The Travels of Rose Ashmaw

Chapter 57

As Varna, Rose, and Maria traveled the crunch of the snow beneath them could be heard.

Varna: What do you think we will find out here?

Rose: I'm not really sure.

Maria: I can hope just this once it won't be something that wants us dead.

Rose: I mean...

Varna pointed slightly to the left of where they were going.

Varna: Look!

Maria and Rose looked where she was pointing.

Maria: Is that...Purth?

They could see two Gnolls that seemed to be inspecting something in the distance.

Rose: Why would Purth be out here?

Varna: I guess we're about to find out.

As they continued to close the distance the only sound was the howling of the cold wind and the crunch of snow beneath their feet. As they got closer they could see that what the two seemed to be inspecting looked like the statue of a Gnoll.

Rose: Why is there a statue all the way out in the middle of nowhere?

Maria: That...is a good question.

Once they had gotten a little closer they could start to hear them.

Feraga: Don't you think we should head back?

Purth: Leaving this out here with no idea of what it is? The whole reason we were sent out here was to figure out what it was.

Varna: That's definitely Purth.

They began to pick up their pace at that until they had reached them.

Rose: Hello there!

Upon hearing that, Purth and Feraga looked at them.

Purth: Ah, hello.

She tilted her head slightly.

Purth: what brings you all the way out here?

Maria: Looking for something that might be useful.

She points at the stone Gnoll.

Maria: What is that?

Purth: We just got back out here after reporting about it, so we aren't sure.

As she says this she begins walking around it, closely looking at every part of it she can. After a few minutes, she stops and seems to be concentrating on something.

Feraga: What is it, sister?

Varna had walked to where Purth was and followed her gaze.

Varna: That says...stone?

Purth: Yes, but what is the word next to it?

After a moment of silence, Varna tilted her head slightly as she concentrated on the Gnollish word in question.

Varna: I think it says, Golem.

Maria: Wait, so it says Stone Golem?

Rose: What's a Stone Golem?

Varna: Not sure.

Purth looked up in the sky.

Purth: It's getting late, we should probably set up camp and continue this tomorrow.

Varna: That's probably for the best.

The others nodded and began setting up camp.

***

Rose awoke with a start and found that she was surrounded by darkness. After looking around she spotted Maria who had just jolted awake and was looking around.

Vara: Ah, you two are awake.

The both of them looked to where the voice had come from and could see Vara, her white fur almost glowing in the black void.

Maria: What was that thing?

As she said this both she and Rose stood up.

Vara: You must mean the Stone Golem.

Rose nodded.

Vara: I had originally taught shamans how to make them as a way for them to be able to push back the Demons and demonic Gnolls a long time ago. They were able to also do other tasks that would have been otherwise dangerous for mortals.

There was a silence as Vara had a look of concentration.

Vara: I was sure that no one left knew how to make them anymore and that they had all been destroyed. This one could still be used to help us.

Maria: May I ask something?

Vara nodded.

Maria: Why don't you teach someone how to make them again?

Vara: It requires someone of incredible power to properly make a Stone Golem.

After a moment Rose's eyes widened.

Rose: You mean Varna, don't you?

Vara didn't respond.

Maria: But you're not sure if you trust her with that knowledge.

Rose: But after the attack that just happened, can we really afford to withhold something that could help us?

After several minutes of silence, Vara responded.

Vara: I will give her the knowledge of how to animate it, if she can do with it as she is asked and prove she has no ill intentions with the knowledge, then I may choose to give that to her. We will indeed need everything that we can get with what will be coming.