Aporeu chronicles Issue 19: Price of Beauty
Stories from the adventurers
This week
Maybe you guys can make sense of this, I barely can.Price of Beauty by Q
My practice and dedication to my side-project these last 2 weeks between adventures finally paid off! I got in and out without anybody ever knowing I was there, this time. I even got Doc the little extra that he asked me to keep an eye out for. But that's not why I'm writing this story. Just figured I'd let my friends know that their help and support was greatly appreciated. Anyway, on with the story. As we gather in the marketplace, as the letter we all got said to do, Doc shows up in fancy clothes and with wine and chocolates and flowers. He rambles a bit about first dates or something, because him and Ms. Jade have never gone through the gate before. It's not as big a deal as they're making it out to be, really. We also meet the rest of the people that have been chosen to help Ms. Phaedra. There's Mr. Rongo, a large and loud human that apparently runs a circus here in town. Maybe I should visit there sometime. Sounds like a great place with lots ofPrice of Beauty by Dr. Vasilievski
Doctors Log Entry 5 The price of freedom. (Please note that though names are possibly wrong, these are the ones as I remember them, and Viktor Vasilievski is the one who uses them. Any and all things I entail here are complete truths, unless I lied or embellished. So if you remember differently, it just means you are probably wrong. Enjoy the confusion, love the ride, don’t ever forget that truth is a pliable material, and be engrossed by my musings!) Ok doc. Relax. Relax Viktor. It’ll be fine, it’s only the most important thing to Phaedra…. Hair? Check. Flowers? Check. Chocolates? Check. Wine? Oh Augustus you magnificent bastard,check check double check. Smile? Of course. Tuxedo? Prim and Proper. Compliments? Got plenty. Candles? Oooh lavender. Nice. Ok, let’s do this. So here we go. Onwards to the most important mission in the world, and I’m nervous. Which means of course, I arrive last. Don’t worry, you’re on time, no pressure, do the things. I stand, dressed to impress, and dazzle the crowds with my speech. The friendship thing V, the friendship thing.There we go, that went well. Did she notice I meant her? I can’t look. Dammit. …Maybe I should explain a little. I tell them that I am the doctor. That I am going through the portal for the first time, and that I have a date with the most beautiful girl in Arnheim. Therefor, I am nervous. So I do what my mother told me. I try to make a good first impression. I wear my fine suit, I bring a big bouquet of red roses, I have chocolates, and lovely scented candles. Nothing could go better. I then tell them they are for this mission at least, my best friends. I lay my life in their hands, they lay theirs in mine. I will trust their skills and vice versa. After, we can decide on feelings again and re-evaluate. The situation is as follows: We are about to go through a portal, to travel to another world. Here, Phaedra has a mission to rescue her people, an assignment that is extremely close to her heart. I cannot, nay will not allow it to fail, and I will save all of them. Anyone who can be, will be saved. Stop promising miracles you idiot.. No, Shar demands it, promise more! Promise and deliver, lie and deceive, trick and overcome. Steady Leo…Viktor, nobody sees nerves unless you show them. The people in this group are: Lindal Tealeaf Ah, I remember him, he helped me save those kids. Good fellow, bit… eccentric around natural things. …Did his kids beat him up??? Is he going in injured??? Holy hell, teaching is a tough job. Marvolo Rongo …Great. The bigtop bigshot who needed an attitude adjustment. Maybe it’s better now….Probably not. Just smile and shake his hand Smile and shake... Jade, thank heavens she is here. To have her beside me, means I can focus on my mission instead of just trying to keep my party together. It’s like she’s cat-glue for parties. A new face I wonder, who might this be. Better go and introduce myself. Ah, so his name is Joop. He looks fresh, but that means nothing. Time will tell me the character of this man. And Q. What can I say. My pseudoson is an amazing little sneaky bugger. I hope he doesn’t kill people today that needed saving though. Too efficient sometimes. And then there is Phaedra. Steady. Be cool. Looking good. She hasn’t noticed your lessons yet. She knows nothing. Be cool doc, Be cool. With the party complete, we finally go through the portal. There is a little bit of a misunderstanding with the guard, but Rongo fixes it perfectly. A few tickets promised to his circus, opens the gates for us to travel into Phaedra’s