The keep door swung shut with a heavy thud, just as several arrows buried themselves in the thick oak planks. Reezka stopped. gasping a little for breath, and absentmindely swung the small child down to the ground. Strange, she thought, that the child had no fear of her. Most humans were at the very least wary of her. Despite the orcish blood not being the main component of her heritage, it certainly showed stongly in her features. The sloping brow, large frame and blunt tusks were more than enough to make most humans approach her with caution.She glanced over at her newly acquired companions. How did they feel about the half orc? So far no-one had seemed hostile or attempted to injure her, but there was definitely some wariness there. The Druid had stared openly when they had first come across each other. He hadn't said much, which suited Reezka fine, but he didn't seem to be familiar with orcs. Maybe they didn't have them where he came from.
The priest, Asla, had seemed much more open. Reezka had warmed to her in a way that she had not done so with anyone since Old Mother had passed away & soon found herself talking freely about some of her jobs and telling her a little about the land they were in. The priest & druid had come in from across the sea, she knew not for what purpose but she had proposed that they journey together towards the town. It had been her intent to find work there; usually she shunned larger populations of humans, but she was becoming tired of scratching a living in the remote hamlets and farms. Of trading her sweat for a bed of straw and a hot meal. True, the farmers were often glad of the help but she was never made welcome. At least they were better than the folk in the village. Old Mother had only taken her there once when Reezka was a youngster but she could still remember the angry voices. The cruel names. And the sharp, sudden pain of the rock striking her head.
A soft hissing sound made her look round and she saw the Dragonborn, Hesh, get to his feet. While she had a grudging respect for the way he & Stei had handled themselves in combat, she did not trust him. Dragonspawn! Reezka growled quietly to herself. Dragons & dragonkin only meant one thing to Reezka; fire. Having lived all her life around the woodlands, she had seen the damage a fire could cause and the way it could be used to destroy. Seeing the kobolds burning the possessions of these poor people had made her angry. So much so that she had had trouble controlling her rage when the woman's mate had been cut down. In her fury, she had nearly struck the woman with her axe. That hadn't been the best start but once they were forced to run she had grabbed the child without hesitation.
Where were the last 2 members of the group? Reezka quickly looked around & saw Badger and Virena leant against the wall catching their breath. Both looked unharmed and had done their part in the fighting, although she had noticed that Virena hadn't seemed to want to use her magic. That seemed strange to Reezka. She didn't understand magic but surely it was there to be used? They'd said that Old Mother had magic. That she was a witch. But Reezka had never seen her use it. She'd used herbs, roots and other things to make the remedies and potions that the villagers came to her for. Maybe Virena was like that too.
Still, they were safe, at least for the moment. Maybe now would be a good time to work out their next move.....
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