The remaining bandits had seen enough. With one last glance at their leader’s mangled body, they turned and fled, scrambling over the rocks as fast as their legs could carry them.
Elora rushed forward, kneeling beside the bandit leader’s body. His wounds were too severe—nothing short of a miracle would save him now. She muttered a prayer and placed her hands over him, but it was too late. The man let out a final, ragged breath before succumbing to his injuries.
With a sigh, Elora stood and searched the body, her hands moving carefully through the blood-soaked clothing. Eventually, she found a small pouch containing around 60 gold pieces, but it was the silver signet ring that caught her attention. The ring was worn, its edges smoothed by time, but the intricate design of the crest was still sharp and clear.
The crest depicted a coiled serpent, its body twisted into the shape of a dagger, with its tail forming the hilt. The serpent’s eyes were small rubies, glinting menacingly in the dim light. Encircling the serpent was a wreath of thorns, each barb detailed to give the impression of a tight, strangling grip. At the top of the crest, a crescent moon hovered, its surface etched with fine lines, almost as though casting a shadow over the entire image. The craftsmanship was impeccable, and the ring bore the unmistakable air of an organized and dangerous thieves’ guild.
“We should bury him,” she said quietly.
Thane nodded, and they dragged the body off the road, laying him to rest beneath a tree. Elora performed a brief ceremony, offering a prayer for his soul before they continued on their way.
As they walked, the conversation naturally shifted toward Tako, though he seemed content with the silence. Zerai, ever curious, couldn’t help but press him with questions.
“So, Tako,” she began, “when did you first learn you were a bear?”
Tako didn’t break his stride, his voice as steady as his gait. “Tako always bear.”
Zerai raised an eyebrow. “Always? Even when you were little?”
Tako nodded. “Tako born bear. Grow bear.”
Thane chuckled. “You sure about that, big guy? I don’t see much fur, apart from that mane o’ yours.”
Tako shot him a glance. “Fur inside. Tako bear.”
Zerai’s grin widened, intrigued. “So, what about us? Are we bears?”
Tako stopped walking for a moment, turning to fully face Zerai, his eyes narrowing in thought. He studied her for a few seconds, then the others, as if weighing something only he could understand. Finally, he gave a slow, deliberate nod. “You… not know yet.”
Elora glanced between them, eyebrows raised. “Not know… yet?”
“Tako believe,” he said, resuming his pace, “everyone bear. Some just… not see.”
Zerai laughed, clearly delighted. “Well, that’s something to look forward to, I suppose. Can’t wait to figure out my inner bear.”
Thane shook his head, smirking. “Inner bear. Right. What about me? Do I got a bear rattlin’ around inside too?”
Tako considered Thane for a long moment, his gaze unblinking. “You… maybe.”
Thane snorted. “Maybe. Great.”
Lira, walking a few paces ahead, shook her head but couldn’t suppress a small smile. “This is the strangest group I’ve ever been a part of.”
Tako seemed unfazed. “Strange good. Strange mean strong.”
Zerai nodded in agreement. “I think I like that. Strange and strong. We’ll make it work.”
Hours later, just after sunset, they reached the base of the Kaethar Mountains. The jagged peaks loomed above them, casting long shadows over the land. A chill wind blew down from the heights, carrying the promise of danger with it.
Lira scanned the mountainside. “We could camp here for the night, but if the creature we’re hunting is nocturnal…”
“It might be better to hunt it now,” Zerai finished.
Thane cracked his knuckles. “Aye, I’m ready for a fight.”
The group decided to press on, but it wasn’t long before they realized they were not alone. Something stalked them in the darkness, its presence felt more than seen. The air grew heavy with tension, and every shadow seemed to move.
Without warning, the beast attacked.
It came from the side, a blur of stone and sinew that blindsided Thane with terrifying speed. The grathok, a mass of fur and jagged rock, crashed into him like a battering ram, sending the dwarf flying backward. His body slammed into the rocks behind him with a sickening thud, the air forced from his lungs as his warhammer skittered out of reach. Thane groaned, dazed, his vision swimming as the beast roared in fury, the sound reverberating through the mountainside like thunder.
Lira was the first to react. She drew an arrow in one fluid motion and loosed it with deadly precision. The arrow sailed through the air, aimed at the creature’s exposed flank, but as it struck, it shattered against the grathok’s rocky hide, splintering into pieces like fragile glass. The creature didn’t even flinch, its glowing eyes turning toward her, burning with molten fury. Lira cursed under her breath and nocked another arrow, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good.