world. Smooth Bigshot. Smooth. Though I am a little worried, I travel through the gate, as Jade leaps through it, not a care in the world. She knows. She knows how to live, how to be her. Gods I pray Gerolt doesn’t r… I don’t… Anyone ruins her. The rest slowly follows, with Phaedra coming in last. Relax Doc, your stomache is at ease. No vomit, no worries. Jade is over there, no danger. Stay cool.. She’s looking. As expected, our arrival was noticed by some guards, after all, a portal to other worlds is usually guarded. We have arrived at the edge of a bustling city, with a gigantic temple near it. The guards ask us what our business is, and I attempt to explain to them we are merely visiting their wonderful temple of Aphrodite, that her beauty is too radiant for me to ignore, and that I offer them the gift of chocolates. Turns out these are guards to Apollo. Some other god, I don’t know, and I should, but don’t care. Thankfully, the bribe seems to work as they accept our story, and allow us access to what Phaedra calls a teleportation circle. An odd device that works like an on-world portal. The sensation is worse. Do not throw up. Do NOT throw up…Oh god. Swallow it V. Just swallow it…did anyone see? Nope. Good lad. You’re cool. All of us arrive. It would seem we are in a sea of sand, which is called a desert. But unlike desserts, these are not cold. Not in the slightest even. The heat is pressing, the sand is hot, the chocolates melting. Once again, guards meet us, and the others tell them about Phaedra. Her face speaks volumes. Save the day V, make up excuses. I find the excuse, but the rest adamantly pointing out Phaedra create no way out. The guards tell us, insistently, that Mother Mellema must see Phaedra. Much to Phaedra’s dismay. With no other choice, we are off to this mother Mellema it seems. We are brought to the temple, and I see her, my first destination, The site of prayer. This is for you Tits, I owe you big time, so this is for you. All for you. I hope this works. I ask to be allowed prayer, to the beauty of Aphrodite. This is what I have prepared and discussed. Now, to do this perfectly. Remember the words. Remember every moment, every ritual. Do this right V. Right as rain. Or suffer the shame of failing two of the most important ladies in your life. I sit down, grab a coin. Well…Not just any coin. The one Phaedra returned to me. The blessed copper that Tits herself and Phaedra touched. I grab the piece of paper.. With on it the poem. I recite it slowly. ‘Death be not proud, for though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, thou art not so. Loved you were, from womb till the end. Love is eternal. Find love in peace, for we remember.” Then I burn the paper, and place the coin. Don’t forget to touch the statue, and invoke Tits. I touch Aphrodite, and allow the energy Shar imbued within me to flow into the statue. With a symbiotic relation established, I have just succeeded. I did it. It worked. I… Thank Shar, thank Tits, thank trickery. The ruse complete, from now on, whenever anyone worships the goddess Aphrodite, they also give a small prayer to Shar, but in beautiful symbiosis. No theft, just cooperation of a theological magnificence that even I desire to pray at this temple. But I won’t, because I don’t have time for this also…prayer kinda sucks if it’s to a statue that can’t respond. The temple itself is breathtaking. I am not much for religious buildings, but they certainly did put a lot of effort in this one. The gardens are spectacular, the fragrance immense. I take some flowers for my own and see my friend Tealeaf be dazzled by their beauty. The amount of opulence and richness of decoration is just enough to wow and too little to be gaudy for a place of worship. Not too bad. Thankfully, I can just walk up and talk to my god. All this ritual stuff would simply take too long. But nobody needs to know this…. Well…Maybe. As we proceed, Phaedra stays behind. As I knew she would. Guess I know her better than most do, which pleases me. She didn’t want to meet Mellema… At all. We meet with their leader, a strong, beautiful woman. Compliments are the greatest way to earn trust and gain information V. I tell her a truth, that is embellished but nonetheless a compliment. Her beauty is not affected by age. A truth she appreciates. Then a small lie. Phaedra sent us, but she is not WITH us. Did she buy it? …Probably not. Is she gonna pretend she bought it? She begins her statement. People are missing. Yep, appears she’ll pretend. Good mother Mellema. At least ten knights, 3 novices, 3 priestesses and at least a dozen villagers have gone missing. Well, this appears serious. But otherwise Phaedra wouldn’t have come.
