Ugh, my head. So, the old man does something and I'm back, but I'm definitely not feeling great. Still, it’s not as bad as it could be. I've got one of these thugs behind me, another in front, and the big axe-wielding idiot is still trying to turn Rip into a pin cushion. Bob looks like he went ten rounds with a grick, and Luis looks even worse than me.
Some thug keeps trying to grab me while I'm on my back, and I think another one's rummaging through my pack. Oh no you don't. I land a couple of solid blows on the guy trying to hold me down. Looks like I'll have to knock these bozos out just to stand up. Better not cost me any of my good trail rations! I am not eating hardtack if I can help it.
I finally manage to knock out the guy holding me down and scramble into a clear spot. But then that jerk on the hill screams again, and my head starts spinning all over. This thug keeps yelling about a "box" and tossing my rations on the ground! I don't have a damn box, you idiot! And for some reason, Rip keeps throwing these ridiculous smoke bombs around. What is he even doing?!
Luis finally ties up with the guy who was digging in my bag, giving me a chance to get to my feet. I immediately sucker-punch the guy in the ribs. Served him right.
Bob was just sort of wandering around the fight, looking confused, when a wicked arrow slams right into his gut, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. He carries that stupid stone thrower everywhere, but of course, he hasn't used it once this whole fight. Maybe his brain’s finally been addled by all this nonsense.
I hit the guy with two quick punches, and I can see it in his eyes – he’s out on his feet. I move behind the big guy who's been chasing Rip.
Then Rip, out of nowhere, tosses some random box out of a shrub, luring the axe-wielding goon away. I hit the big guy as he moves off to pick up the box. The idiot falls for it, of course. He then launches into this long, boring speech about how he won, and we lost, and who he works for, blah, blah, blah. He's such a moron. I told him multiple times we didn't have anything in a box!
Bob's down, and Luis is saying he's dead. He sounds pretty sure about it. Then the duck, that weird, scruffy duck, shows up looking even worse for wear and drops a vial next to Bob. I tell Luis to pour it in Bob's mouth. Seems like that’s what the duck wanted.
Bob wakes up. He doesn't look too happy we woke him up, but he's up and moving again.
Then the duck drags Bob over to a flat rock and tries to get him to put his hand down, like it wants Bob to cut off the tip of his pinky. What in the actual hell?
Instead, Bob starts trying to use a dagger to saw off one of the unconscious thug's hands. Then he stops, checks if the thug's still alive. Seeing that he is alive, Bob just stabs him, then goes right back to asking the duck if that's what it wants, and continues trying to saw off the thug’s hand. Bob is a complete lunatic! He’s "getting messages" from the duck now!
Then he lets Luis cut off the tip of his own pinky for the duck. I just... I can't. What is going on here?!
Bob's trying to help Luis pull arrows out of himself when we hear a quiet crack, a whizz sound, and then a cannonball slams into the cliff face. A cannonball!
The duck, that bizarre creature, just leaps up and flies off down the road.
We decide we need to keep moving to try and make it to the boat when we originally planned. As we're setting up camp, we hear a voice in the forest. Turns out it's some fancy nobleman trying to get to Galt, which is basically the exact opposite direction of where we need to go.
He immediately insults Luis, who, for some reason, claims to be the son of a duke from Taldor. I highly doubt it, but Luis seems to believe it.
Luis then cracks his whip at the noble a couple of times. Yeah, that's a great way to become wanted criminals if this guy decides to actually report us. In the end, he just stays on the road, and we head back to our camp. Not sure what he's hoping for out there, but I imagine he'll be disappointed.
After I've been sleeping for a while, I'm woken up by something fluttering all over my face and someone slapping my head. I can't even get my eyes open to see what's happening. I jump out of my bed, finally get my eyes open, and see what looks like a cloud of moths flying around the head of my bedroll, and Luis standing there.
Then I realize my face is covered in honey, or some sticky crap like that. It had to be that damn duck. Still mad about me kicking him out of my bedroll, probably.
Luis and I trudge across the road and down to the river to wash this gunk out of my fur. Along the way, we pass some empty jars of honey. Of course. While we're there, the duck shows up again, acting like it wants us to follow him. He tries to wake up Bob and Rip, but we manage to convince him to let Bob sleep.
Luis and I follow the little feathered freak for a while. Turns out, he was leading us back to the boat. And the boat? It's pretty much sunk and looks like it's been set on fire. And John... John is tied to a tree. Up in the tree!
He says some snake-man and a hairy-man showed up asking about the box. John, poor guy, told them we had the box out of fear for his life. Can't blame him, and it's not like they didn't already suspect it. He looks pretty rough, like he's been slapped around a bit.
We get him down, make sure he's okay, and then start heading back to camp to meet up with Bob and Rip. This trip is literally cursed.