Msaka found the path easy enough to follow, though it was rocky and uneven in many places, forcing him to move with care lest he risk twisting an ankle. Not that he would have rushed along had it been smoothly paved; the land might have been safer now than in recent years, but there were still many creatures of the carnivorous persuasion about, and he had no intention of becoming their next meal.

While the land was by no means as lush and overgrown as the jungles of Msaka's people, it was rocky and broken, providing plentiful cover for his stealthy movements. The one worry that nagged at him was the potential for something to come swooping down unbidden from the craggy heights that rose above him, with the sun overhead providing them cover by its dazzling glare.

Thus his approach to the pillar's small vale was both covert and cautious, but he felt vindicated for expending the extra effort when he finally crept through the narrow cleft in the cliffs that led into the place. The middle of the irregularly shaped hollow had been put to use as a campsite, and when he laid eyes upon the creatures that occupied the place, he froze.

Attired in a fashion not dissimilar to the inhabitants of the city, a quartet of humanoids were resting around a small fire. Two of them dined upon haunches of meat while a third was idly sharpening a spear and a fourth was pacing back and forth, another spear in hand. The last would occasionally glance around the area, clearly acting as some sort of sentry; Msaka pressed himself against the rock more closely, hoping to avoid notice.

For the porcine creatures closely resembled members of the warthog tribe of Msaka's homeland, a frightening proposition indeed if they shared the jungle tribe's predelictions for both magical skill and berserk fury. Vaguely, Msaka recalled the captain's tales of the island's creatures, but while the presence of boarmen had been mentioned a few times, little had been said of the powers they might possess. In a one-on-one spell battle, Msaka was reasonably certain he could at least survive, if not triumph; but four magic-wielding opponents would be far too many to face.

In spite of the hammering of his heart, Msaka forced himself to remain calm. Magical or not, sudden movement would surely alert the boarmen to his presence, and even if they knew not a single spell, they still looked quite capable of causing purely physical harm to anyone they might choose to attack. Not raising his voice to more than a whisper, Msaka ran ever so slowly through the familiar rite of invisibility, wincing involuntarily as he realized that were they indeed magical, they might sense the power he was commanding.

Yet as he faded from sight, there was no response from the creatures. "So far so good," he thought as he slowly straightened from the half-crouch he had taken against the rock. "If they can't sense my spells, then they must not have much magic of their own."

He willed his staff into being in his hand, fairly certain that it too would go unnoticed by the bored-looking boars. As always, it rested lightly in his hand, but its presence was reassuring. With the situation still peaceful, he took a few minutes to scan the clearing more thoroughly.

On further analysis, the boarmen's camp seemed like a temporary affair. There were no tents or other shelters, nor did any of them possess any large or bulky gear. Aside from their spears and clothing, they seemed to have only a few small hunting tools, which had clearly been used upon the horned and hoofed animal whose remains lay, partially butchered, not far from the fire.

Msaka's attention was also drawn to the right of their small gathering, to a pile of crumbled stone that lay upon and around a still-solid square base. The pillar, Msaka recognized at once, or rather what was left of it. Still, as he gazed at the wreckage, he instinctively felt that there must be some small spark of power left, and a covert casting of the simplest of divinations confirmed his intuition - a faint but warm glow of magic radiated from the still-solid stone base.

The cliff walls were jagged and broken, with a few small trees and bushes sprouting from their sides. Another gap in the cliffside lay across it from where Msaka now stood, and the ground was carpeted in thick but short grass. A few boulders lay scattered about towards the outer edges and smaller rocks also dotted the ground here and there. Some of the larger boulders might offer cover, but reaching any of them without being spotted would be difficult at best. While Msaka was now became sure that the beasts possessed no magical ability at all, the sentry was nevertheless alert. It was likely only due to his spell that he had remained undetected for so long.

Nevertheless, they had to be dealt with before he'd be able to examine the pillar. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the four boars, calculating how best to strike. With any luck, he could drop at least two of them before they gathered their wits enough to respond to his attack, and the remaining pair wouldn't have enough time to close with him before they also fell to his powers. Silently, he raised his staff and prepared to unleash his deadly battle-magic.

He felt his heart begin racing once again in anticipation of the battle, in spite of how one sided he knew it would be. A nearly perfect ambush, spoiled only by the fact that one or two of them would surely realize where the attacks were coming from before they died.

Abruptly, Msaka changed his tactics, instead stepping out from behind the rock into full view of the beasts as he allowed his invisibility to fade away. The response from the boarmen was immediate; the sentry whirled to face him, levelling its spear at him, while the other three snatched up their weapons and started to rise. Msaka channelled power through his staff, unleashing twin strokes of lightning that arced out to slam into the ground to either side of the boarmen, close enough to shock the things but not to kill them outright. They were followed momentarily by a third stroke that landed directly between himself and the reeling creatures, stinging them again.

While hardly as impressive as a liontaur could have managed, Msaka bellowed a feline roar, sending a fourth and fifth stroke out; this time directing them to land a bit further away from the things. The message was clear and unmistakable, and even the dim-witted boarmen understood it, turning tail and running headlong for the far entrance to the vale. Msaka advanced at a walk, sending another stroke of lightning lashing near them every few seconds, accompanying each with another angry cry.

Within moments, the hollow was deserted, save for Msaka and the dead animal. He gazed at the gap through which the boarmen had fled, reflecting for a moment on what he'd just done. The creatures had been enemies, true enough, and would surely have gutted him without a second thought had the situation been reversed. Why then had he been unable to do the same thing to them in return? It would have brought scorn back home to have deliberately allowed mortal enemies to escape with their lives, but he had been unable to bring himself to do otherwise.

He shook his head as he lowered his staff, recognizing his choice as having been one more suited to the softer people of these strange lands than to a member of his tribe. It troubled him in more ways than one, not the least being that the creatures might now return, and in greater numbers.

Still, he had an unsettling sense of certainty that had he the the choice to make over again, he would do the same thing.