We are to retrieve these people. To bring them back safely. There are little to no clues. Mother Mellema desires us to save at least those who are of the church, and preferably all. With little to go on, my new friend, Joop informs if there is anything to go on. Lindal also chimes in, and Rongo adds a gift of song, which opens up her heart, as well as her wallet. We are promised rewards if we do this right, as well as directions to a knight lieutenant called Hans. I offer some more (slightly melted) chocolates as well as wine, to appease her more more money for a bit of wine? Yes please! Now I just have the wine in my waterskin, but I’m sure I’ll drink that later. After all, a bottle does not a good wine make. With the bribes, and the lovely compliments, I manage to finagle a list of missing people from her. Names. I love names. Also, her handwriting is lovely. Very useful list. All in all though, the lady is businesslike, not a loving leader. Store information, keep it ready for later. She’ll do business with anything and anyone provided it does not threaten her church.
Now then, how does one describe knight lieutenant Hans?… Have you ever seen a man, lean, carved out of stone, blonde, beautiful…Perfect? Great. Then his brother who is almost that, but not quite, is Hans. There are just parts of him, that are not right. Somehow, his entire being is not quite…enough. It takes a little time, but in the end I realize. Hans doesn’t care enough. He tells us, flatly, there is magic involved. He informs us that there were people taken from their homes, and that there are suspicions. But he doesn’t really think about them, or does anything with it. We keep asking. Flat anwers. Hans needs a few lessons in giving a shit. Not my responsibility though. Better figure this out. I ask about pantheons who might oppose Aphrodite, he does not tell me much, but hearing Phaedra’s stories… Hera. The goddess that was married to Zeus. Who is a lecherous devil man who sticks his carrot in quite a few people…and creatures. Aphrodite, the beautiful goddess. The most appealing of all. Hera, the jealous wife.The dots connect. If there is a pantheon involved that opposes Aphrodite, it is most likely a Heraïc cult of sorts. Hans’ expression doesn’t really change much. He simply has no more fucks to give. There were some odd animal tracks going from the village, but what kind were not clear either, and I get scolded for my lack of knowledge on deserts. I get that wind blows sand away, but really, must Hans be such a meanie about us asking if they were still there? You get no compliments you foul being. Beauty is more than just looks It’s also caring... And you lack in the 2nd department. Sorely. Lastly, Hans tells us to find a “Camel” herder. Whatever camels may be. Name of the lad is Chim. Never heard of it, but hey, it seems lovely right?
So off to the camels. Turns out, Camels are like… …Hmmm… I guess if you took a horse, and then decided to break its neck, drop it down and reattach it… then smashed its face with a rock till its face is contorted, and then added 2 cancerous bulges to its back… Then proceeded to glue coarse hair to it…. Voila. Camel. Apparently, we’re to ride these things. They ask us how many camels we need. We just take a wild stab at it, and guess ten of them in the end. Lindal and Thamior decided this. They’re the nature folk after all. At this point I hear and see Rongo. It is as if he has just discovered love for the first time, as he gently, and lovingly woos a camel into following his orders. Huh. So he’s actually good with animals. Who’d have known. Lindal also approaches his camel and speaks to it, as Joop also creates a bond by… Camelwhispering? Thamior knows exactly what to do,as well, with Q on his shoulder. And I stand there. Looking like a lemon, as Jade has already leapt on the creature, fearless. Guess I’ll try talking first, then demonic hell-horse-cancerbulge-thing. Not scared, just checking for info. Yep. Definitely. Chim tells us, he’s taking us to the watering holes nearby, and he knows nothing of the disappearances. This boy is simple, but brave. True to his mission, true to his heart. Save Chim, no matter what…Oh and get him laid. Not much more to get out of him, so time to face the music, as Rongo is still playing his damn tune on the camel.
I call her Angeline. Chim tells me she’s a boy. I call him Angelo. I tell Angelo, I would like to put myself between his lovely humps. I tell Angelo that I would like to establish a nice bond. Angelo does not respond. My intense natural connection, allows me to know…. That I know nothing about animals. Just gamble, this handicapped horse is not gonna kill you…probably? I sit, with fear in my heart, but the infernal animal just sort of starts wobbling onwards in a long line. Everybody seems to marvel this journey, as I get even hotter and undress my tuxedo. Still hot, still a bit nauseous at the weird wobbling motion between the humps of this camel. The dry-humping motion, is just excruciating, but after an eternity, we do arrive at the watering hole. Thank Shar, the agony is over for now. At the watering hole, we find… well, nothing at the start. With little to go on, we decide to explore a little. We find the well, covered partially by sand, and partially by a cover. We also find a campfire of sorts, when Joop comes to us, yelling “Scorpion!”
