Our first Battle! Let's just forget this one...

April 5th, continued
 
Well my plan didn’t work out. The group decided that we would enact the plan as a team and join the Red Sashes, but that we’d wait a couple of hours to make it more believable. Eventually the boys felt the call of nature and asked to be let out. They went one at a time and each reported hearing Haymin say to get some rest and be ready. With mixed success we try to sleep.
 
We are awakened and hear the sounds of goblins attacking the camp. Hamyin opens the door for us and tosses us our backpacks and gear. He tells us to run to the woods. He turns to fight four guys, but one guy gives us chase.
 
I stop to shoot at him and the arrow misses horribly. I meant to keep running at that point and keep pace with Ladigo, whose legs aren’t as long as the rest of us, but I got angry. I moved some, but then stopped again to shoot and the shot went wide again. The red sash is on me then and doesn’t miss. As his sword cuts into me, my mind flashes back to seeing Marak with his sword sticking out of my father’s back. It must have hurt like the hells. I step away from him, but miss again—gods damn it. With his next swipe I fall into unconsciousness.
 
I awaken with Selia and Auren near me, having given me some sort of potion. It seems that everyone ran back when they’d seen I’d stopped and Mogi tried to sword fight with the bandit, but suffered the same fate as me. Pyzar got in a couple of good hits it seems, but unfortunately one of those was on Sinjin and he was knocked unconscious too. Haymin tells us to get up and keep running, and we do so.
 
We travel deep into the woods and soon the sounds of the goblin/red sash battle are distant and then gone. Our first battle as a group. And it was pretty terrible. I know some of that is my fault, and it angers me more. But I can’t change it. I thank Vita I am still alive, and promise myself to focus. I know that Alouiscious loved the bow, but I’m not having much luck with it. Maybe I’ll consider swords for a fighting style. I’ve seen their effectiveness first hand. Who knows, maybe Pyzar knocked some sense into Sinjin and he’ll consider a weapon instead of just a hand to hand combat style.
 
 
April 6th through 11th
 
These days we are travelling closer to Karavale, watching closely behind us for signs of the Red Sashes. Although Haymin is fairly sure it will take some time for them to regroup. Haymin tells me not to be too hard on myself, but I am feeling very frustrated. It’s the human in me, I suppose. I want to be good now…Alouiscious would tell me to calm down, that there is time enough. If only he knew how limited his time was… Anyway, during our travels I end up telling the group about how I came to be known as Titta A. Morco, or Titta Agrime Morco and how it means “little angry bear” in elven.
 
It was eight years ago as I was out on my own after I discovered that Marak had killed my father because he was paid by the town Marshall, Ptero Dain, of Bright River, the town I grew up in. I found out that they were working together, but they caught me eavesdropping and chased me. I stole a horse and hightailed it out of town back to my father's ranch. I grabbed some quick gear from my old home and found a spot to camp miles away.
 
Three days later I still hadn’t much to eat because I was only 8 years old and forgot about fish biting in the early and late hours, so hadn’t had much success fishing at high noon. Anyway, finally caught some early one morning and had them cooking over a fire. Suddenly a large, brown bear comes shuffling out of the forest around me and eats one of my fish. I was so hungry and angry, I grabbed my fishing pole and swatted the bear in the face when he came back for another and said, “These are my fish!”
 
The bear looked at me confused and still tried to take another fish, so I swatted him twice more, hitting him once on the nose. I yelled at him again, “These are MY fish!” The bear was annoyed and angry now at little skinny me, who should have known better and let him have the damn fish. So he roared in my face. I can still remember the feel of his hot breath and the deafening sound. Pushed past the limit of sensibility, I channeled all my hurt and anger of the past weeks and roared back with a sound that left my throat scratchy and sore. Truly fed up now, the bear stood up, towering over me, on his hind legs and raised a clawed paw to swipe me into silence. That’s when two arrows came from the forest beside me and stuck into his arm and shoulder. Frustrated and confused, the bear shambled back into the trees from where he’d come.
 
I turned to see two elves, one of whom I had stolen the horse from, and simply said, “These are my fish.” The elder elf, Alouiscious Valathar, took me in and raised me. Teaching me the ways of nature as he taught his own son. They called me Titta Agrime Morco, and that’s the name I’ve used ever since.

 
Hot-headedness has no place in battle though. I can tell there is a price for over confidence.
 
Our travels went smoothly from there, walking, hunting, and learning more about each other. Haymin continued his small lessons here and there about survival and adventuring. On the twelfth he announced that we should reach Karavale by mid-day the next day. He would leave us with a friend and then complete a job he’d been hired to do before coming back to finish our training. Her name is Jenivar Albyn, and she’s the innkeeper of the Home Away from Home Inn.
 
April 13th
 
We arrive in Karavale in midday, after passing a few farms on the way. We learn that Jenivar and Haymin have a bit of a history together. Awwww.
 
Anyway, he brings us in and asks her to put us up while he is gone. She’s not really pleased by the prospect, but gives us three rooms that we can live in until Haymin returns. She says she’s going to try to talk us out of the crazy adventuring life.
 
We get our stuff placed in our rooms and a few of us decide to go check out the town. Selia, Pyzar, and I go check out a park not far away, and I have a smoke. Mogi goes off by himself somewhere, and Auren and Ladigo check out the market place. We eventually end up meeting with everyone as we’ve toured around. There is a temple to Vita in the town, and shrines to Terra, Pontus, Caellum, and Mundus at the park. Thomas Harvin is the bookseller and you can rent a boat for 1 crown per person for the day. A few of us want to try some lake fishing.
 
We eventually make it back to the Home Away from Home and find Sinjin, who had stayed there, at a table with Haymin and go and join them. Jenivar comes over for a time and we talk some more.
When we first arrived and Haymin was talking with Jenivar, he’d said, “I found them. Just like Brother Lu said I would.”
 
We press him for what he meant by that statement and it comes to light that 20 years ago, Haymin met with Brother Lu and was told that he would find a group of young adults and save them from slavery and that they would go on to become one of the most important adventuring parties the world has ever known. We also learn that he’s spent every penny he’s ever earned looking for us during that time, and that Heroes for Hire, his adventuring guild, currently doesn’t have any members because they’ve all left while he chased this obsession, as Jenivar calls it. He’s bankrupted himself to save us. I can’t help but wonder what it all means.
 
It is almost dinner and Jenivar goes to help at the bar when a soldier comes in. She calls him Captain Brice, and the captain apparently doesn’t like Haymin much. It’s probably got something to do with the fact that he is obviously sweet on Jenivar.
 
Haymin will leave in the morning for his great quest. It’s apparently going to pay pretty well. I find myself praying that it goes well for him. If I lose someone else, I know I really will feel like I’m cursed…