The Bravos Return

Liv was the first to enter the clearing, storming up to Gruul with a red face. She still had water dripping from her face from the stream. “Where’s Becky?”

Emmaline’s incessant giggling answered for the Gnoll. “She’s over here~”

Liv turned to see Becky panting on the ground next to a tree with her pants around her legs. Liv quickly looked away and approached the Gnoll. “Any of this good for eating yet?” She grumbled trying not to look at the ever-present tent in his loincloth.

Gruul picked up one of the skewers and passed it to her. She sat by the fire, tearing into the meat without looking at the Gnoll again.

Liv tensed as she heard Emmaline saunter over to the fire. “Well your plan has worked wonderfully so far.” She giggled, causing Liv to hunch over her skewer to hide her burning face. “Becky is getting herself cleaned up but I think we can get planning.”

Gruul adjusted his crouching position, bringing Liv’s attention back to him. Using one of the sticks he had been using for skewering meat, he began to draw in the dirt. “Here is the layout of the cave. It could have changed in the past month, but unlikely.” The cave led to a branch with three separate paths. He didn’t mark any additional side passages. “The prisoners are going to be kept down this path here. With the shaman down this one. Fuu will likely be with him.”

Liv watched him point down various paths with his stick as she logged all of the data into her mind. She noticed Becky joined them half way through his explanation. Liv pulled the last bit of meat off her skewer and gestured toward the map as she chewed. “Wha’ abou’ ‘at room?”

Despite Liv’s garbled question, Gruul answered. “Storage of some kind.? There’s an iron door that was there when we found the caves. I never figured out what was behind it.”

Becky looked intrigued, taking one of the skewers Gruul offered. “Are you sure they are not holding the prisoners there? It would be more secure.”

Gruul nodded. “I am sure. When I escaped, they were keeping women here. With the tribe’s current numbers, I don't think they would bother moving them.”

Emmaline smiled. “Even with the dent we put in them?”

Gruul leaned back on his haunches as he stared up at the sky in thought. “Between your attack and my own efforts they should be down to, at most, 18 members.”

Liv scoffed. “That’s still over four times our number.”

Gruul nodded “And that doesn’t include your bound team leader.”

Liv grit her teeth. “She will try to help as soon as she sees us.”

Emmaline looked pained. “And she will lose her protection for doing it.”

Becky held her notepad to her small chest, biting her lips. “We will have to sneak in an attack from the shadows. Kill him in one strike.”

Liv rubbed her palms into her eyes in frustration. “And then, if the count is right, we will be in a narrow hallway with over a dozen Gnolls coming to capture us.”

Emmaline nodded and took a moment to swallow before speaking. “If we wait for them to send out a patrol or hunting party, we can take out a group of them.”

Becky fidgeted, trying to deal with her nervous energy. “We don’t know how long that will take.”

Gruul cracked open one of the bones he had left by the fire, drawing everyone’s attention. “If things work out, you shouldn’t need to worry about all that.”

Becky instinctively stepped back from the gruesome sight. “Wh-what do you mean?”

Liv watched the Gnoll suspiciously. “What’s your plan then?”

“I declare a challenge and kill the Chieftain"

Liv raised an eyebrow. “You think you can kill that giant Gnoll by yourself.”

Gruul grinned at her. “He’s not who I am worried about.”

Emmaline placed a hand over her chest while the other fanned her face. “Oh aren’t you confident~”

Becky opened her notebook again. “You mean like a test of dominance? If you win, will you have control of the Gnolls?”

Gruul cackled. “Spirits, no. If they were all in their right minds, I wouldn’t have the qualifications to challenge him. Thankfully, they are all lust mad and easily frenzied. I should be able to kill him and hopefully his **** will confuse them enough to **** the Shaman to step out.”

Emmaline placed a finger to her lips. “So you are just worried about getting the Shaman close so you can kill him?”

“Of course. That’s the plan. The Shaman pops his head out and Liv hits him with her fancy crossbow.”

Liv opened her mouth to correct him before something clicked. “Wait, you want to stand out there against the entire tribe by yourself while we wait in the shadows?”

Gruul nodded. “That is correct.”

Becky almost choked on her skewer. “What? What if they just kill you? What do we do then?”

Gruul shrugged. “Then you use the floor plan for whatever plan you come up with next. The Shaman should be too busy gloating over my corpse to notice you all leaving.”

Emmaline narrowed her eyes at the Gnoll. “Don’t wave it off. Why would we trust you if you are planning to die?”

Gruul cackled. “I was planning to kill every one of those corrupted mutts with or without you. Make no mistake, Emmaline. I am expecting to make it through this.”