Whatever. I don’t exactly know scorpions, but it just looks like ingredients to me. Joop grabs his bow, and let’s loose an arrow, thudding deep inside the scorpion, missing its carapace. Usable for ointment. He hits flesh. Good for Halrun. Then Jade fires, hitting right next to Joop, close to the pincer. Elixir of gripping. The eyes narrow. Elixir of night eyes, or an adaptation is surely possible with these. It starts its charge with the many legs. Hmmm… Might be able to make something of that movement. Maybe spiderlegs? Climbing walls? …. Experimental drugs incoming! Then, it claws at Rongo, who swipes at the creature at the same time, and then it’s extendable tail Poison sac, yep, purging elixir comes to me. I also see the creatures oddly shaped jaws. Surely 2 can be used for the feral might elixir. …Jackpot. This thing is like one giant treasure trove. I spot the length of the tail, and step back. Easy miss. Too good V. You’re too damn good sometimes.
Meanwhile, Chim is fleeing, as a good boy should. Thamior charges in, and turns into his Bear form, as we know him. Rongo and Lindal fight fiercely, and the sheer overwhelming numbers causes the giant creature to succumb. I believe it is Lindal who finishes the creature, but one cannot be absolutely sure. Joop collects some venom, Rongo takes a claw and calls it “Henry”. Weirdo Of course Jade grabs her Henry and Baudelaire, two of the Lobstermen pincers. I take it back They re-enact some weird play, or a mating ritual…Don’t know, and quite frankly, I doubt Jade realizes she’s flirting, and while Rongo can be a dog, he appears a loyal one. His wedding band is more than proudly displayed. The huge creature would be impossible for me to remove…Were it not for Jade. I take my time to harvest the parts, and put it in her weird sack. It is an amazing item that has an expansive inside. I can take everything with me! Wonderful. How efficiently I did it I’ll figure out at home.
After the threat is sorted, we get back to investigating. It appears Joop finds a beautiful glass rose, as well as a few tracks. I don’t know him too well, but so far he’s been making a good impression. I figure we might as well check the well, and with memories of Rongo’s son, I figure we can lower Q. Maybe he’ll find something down there. Rongo looks a little pale as he does it. Huh. He DOES care about his boy. Did I have him pegged wrong all along? Maybe the stress was just a little too much for him to handle and that caused his reactions against me. …Maybe. Sadly, Q doesn’t find weird magic. Thankfully, he does find a ring. Someone put it in the bucket, as a breadcrumb for us to follow. Because let’s face it. Who puts an expensive silver ring in a bucket unless it’s a clue? With a final sweep of the compound, we travel onwards. Chim bravely guarded the camels Swoon sufficiently at his bravery V. The boy needs to feel proud. That way the hellhorses don’t run as we die when they do. Back onto the devilsteeds. Angelo just seems to silently judge me with his chewing face of disdain. Of COURSE everybody else is feeling just perfect. Pretend it doesn’t bother you. Make a quip about humping. Perfect. Nobody notices your horrendous discomfort. Nobody. The chafing is agonizing.
Another eternity later… We finally make it to the next hole. There is something intriguing happening here. There are ruins, and something…or…someone. It’s quickly shown that it’s someone, as we spot human…oids in the distance. Our stealthier members sneak ahead, to scout. Or at least…. That was the idea. But that plan quickly goes out the window when Rongo bellows out a battlecry. Well, there goes the plan, in goes the improvisation. Never a dull moment. I run in, making sure I don’t give away the stealthier members, and cry out to the guard. The guard comes, and looks at me. A half-orc. Not too bad looking, good set of teeth. I smile, and tell him, we are dying of thirst. Our camels were killed by scorpion creatures, and we need water. The guard tells us we cannot be here. Something is off. He’s….not really willing to be rude. He is doing it against his will I continue the conversation. He looks pained and strained. I tell him we must go. He says we cannot, but he will investigate the Scorpion threat thoroughly, for hours if he must. He also says killing is wrong, we should not kill guards. Message received my half-orc friend. I keep the image of this man in my head. He was one of the good ones. Seeing as we are spotted, but not under threat, I sign the all is well thumbs up. Joop shows. Gods, this man is just being the most amazing at …is this really his first mission? Really? Jade, Q, Thamior ,and Lindal are still invisible. Not sure what they are doing, but knowing them, probably something dastardly. Hopefully not deadly.
