Note: This is the fifth match in the Dar series and references, but does not necessarily build on or directly involve, his battle with The Red Hawk Chief. You may want to read that one before reading this one.
King’s peak loomed in the distance, a majestic purple and gray shadow against the afternoon sky. Many cities and towns dotted its lower slopes and the foothills that rose around its base; one of them was Dar’s destination. The compact, muscular brute plodded slowly along through the ancient sea of trees around the mountain, grumbling whenever the bright sun pierced the canopy and struck his unprepared eyes. The path he walked, Dar was convinced it was a path and not a road, was merely a wide section of relatively flat dirt that snaked through the wooded hills. To his left was a steep slope up, covered in scraggly bushes and tree roots, while to his right was a more gradual descent to a small creek. The floor of the valley was nearly completely covered in vegetation clambering for the patches of precious sunlight. Because they had remained unchanged since his departure from Tenningford, Dar had grown weary of these features and scenes, with the exception of the creek, which was a relatively new and welcome sight. This was made worse by the fact that Dar spent most of his time scanning the leaf-covered hills for motion. He was still on the fringes of Red Hawk territory, and though he should be a free dwarf, Dar placed little trust in the honor of orcs; He expected an ambush at any moment. Considering his large hands and man-crushing arms, he believed the impending ambush to be of the distant and pointed variety.
As Dar rounded the coming bend, a wooden structure came into view deeper in the valley, and farther along his path. He stopped. The structure appeared to be a shoddy hut constructed of rocks and wooden logs, nestled on the edge of the path and partly into the hill. Dar discerned that it had been constructed with minimal resources and even less planning, with no concern for the use of the path itself. He felt suspicious, but he figured he could handle whoever, or whatever, built it should it become a problem. After only a brief moment of inspection, Dar continued on.
