The Pirate Who Got Away

The group traveled west on the  Kings Highway towards Hanset, all were mounted atop horses except groth who guided his own wagon down the road.  The road was much busier than ever before with caravans, lone wagons, farmers, women and children all traveling in the opposite direction.  Auren slowed his horse to ask a young farmer what the exodus was about.
     "The swamps are ablaze," replied the young man, "all of the farmers are leaving Hanset, the crops have burned and the barns and houses are next."
     "There must be something to these swamp fires after all." Fox rode up next to Auren.
     "Indeed." Auren replied.
     Auren spotted a figure off in the distance.  Moving up the road was a cloaked figure steering a wagon through the bottleneck of farmers.  The cloaked man stood out from the rest, his wagon moved with purpose rather than salvation. 
     "Halt sir!" Auren shouted.  The wagon came to a stop as farmers hustled by.  "I represent Lord Shinkleboo, where are you headed farmer?"
     "I travel from Seawell and am in quite a hurry." replied the hooded figure.  It was clear by his tone that he did not care for Lord Shinkleboo.
     "What are you carrying that causes you to be in such a rush?" Auren asked. 
     "I am traveling to Stret with a delivery for my masters." growled the hooded man as he gripped the reigns.  Auren continued with non-essential questioning to distract while Fox silently moved to the back of the wagon. 
     Fox pulled back the flap and peered inside.   The wagon was dark and musty.  Unable to see anything he slipped in the back and came across a steel cage being covered by a quilt.  Inside the cage was a wiggling and writhing serpent.  It was unlike anything Fox had previously seen.  It had arms and legs like a salamander.  The creature stirred and sneezed a small burst of fire that singed the edges of the quilt.  Fox decides to let the party know and makes his way out of the wagon.
    Auren sees Fox's feet hit the ground, "Be on your way sir."  The driver lurches forward and cracks the reigns.
     "WAIT, hold that driver!" Fox scrambled towards the front of the wagaon.
     "HALT, again!" Auren screamed at the driver.
     The hooded man cracked his reigns even harder a second time and stood up as both horses reared high.  The hood slipped down revealing a scurvy pirate.  He squinted in the sun showing a gnarled toothless grin.  The stallions stomped the ground and took off dragging the wagon with them.  Farmers dove this way and that, some were trampled by horses while others were sucked under the wagons wheels.  The chase ensued.
     Sitting atop his horse, Phae stared intently, he raised his hands in the air and cast a spell nauseating the pirates horses.  Auren fired off an arrow directly into a horses hind quarters.  Both rode their horses surgically through the mess of injured farmers.  Groth hops out of his wagon and begins to stride through the mob with even less care for farmer safety.  Fox and Auren come just short of the wagon while Groth speeds ahead.  The pirates horses wildly try to part ways as they speed up on the massive green half-ogre standing in their way.  Unable to escape their harnesses, the horses and wagon careen off the Kings Highway.  Crashing a dozen feet below, the wagon splintered sending the steel cage rolling down the embankment.
     Farmers flocked to the crash site.  "Who was that man?",  "Did you see the dragon?",  "He started the fires.".
     "Calm down people, Lord Shinkleboo and his men have this under control." Auren stopped his horse and dismounted.
     Groth hopped down off the Kings Highway and placed his large green foot on the back of the scurvy pirate, pining him to the ground.  After ending the misery of an injured horse, Fox tends to the crate and notices something new in the daylight.  The creature has two heads and is bleeding.
     Seeing that the wagon appears to be under control, Auren decides to tend to the wounded farmers on the highway.  He heals a few minor cuts and scrapes before coming across a woman in labor.
     "Do not worry ma'am, Dr. Baron Vonn Puddleduck, at your service." and with that Auren delivered a baby.
     Meanwhile back at the wagon a struggle develops between the pirate and Groth.  The green man swings to incapacitate the pirate but misses.  The limey bastard slips free as Groth swings again to subdue.  The Pirate dodges the blow and steps back.  Fox rushes to assist, but arrives too late.  The air next to him opens up into nothingness, the Pirate steps through, and disappears.
     "Where did he go?" Auren slipped down off the highway.
     "Dimension Door." Fox stated as he slumped in frustration.
     "What do we have here?" Auren skirted over to the crate and his eyes went wide.  "A Pyrohydra!"  The two headed creature cooed and it was love at first site.


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