Druss
Druss (a.k.a. The Legend)
Retired scout unit armorer, Druss now Runs a custom armorer and weapons shop with an old comrade from his Unit. While preferring not to make weapons himself, he will aid in the design of a custom job, and for special friends make an exception, mostly when he knows that person will use the weapon for protection, and not for Vile purposes.
Current Location
Cherwood
Children
Gender
male
Eyes
Dark Molten Gold
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Most scales are deep Brass tone, but some near the wrist and ankles are tinged with a rust color at the end of the scales.
Height
6ft 5in
Weight
320
Chapter 51 The Gift of Gab
The wind was whipping past my face, burning my eyes and stealing my breath away as I pitch downwards. By instinct I bring my arms forward to shield my face so I may see what I am falling towards. My right arm whips forward, getting lighter as it does. When I look to my hands, I simply see the metallic stub of my right arm breaking off, one part at a time, and before I can react the whole prosthetic falls away, leaving just the small remnant of flesh and scale jutting angrily mere inches from my shoulder. In panic, I reach for my connection to the divine powers, to find myself alone.
With the stinging in my eyes increasing I close them, not caring about where in this horrible void I may land. The gifts I had been given had helped me a great deal, and allowed me to protect my loved ones, but at what cost? What pain had been caused by forcing a soul to reside inside the shell of my right arm? And now that it was out, what calamity have I wrought on the world? And now That I didn't have my arm, or my power, what could I do to fix it?
I can sense a glow on the other side of my eyelids, and I open them to find myself plummeting towards a burning pit, the flames beckoning me in. Is this to be my fate? Did I anger the divine so much I am being cast into the hellish planes? They would have to do better than mere fire for that. But as I think that, I can feel my arms get cooler, and shock pulses through me realizing I can feel both arms again. It is almost an alien thing, feeling my right arm once more. Something is wrong however, and as I look I find that my arms are now the flesh of a human, the same form I had taken in that despicable club in Laketown. The fire below me turns a more golden yellow than a normal fire, and starts to go out in the middle, leaving a void in the light, as if something was rejecting the light from coming in. The great pit under me is now seemingly rushing at me, getting closer and closer, the center turning into a pupil of some great golden eye.
“Come!” I can hear some cacophonous voice in my head, reverberating around in my skull. “Come home!” The voice is so loud the vibrations hurt my neck and upper back, as if my body will simply be shattered from the thunderous baritone. The eye is so big now, I cannot see anything in front of me besides the chasm of the black pupil “Come Home!”
With that final soul rendering sound, I open my eyes to tremendous pain. Lying in the bed that Bellia and I are sharing, she has somehow shifted in the nest of blankets and pillows we had, pressing her knees into my back, which had caused such a pain. Taking a few deep breaths I adjust myself in the blankets to a more comfortable position. I love my wife, but she does tend to wiggle too much when sleeping. When I finally fell asleep again, I was questioning where Home was, and if was a metaphor for something or if I should just go back to my parents village. The last image to float through my mind was when my father would lift me up using his axe handle, and a very small Wondrous Inferno giggling as I was raised higher and higher. There wasn't anymore falling that night.
I woke up to the feeling that I Was being watched by a tiny humanoid. “Bellia.” I whispered into my partners ear, “Darling. I think your daughter is awake.”
“Yes, But I am not.” she insisted. “If you distract her with food you may be able to get five more minutes of sleep.” For someone not awake, she was being very coherent. It was a good idea too.
“Ok To'Li, let's get you something to eat.” I started untangling myself from limbs and blankets, and finally extricate myself to stumble into the shared rooms we have. With a tiny war cry of “F'apjak” my daughter went tearing into the small kitchen. I followed her and found the necessities to make flapjacks. It may not be enough for a the small army we had, but it would be enough for some of us.
I had just cut into my second flapjack When Yun comes into the kitchen. Rubbing their face, I stop chewing when I see that something is very much wrong. One of Yun's pale eyes is missing, the socket open and undamaged. If the Eye had been there, I would have never been able to tell something had happened, but someone missing an eye was kinda obvious.
“Yun. Buddy. What happened to your eye?” I was trying to sound casual about it as I didn't really want To'Li looking away from her project, which was currently mixing butter and syrup together to make a flapjack house of some sort. She was burbling happily to herself, and that's what counted.