I borrow Rongo my warhammer, to ….gently tap… the other guard into submission. I start distracting him, and Rongo slams the hammer on the poor man’s head. It’s quite efficient, and thank god the guard is a sturdy boy, or we’d have our first problem. Subtle is not in this man’s curriculum. Good to know. Joop wastes no time. He checks the vitals, gives me a thumbs up, and checks his size to that of the guard. It fits, and now Joop is a guard. Love this man. Love him to bits. If he goes drinking with me I might marry him…well, no I have other plans. But I’ll drink. So now we have Rongo, Joop the guard, and me, and Lindal comes out as well. Only Thamior, Q and Jade missing. Only the ones that are deadliest. No worries, Jade will keep them all in check, she’s very good at making well-established decisions if she doesn’t listen to fools like Ge… no…Like me. She can think for herself. Just as Q can. Stop taking charge of their mind.
Joop also gives us a note. It’s… some sort of Love-letter. Nothing weird, just odd a guard would go away from his home when he is courting someone. Against their will. Obviously. It’s odd, and the uniform these soldiers are wearing is like Aphrodite’s… but altered… strangely. Not that it matters right now, we already knew odd things were happening. I figure, now is the time, to see if I am right. I yell out for one of the names. I call out to Salah. I wait. Nothing happens. Strike one. I figure, one more shot is worth it. I look, call out to Greg…Wait. Nothing. Dammit. I was sure I was right. Guess we all make mistakes. With no other choice, as our stealth group is missing, we sneak a peek inside. Lindal goes in first, and spots a cooking lady.
Marvolo pretty much charms the pants off her, and it becomes apparent that she is being mind controlled. As we suspected. And then they visit a closet. Huh. Thought he was faithful, but I maybe I was mistaken? Again? This man I cannot read properly. He’s an oddball. A noise, a shriek, Bear roaring. Yep, that’s combat. And it’s upstairs. Better hustle. I ask Joop to “cuff” me like Phaedra did. Tricks till the end, because they save lives. Better to be close to who are the culprit without killing the innocent guards. So we travel up, as we hear Rongo sing something about what a feeling. Seems he hasn’t noticed, and he’s gathering…intelligence. I should warn… no time, darnit, Rongo, hear the combat please. Joop pulls the rope, it’s time to go. Lindal stands at the ready to follow a little later.
Going up the stairs, I see the show. Thamior is up in front, a bear, against what appears to be a Snakelady. I see Jade, and I expect Q to be somewhere. Probably. Hopefully. Wouldn’t know if he wasn’t. We should discuss some way of knowing. Maybe an elixir? In any case, I see the second lady. She looks like the snake, but is…humanoid. She uses a magical power, and I feel her eyes tangle around me, seducing me. Phaedra. Phaedra. Phaedra..Alyr? …Jade? Phaedra? Ulfgar… Augustus… Phaedra? Jade. ..Yep, still me. It takes a bit of effort. But, when one thinks of attractive people, or the naked ones in your bed, one can keep his mind his own. Now to start the deception. I pretend to be charmed. She demands I go down to get wine. I gotcha. I got wine. I hold up my Water skin filled halfway with wine, as I ask to be untied to come to her. Joop fulfills his task. Perfectly. Even went as far as getting scared by the bear. What a goddamn Professional. This man is an asset to any team. A boon to humanity. A…focus on the mission V. Then Joop that brilliant brilliant man, continues his ploy. ‘Get that bear!” he screams, which allows him to aim at the snake lady besides Thamior, and STILL be a guard. So as the rest is slamming pain into the snake lady Thamior keeps the villagers alive and I get to talk with the lady. Then…. I spot Q. He takes aim. I see the human go down. … My eye twitched. Please don’t see it lady, please don’t. She doesn’t. She touches me, and I feel a calm through my body. But it’s a bad touch. One meant to make me catatonic. Phaedra, Phaedra, Jade, Phaedra, Alyr? …Well ,after the bath and all. Ulfgar…Yep. Still moving. I turn, and look into her eyes. I’m insane. A madman. Insane. Insane. But she’ll be so proud if it works. Insane. Alright V. Nothing but confidence from now on. Sell that miracle for all its worth. So…. Listen to me toots. If you want to live, you are going to have to hear me out. I will take you away from here, get you to a new place, a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view….. And then there is music. Rongo, you daft, crazy man… He has come, he is playing. The song is about a whole new world, and flying carpets somehow. I don’t know why the carpet was involved, but it is inspiring at the least. So he does do good things sometimes. But…what did he do in the closet with the cook? …. I don’t know how to read this man!