Zerai was already moving, her hands glowing with arcane energy. She muttered an incantation under her breath, summoning a blast of fire that roared to life in her palms. With a sharp thrust, she sent the flames hurtling toward the grathok, the mote of fire colliding with the creature’s stony back in an explosion of sparks and embers. But the flames flickered and died against the creature’s skin, as though it had simply shrugged off the magic like a light breeze. Zerai’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What in every hell…?”
The grathok roared again, this time turning its attention toward her. It lunged, claws the size of daggers reaching for the gnome. Zerai barely managed to dive out of the way, rolling across the dirt as the beast’s claws raked the ground where she had stood, gouging deep furrows into the earth. “Tako!” she screamed, panic creeping into her voice. “Do something!”
Tako had been watching with his usual calm, but now his eyes darkened. He let out a low, rumbling growl, a sound that seemed to resonate from deep within his chest. “Tako defend,” he muttered, his voice like gravel. In an instant, his body began to shift, fur sprouting thicker across his limbs as his form grew larger, more primal. In a heartbeat, he was no longer the towering vaelin they had known, but a massive brown bear, his body bristling with muscle and power.
With a roar that rivaled the grathok’s, Tako charged the beast, slamming into it with all his weight. The two creatures clashed with a deafening crash, stone grinding against fur and muscle as they wrestled for dominance. Tako’s claws tore at the grathok’s stony hide, chipping away at the rock-like skin, but the creature fought back with brutal strength, slamming its fists into Tako’s side. The bear staggered but didn’t relent, biting down on the grathok’s forearm with a savage snarl.
Meanwhile, Elora rushed to Thane’s side, her hands glowing with healing light. She placed them over his chest, and warmth spread through his battered body, knitting his broken bones and mending torn muscles. Thane groaned, shaking his head as the fog of pain lifted, but the battle still raged around them. “Thanks, lass,” he muttered, reaching for his warhammer. “But we’re far from done.”
Thane pushed himself to his feet, the healing magic dulling the worst of his pain but not fully restoring him. He gripped his warhammer with both hands and charged back into the fray, swinging the weapon with all the fury he could muster. The hammer struck the grathok’s knee with a bone-crunching impact, and this time, the beast stumbled, roaring in pain as the blow connected. Thane grinned through the blood trickling down his face. “Aye, that’s more like it.”
Lira, seeing the opening, fired another arrow, this one aimed at the creature’s eye. The shaft flew true, embedding itself in the soft tissue just beneath the creature’s brow. The grathok howled in rage, swiping blindly at the air, its vision now partially obscured. Lira smirked, drawing another arrow. “That got its attention.”
Tako, still in bear form, seized the opportunity. He lunged again, this time biting down on the grathok’s shoulder and using his immense strength to drag the creature to the ground. The two behemoths crashed into the dirt, locked in a savage struggle, each fighting for dominance. The grathok’s claws slashed across Tako’s side, drawing blood, but the vaelin-turned-bear didn’t let go, his jaws clamped firmly on the creature’s stony hide.
Zerai, still shaken, saw her chance. She conjured another spell, this time weaving arcane energy into a bolt of crackling lightning. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the bolt flying toward the grathok’s exposed back. The lightning struck true, coursing through the creature’s body in a brilliant flash of blue light. The grathok convulsed, its muscles seizing as the electricity surged through it.
Tako released the beast and rolled away, his fur singed from the lightning’s aftermath, but the grathok lay twitching on the ground, stunned by the combined assault. Thane staggered toward it, raising his warhammer for one final blow. With a guttural cry, he brought the weapon crashing down on the creature’s skull, the impact sending cracks spiderwebbing across its stony face. The grathok let out one final, pitiful growl before collapsing, its body still and lifeless.
For a moment, all was silent except for the heavy breathing of the exhausted party. The grathok lay broken and defeated, its once-terrifying form now reduced to rubble and fur.
Elora knelt beside Thane once again, her hands glowing as she worked to close the deeper wounds left by the creature’s vicious attacks. “You should be more careful,” she scolded lightly, though her tone was soft with concern.
Thane grunted, wiping the blood from his face. “Aye, but that wouldn’t be as much fun.”
Elora rushed to Thane’s side, her hands glowing with healing magic, but it wasn’t enough. The creature’s relentless assault left him badly wounded, and though Elora did what she could, he would need more serious attention soon.
Finally, with one last desperate strike from Thane, the creature fell. Its body collapsed with a resounding crash, and the party stood, breathing heavily, their weapons slick with blood.
“We can’t stay here,” Lira said grimly. “This thing’s body will attract predators.”
They agreed to make for Kaethar and arrived at the city’s gates hours later. The inn they chose, The Stormy Rest, was a modest establishment that offered warmth and shelter. Tako, too large to fit in any of the rooms, was content to sleep in the stables with the creature’s body.
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