A man wanders in the middle of a sandstorm while dressed head to toe in full-plate. Fearing that he is not prepared to move in the storm he takes cover in a cave to shield himself from the storm. He sits at a meager fire eating his rations as he examines a map. He draws ever closer to his target, and thinks he should arrive by mid day tomorrow.
As he rests in the night he is suddenly awoken from scurrying in the cave. He reaches for a torch, lights it, and waves toward the shadows.
"Who goes there!?"
The man reaches for his sword and shield after swapping the torch to his left hand and throwing his shield on his back. He inches closer and closer to the spot he heard the scurries. Off to the corner he notices a small object that looks like an off color rock, but once he kneels to examine it he realizes that it is a crushed piece of parchment.
He slowly puts down his sword. He hasn't heard the scurrying for a bit so he thinks it is safe to examine the paper. As he opens it he finds that it is in a very rare language for the common folk of the city he is from, but luckily due to circumstances the solider can make out enough words to get the gist of the message.
"No. Noise. Human. Here... Flank-!"
Before he finishes the last few words he drops the letter and grabs back his sword. he turns on his heel and throws the torch out and spots three figures in the shadows a short 10 feet away from him. The figures are small lithe creatures with long pointed faces and they seem to be brandishing small blades as well.
The moment the torch lands two of the figures flank left and right while the smallest one leaps up at the man, but he has just enough time to flick out his shield from his back. In the cave can be heard impact of shield connecting with tiny torso, but before the man can react he feels a stinging pain in his right calf.
The man brings his pommel down into a small skull that crumples to the ground. Then finally the man catches a break and hears the scurrying again to his back. He spins and points his sword to the neck of a 3 ft tall humanoid raven, stopping it in it's tracks. Then the man responds in the tongue of his adversary.
"Yield!"
The small creature drops its dagger and kneels down, and soon two other smaller bird men kneel on each side of it. The man retrieves his torch and kneels down as well to match their glossy eyed gaze as best he can.
The man speaks to the young ones again, "I. Seek. Tengu."
The small birds look back and forth to each other then motion to themselves as if answering.
"No. Tengu..." The man look contemplates his next words carefully then finally snaps up as if he has the words.
"Bloody Bird."
The two bigger Tengu look to the smaller one who is shaking, after a few moments the small one looks up at the man and finally speaks.
"Mother."
The three Tengu children stand and motion for the man to follow them. For about 2 hours they guide him through and underground cavern system. it would have taken less time, but during the fight he gained a limp from the biggest Tengu's gambit.
The man finally arrives in an opening in the cavern and sees dozens of the Tengu all shorter than human, clad in leather armor and brandishing blades to train or just standing to see the new arrival. All of the Tengu's feathers are black, but some are accented with blue and grey dyes. Only one, a tiny female centered toward the back of the cave seems to catch the eye of the man. Her feathers tinted dark red.
"Why have you come here sir knight?" Inquires the red Tengu, in the common tongue. The man kneels and responds to her.
"I am Sir Henrick, knight of Therin sent with a request for Raza Lockter, leader of the Wings, also called the Bloody Bird."
"I am she."
Henrick rises and addresses Raza
"The King requires that aid of your whole company to help guard a town that is to be constructed on the road between Bailor and Griffith."
"You wish to hire my entire company? We only send a few warriors to handle our jobs. We refuse." Raza turns in disgust from Henrick
Henrick jumps up and immediately falls to his knees from his injury.
"Arg! Please mam! recently a group of bandits have move into that area and they are wiping out any new settlements we try to make! We need more man power or more innocents will die."
Raza turns back at Henrick with a steel gaze.
"As they should! If you are so weak that you need to call upon my men for help then you don't deserve all of us! You may have our 5 best and no more! We have no wish to have a pitiful challenge that would be wiped out in a single day!"
"But you have never seen how these bandits-!"
"YOU STILL SEEK TO CHALLENGE ME!? Then do so with a blade not words!"
Henrick looks puzzled for a moment as Raza leaps across the cave and lands behind the man with a sword breaker dagger to the back of his neck.
Henrick turns his neck to see her and says, "Wh-what!?"
"Challenge me with a blade, if you win you'll get my full force, no charge. If I win then you'll get 5 of us and pay double."
"I was wounded in the cave, it wouldn't be a fair."
Raza points her dagger off to the side at two rocks that would serve as chairs across from each other.
"There then, we will sit and duel, no legs involved."
Henrick looks to the rocks and realizes that the are at least 4 feet apart. His sword would have the clear advantage over her daggers.
"Very well." States Henrick smiling slightly and walking over to the rocks.
The two duelist sit opposed and Raza takes out a second dagger to accompany her sword breaker dagger.
"We fight until one of us yields, and passing out counts as a yield, agreed?" asks Henrick
"That's fine." Responds Raza.
One of the other Tengu approaches and picks up a rock.
"Begin when you hear the rock." Says the Tengu and both combatants nod.
The rock flies up into the air and the moment the sound of its crack on the cave floor happens Raza immediately brings up her sword breaker in a defensive position. While doing so she raises her dagger in her right hand up, presumably to block a high strike while the sword breaker blocks the front to deflect a thrust.
Henrick admits that the defense is solid, but with her slender frame and his heavier long sword an overhead strike would force her to crumble and so he strikes to her head. Henrick is suddenly shocked as his blade swings down right past her raised dagger as if she wasn't even trying to block. The only thing that halts the long sword is the sword breaker that she raises up.
Just as Raza's bird-like arm begins to crumble under the force and Henrick's victory seems assured, his vision suddenly goes red.
"AHHHHH!!!!!" Shouts Henrick as he reaches for his face which now has Raza's normal dagger firmly planted in his right eye.
Henrick buckles to the floor screaming as Raza rises up and walks past the screaming man.
"5 men. We set out in 2 hours and daybreak. Double the pay. Remember this next time you challenge my word."
As Raza walks past him to one of her underlings she says, "He yields, tell Chakan, to ready 3 others to set out in the morning."
The Tengu bows and runs off.
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