I continue with more vim and vigour. A world where all these gods do not exist. And I will give you a new life. A better one. But there will be some rules. Then I fiddle my fingers, say a few choice words, and suck out sufficient death for the poor guard Q shot to not die. As I am distracted for a split second, I missed her facial expression. Please work… work… work…. work… please…work. The lady looks. She looks up and down and ogles me. She’s hungry…or thirsty. Either way, she devours me with her eyes. She’s interested. She’s very interested. I got her. Hook line and sinker… I’m in. Great success! As she finishes her delectable eye candy, A bright flash makes the darkened room we stand in as bright as a sun for 3 seconds, who knows why. She asks…. And my sister? Ignoring the horrendous lightbomb of sorts. Right, so the light never happened then. I look over. Not much sister left. Or Thamior for that matter. That bear has been through hell it seems. I ask her, how important it truly is in the grand scheme of things, and her gaze affixes on me once more, ogling every part once more. Seems she still likes what she sees. “I’ll manage.” is the reply Her sister comes at me, begging for mercy to the lady I have a deal with. So I look at the lady. I wish I could say I was a suave boy and we killed her sister together, but that did not happen. Instead, Thamior runs up and eats her skull. Grizzly… Wait…I should remember that pun. Say it out loud…Oh too late. Chance ruined. As I perform the last rites upon her sister, the lady I have now charmed releases the villagers, priests and guards. She introduces herself as Shi’Liane, and I now have a permanent elbow candy draped around me as she is trying her damnedest to make me aroused. And succeeding sort of. Dammit. Phaedra…no wait. Err… Gerolt gerolt Gerolt…Gerolt. Thank god, that helped. Ok, that’s enough for now. We gotta travel. And..err.. Chim is in dire need of…”Help”. Take the hint take the hint take the…oh thank god.
As Chim discovers the benefits of manhood, I manage to talk to the rest, who have collected all the valuables and the people, with Shi’Liane collecting her own financial hoard of valuables. It takes some effort to get it logistically working, but the Half-orc that I met earlier is a logistic genius. I ask his name. He calls himself Hunam. The name was on the list. So I was right before. I just picked the wrong names. What are the odds? Well, after the results 100% so it depends on the point of view V… Good thing to remember. Hunam, and a very smug looking Chim manage to get the people home, I have some more talks with Shi’Liane, which I protect from the rest and vice versa, and we establish a brothel would be a great endeavour for her to be in. Protecting beautiful ladies while controlling men’s mind with her body, instead of forcing their will, they give it freely…which is an even greater control. She actually squees. It’s…adorable. I find myself being charmed in a positive way. Sure, she’s evil. Sure, she’s got a lot of baggage. But she’s engaging, witty…cunning. She has humour, she’s actually fun to talk to, and it seems she has fun to talk. She’ll be a great madame and with some work, a great asset to any civilization. Well, I’ve had bigger miracles right? I sell her the dream, and tell her I will guide her all the way.
With those dreams, she is satisfied for now, and we arrive at mother Mellema.The mother is a little shocked I brought the enslaver as well, but since we solved the problem and I’m taking care of it, she’s happy enough. Business business business. Who cares about emotion? Right Mellema? She rewards us handsomely with gold. I ask for a private room to set up a contract and the Lady happily agrees. Keeps the…Lamia as she calls it, away from the population, and I get it as a favour apparently. She doesn’t know I already took my favour at the statue, and none the wiser she shall remain. Shi’Liane and I set up a contract of good faith and will, and she seems genuinely excited. Phaedra will be so proud…eventually. Gonna take her some time to notice though I fear. …Stubborn lady. The others all get their own favour. I believe Thamior got something ornamental, as Lindal and Jade went flower picking… or collecting or something. Joop got a really nice crystal temple of sorts, Q was nowhere to be found, because why would he be visible right? And Marvolo? He got a devilhorse. A baby devilhorse. He picked a camel. I cannot READ THIS MAN. Why would ANYONE want one of those things. Really?…. Sigh.
