Continued from S3-3-5: Brytag, Warrior-Priest of Chaos. “So Tumbru’s legacy truly live in the east,” Syn mused out loud, as he continued to admired Brytag while rising to his feet. He had heard tales of the eastern lands, including some about an order of the militant monks founded by an ancestor of the Tumbru family thousands of years ago, but they were widely considered just myths. “What are you doing here alone?” Blade questioned, as Brytag slowly rose; her body ached, but was less battered and bruised then she thought it would be, thanks to Syn’s healing spell. “I wasn’t alone when I came to this hellish forest,” she explained, her voice tinged with regret. “There were eight of us, but all the others are dead… Some of them were driven mad by this loathsome place, and the rest were hunted down by the Orgen. That one,” she motioned to Durg’s corpse, as her voice turned bitter, “was some form of leader, and claimed me for himself, so the others let him hunt me alone. If you hadn’t stopped him, he would have…” Her voice trailed off as the horrid thought of what the man-beast was going to do to her choked it. “We know,” Blade replied in a comforting tone. She could easily see herself in the nightmarish position they had found Brytag in… and she too would have welcome death first. “Why are you here?” Brytag asked as she started to gather up her possession. “Most likely for the same reason you came,” Rynard replied in a nonchalant tone. He had been content to simply admire her until now, but having seen her reaction to Syn, he wasn’t about to let the Dragon Lord snag this exotic beauty with out a challenge. “Our good lord Darkwolf here has a bit of a grocery list to fill, and it seems that this is the only market for his needs.” Syn shot Rynard a cold glare. He knew exactly what the Filkharian rogue was trying to do. It wasn’t enough that ‘Romi awaited their return, with the promise of her ample gratitude; he had to try and seduce this eastern beauty as well. But Syn also knew that his efforts were most likely to backfire this time. “You’ve come for rare plants needed for your sorcery and potions,” Brytag addressed Syn, clearly put off by Rynard’s flippant attitude and surprised that the Dragon Lord tolerated it. “But I do not understand the term Darkwolf.” “It is a long tale,” Syn replied in a tone that acknowledged her interest but made it clear that it was a conversation for another time, “involving sorceries and higher beings known only to the Dharzi at the time Tumbru founded your order.” “It sounds like a tale I’d like to hear,” Brytag said inquisitively, with a gleam in her eye which made it quite clear that it wasn’t just the story that intrigued her. “Can we just find these damn plants and get out of this forsaken place before we have to deal with something that smells worse then him,” Blade interrupted, motioning to Durg, who stank even worse in death then he had in life. To be continued on S3-3-7: Rodrigo Bandras. The sixth installment in the third "book" of my Stormbringer characters' adventures. Thanks for looking... Hope you enjoy! Comments and suggestions always welcome and appreciated!