded onto the ledge. Once they saw the camp up close, the Salamanders realized it wasn't a simple smuggling operation. Sentry Cannons and several other traps were dotted around the perimeter, and a makeshift Workshop inside the camp was building weapons of all kinds.
"Oh my god, they're preparing for a siege! We need to wipe these bastards out before they threaten the security of our kingdom."
Ted silently agreed, although he realized that even if the entire patrol group was there, the mercs outnumbered them three to one. It would be a difficult fight, to say the least.
Then, a Dwarf came running out of one of the nearby passages, screaming for help. His armor was torn, and his clothes on fire. He was most probably attacked by the others. Sure enough, the rest of the patrol group came running out of the tunnel, rapidly changing formation to efficiently bombard the trespassers with Fireballs and Meteors.
"Right, let's do this!"
Shalmir and Ted jumped off the ledge, landing on a couple of Thieves, crushing them. They moved forwards, fighting the nearest bunch of Dwarves. Meanwhile, Ecthelion and Harram blitzed the defensive trap placements, quickly tearing them apart, along with any mercs standing nearby. It was not long before the Salamander patrol was in the heart of the camp, fighting several veterans, along with the leader of the mercenaries, a Black Knight. It fought well, even deflecting a Meteor with it's blade.
Unexpectedly, a set of mercenary reinforcements came from a nearby tunnel, who immediately charged into the battle. Several rogue Knights and Guards were among them.
Harram tore apart the Rogue he was fighting with relative ease, and spotted the new arrivals.
"Damn it, enemy reinforcements! Everyone, stay behind me!"
The great Salamander stepped forwards, towards the enemy, and waited until they were almost upon him. Speaking an ancient language, Harram unleashed hell. This Word of Power incantation was one that was native to the realm, creating massive rings of fire that exploded outwards from Harram, completely vaporising the mercs leading the attack. Ted shielded his face from the blast by turning away. He then spotted one of the surviving mercenaries, a Rogue, trying to slip away.
Tedworthy chased him away from the encampment, into a nearby cave. As Ted ran in, the Rogue ambushed him, jumping onto his back.
"Agh, get off me you vile creature!"
The Rogue held on tight as Ted tried to shake him off. The Salamander bashed him against the walls, and even walked through a nearby lava stream, but to no avail. The Rogue had begun to climb up to Ted’s neck, and held up his knife to the lizard’s throat. In a panic, Tedworthy shouted for help, hoping the others were close enough to hear him. The Rogue laughed at his efforts.
“Huh, you really think they’ll get here in time? Stupid reptile. I’ll be long gone by the time they find your body!”
Ted tried once more to get the aggressor off by smashing himself into the wall, this time causing the Rogue to fall off, dazed.
“How dare you trespass in our realm and treat me like some simple animal? You underestimated us, and now you will die, Rogue. I’ll make sure you never threaten this kingdom ever again! ”
The Salamander charged, snapping at the enemy’s weapon arm. The Rogue dodged the attack narrowly while Ted ran into the wall. He used this opportunity to wedge Ted’s head between him and the rocks.
“Ugh, you talk too much.”
The Rogue reached into the Salamander’s mouth with his knife, and with one clean slice, he cut out his tongue. Ted screamed in pain, breaking out of the Rogue’s hold, clutching at his mouth. The Rogue smirked, but his expression quickly changed when he saw the other Salamanders approaching. He quickly ran into another passage, disappearing from view.
Essam ran up to Ted.
“Brother! Are you hurt? We heard the scream.”
Ted responded only by opening his mouth, showing the devastated scene within. The others recoiled at the sight.
Harram suddenly stepped forward to address the patrol group.
“Well done everyone, we have successfully repelled the invaders. If they have any kind of sense, they’ll stay away next time. Alright, we should be getting back. I’m sure they’ll want to know what happened.”}
Tedworthy Summary
Health: 36% (+10 by sleeping)
Level: 4
Gold Held: 0
Gold in Lair: 120
Mood: ZzZzzzZzzZZz....
Status: Sleeping/dreaming
Efficiency: 0%
Equipment: Nothing
Experience: 1/60
Summary: Tedworthy recalled a past event in his dreams.