We meet back up with Phaedra, and the expected look of shock as I bring a Lamia does not disappoint, but the concept of letting her…”Distract” the guard by giving him a very enjoyable evening seems to smoothen the situation. She’s not happy about it, but not being caught beats bringing a person that she thinks is questionable. Probably right she is, but I’ll prove her anything can happen. With me at the forefront. She’ll never know how hard I’ve been practicing. I’ll just pretend it came to me in a dream…no wait, I won’t explain it at all!. Now…How did that poem go again?…Blast. Gotta practice again tonight. As we are about to leave…a small boy screams for his mommy. I look. I see. Phaedra’s eyes. Orcish features. Handsome looking. Good set of teeth… Hunam. The realization slams home. Nope, don’t let them know don’t let them see, be the doctor, you always have to be. My smile restored, I turn around and catch the little boy. He looks. I tell him.. The things Phaedra wants to, but I know she can’t. His mother loves him. More than anything else in the world. But she needs his strength. She needs him to remember her. She needs him to be a strong boy that thinks, and speaks from his heart. She needs him to wait as she changes the world for everybody. She needs him to grow into a boy that does the same. I give the boy 2 dragon’s teeth for courage. One to represent him, a smaller one, and a larger one for his mother. He’s half…half…orc? Quarter orc? He’ll like the rough stuff and the courage speech surely. What would Gerolt like and say. Well, a nice Gerolt then…. No, Gerolt is nice, just not to you…No judging, you promised Jade. The boy…looks…cries, and says thank you. Apparently I did it right. Guessing Vasilievski 15, fate…Big fat 0. Boo-Yah. With that sorted, the boy is returned to his halfling (?) mother. Alright, mystery for later V. , the party is ready to go, and so we depart. Back into the nauseating teleporting circle that swirls me to the temple of Apollo. It’s a little easier this time, but still not a fun experience. Shi’Liane and Phaedra seem unphased, so I pretend the exact same. Can’t be caught weak.
We continue, pretty much ignoring the Apollo guards and just going straight for the portal, as if we never had any other plans. The confident “We’re here for work approach” works like a charm, and we swiftly arrive on the other side to a guard. A guard who is angry for approximately 1.3 seconds before he is smothered by a pair of sizable breasts and engaged in alternative activities. I wait until the Lamia and guard are finished and bring Shi’Liane with me, who mentions her new brothel to the guard, who swears an oath he will visit. All is well. I invite everybody to drinks and party tonight. Joop of course accepts. I love Joop. I hope I get to go with Joop again. Joop is now a captain of the guard…. Marvolo is unfortunately busy with his wife and son and his circus, which I respect, Lindal joins (I did not give him enough credit on the adventure. He did so much more that I probably didn’t see. I should look down more…maybe I’d find Q more often too…Wait… Did we bring him??? Q pops up Thank Shar yes we did, and says he won’t join, Phaedra looks emotional and says nothing. Let her go V. Fix things in time, not when the wound is fresh. And Thamior leaves. He seems …stressed. Oddly enough, Jade doesn’t join either. She says she has business to attend to. Must be important if she doesn’t join us in merriment. As Thamior is leaving, I realize I must’ve missed something big, because Joop apologizes for shooting him in the ass. Wish I would’ve seen that one. Oh well, can’t see it all. I try to follow the conversation, but Shi’Liane says she would like to join too. She looks fairly unkempt though, with all the…alternative activities she has been performing. So I offer to wash her first. She happily agrees, and tries to persuade me to join more than once. Phaedra Phaedra Alyr after bath..no bath. Wait. Wrong way around, this is exciting me… Gerolt gerolt gerolt…Oh gods, I just sexualized Gerolt. That realization snaps me out of it, and I manage to bathe her, whilst staying nice and decent. Although I feel a little dirty at my own thoughts, nobody will ever know. Not. A. Soul. Ever.
So those who want to party. Hard. Really really hard… Though I drink a little less… Got a mission tomorrow after all. Then something hits me.Wait…Did Marvolo just steal my Warhammer??????????
MARVOLOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
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