Shredder IX
A restless night spent in wayward seclusion did little to comfort the Halfling as he finished his cold breakfast and again followed the trail south into the morning mists. The telltale outcropping of cliffs materialized out of the morning haze, blotting out the horizon with an ominous murk. Gerard hunkered in amidst a relatively concealed band of deadfalls and patiently waited for the sun to creep into the higher reaches of the day, hopefully burning the obscuring moisture away in due time.
As Gerard’s perception increased with the clearing of the day, his heart lurched when he saw how close he had positioned himself to the final resting place of the young Halfling woman who only days earlier had entrusted her safety to Gerard. He was spared the direct sighting of her blackened corpse, as scavengers had apparently pulled the body into some nearby cover to dine in relative peace, but his trained Ranger’s eyes could read the signs of her passing as easily as if he had witnessed the entire turn of events.
Hours passed as he listened to the pulse of the wooded hills around him, scrutinizing each element of his surroundings, seeking any indication that he was still being hunted. When he was finally satisfied that the Shredder had moved on to hunt elsewhere, he quietly broke cover and made his way toward the trail of the Halfling’s remains. Within minutes he located the unfortunate soul and quietly went about the task of preparing her for transport back to one of the civilized towns for proper interment. Gerard was numb within a sea of emotion and haggard from maintaining such a high level of alertness throughout the unending day. A wetness formed along the rims of his eyes as he embraced the shrouded form of the Halfling woman, carrying her to a more sequestered location away from the common scavengers of the forests. No tears passed across his cheeks, but a hollow space buried itself deep within his heart at the loss of what may have been a memorable beginning.
Assured that her rest would go undisturbed for a while, Gerard turned his gaze up to the precipice above. The climb would be a difficult one. He intended to avoid the common trail used by those passing through this stretch of the woodlands and make his way up a more secluded set of hand and footholds nearby. He had never traversed the particular path that lay ahead, but those who had discussed its existence with him over the years had insured that it would suffice for a thousand years to come. Hefting his gear and performing one final sweep of the area, he moved off along the ridge face to find his path upward.
Sixty or so yards from the trail, he encountered what must surely be the other means to gain access to the top of the cliff. He paused cautiously though as the sight of a human hand, locked in a claw like position, caught his eye amidst the rubble of the crevasse which would carry him upward. Again he allowed time to serve as his best defense, observing and assessing with relative certainty that no threat was in the immediate vicinity. Gerard was almost certain that the hand belonged to the human member of the trio he had escorted, but he would not be sure until he inspected more closely what the shadows of the crevasse held. The afternoon sun shone down upon the scene and slowly withdrawing his shortsword, Gerard moved silently across the open space to the crack in the cliff face, scanning his surroundings for any sign of a trap. His caution proved unwarranted in this case as he did finally identify the upper half of the poor human who was the Shredder’s first victim. Gerard quickly began preparing the torso for transport but had to modify his travel leathers to accommodate the addition of his other half should the opportunity to retrieve it be provided.
When Gerard had finally completed the task, relocating the bulky bundle to the same location of the fallen Halfling, he saw that the light of the day was dwindling. To make the climb now would prove trickier than need be, and would likely leave him with the necessity of making camp on the same ledge where the Shredder had ambushed the travelers initially. He thought better of such an ill fated plan and decided to make camp for the night. The crevasse would wait until first light and would then give him ample time to complete his initial sweep of the area. One last patrol of the area in the dusky evening allowed him some small piece of mind, although he knew his rest would again be nothing more than a troubled drifting somewhere between full and semi-consciousness. No true sleep would be had until the matter had been laid to rest, and he could once again sleep without fear in his heart.