“It seems the book has taken my eye.” Yun responded, grabbing a plain pancake. “or at least that is what I am guessing. The eye in the book seems to be much paler than it was, matching my unchanged eye. I wonder if it would change when I do..” They trailed off, eating the cake. On the hand holding the cake I can see that the tattoo has expanded, tracing out more of the bones on the hand, lines starting to grow faintly on the wrist. “I think I saw some glass eyes at that curio shop were I got the armor,” Yun continues around a mouthful, “I'm going to head back and see if I can find some.” Before I can come up with all of the reasons why that is a terrible idea, Yun is gone, heading out to find an eye. And with the distraction, To'Li has expanded. Her flapjack house which now occupied her entire plate had annexed part of the table with a pancake patio.
As the others woke up and came to eat, I filled them in on where Yun had gone off to. Marda and Max went to ask about local amenities, while we all talked about what had to be done. With the news of a possible Soulstone we could use, we would have to get to This red dragon's domain. Bloody Charring. What a cheerful name. Once Max and Marda get back, they announce the existence of a local bath house, complete with a spa. Max also lets me know of a blacksmith shop that may let us use their equipment, although payment may be needed for it. Deciding that I would watch over To'Li if Bellia wished to partake of the spa services, we could all then see about the permits to leave the city, and possible shop work for Max and I.
The time I had with To'Li that morning was all the spa treatment I needed. I didn't have to worry about someone taking her, or some dangerous animal attacking the ship. There was apparently a danger about extra dimensional portals, whatever those were, but it couldn't have bothered me at the time. By the time Bellia and the others got back, my sides were sore from the laughter, and the side of my face hurt from smiling for two hours straight. When it came time for Max and I to start looking for the local shop, To'Li was yawning, and getting ready for a nap. Giving her a big hug, I took her to bed, gathered up my packs, and set out with Max.
The directions he got were not stellar. Meaning I could have navigated by the stars and got there quicker. Max had received the directions from the apartment owner we were renting from, and had not really known how convoluted the towers and bridges were, so after getting lost a few times we had to get them converted to street directions, meaning we had to find people who knew of the shop, then how to get there. From departure to arrival was just about three hours but it was hard to tell as we passed through a couple of portals while lost, and I'm pretty sure we were not in this plane for one of them. Finally stopping outside the shop, we see a well made, but faded sign saying Ro'gair's Hammer.
The owner of the shop was a red Dragonborn, a bit younger than me, and about the same build. The shop itself was old, well used and loved. As high up on the tower as it was, the fourteenth floor, I was surprised to find the materials used to make the walls and floor were all stone, worn smooth over many many years of walking on them. The smoke from the forge was pulled out of the tower by some sort of vent, which also provided a cool breeze through the entire shop. Probably some magic effect, but it would have been an absolute blessing working over the hot fire with constant cooling on your back. The tools were aged, but looked to all be in working order, with both new ones and old scattered throughout. While other shops we had passed had been flashy and gaudy, this was a place of work and Humility While there were multiple anvils to use, the primary work area had been configured for one person. Fitting more people in may be tough, but Max seemed happy with the shop, so it was worth a try.
“Greetings,” I started. “My name is Druss Panathalax, this is Max Corbin. We are going to be in town for some time, and were hoping to have a place to work. We are both master smiths, Max specializes in weapons, I in armor. Would you be amicable to us working here? We heard that your shop allowed outside work, and we would gladly help you with any work you needed done.”
The shop owner continued his work on the piece he was working on until it cooled, and set it back in the coals. Laying down hammer and tongs, only then did he look at us. His eyes simply bore into us studying us like stock to see if we should be used or tossed away. His eyes lingered on my dragon scale armor for a heartbeat longer than than the rest of me, glancing over my armored vest. The craftsmanship of my breastplate was under the fabric, it was still obviously good make, but it didn't seem to make an impression. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he shrugged and picked up his hammer again.
“Name is Geon'Ma. It will be one hundred gold for the both of you to work here, for liability reasons.” He picked up the hammer and moved to continue his project. “I have some horseshoes you can make, and once those are done you can work on whatever you want. The shop closes at six, and you pay for whatever materials you need.”
“Just to make sure the deal is clear, we pay you one hundred gold, and we can use the shop for our needs?” I ask. That was a lot of money. Over two weeks worth of sales to make that back. Of course, we had recovered so much money from lock boxes and other sources that I could afford that. But it did seem a little exorbitant. It would allow Max a place to work however, so digging out my purse, I count out the money in platinum and gold. “Deal. Max, I'll take care of the horseshoes, you take these fish scales and see what can be done with them. Where are the materials for the shoes?”
Horse shoes? Really? Normally work for a farrier, but if that's what it takes whatever. I wanted some mindless work anyway so making forty or so of the same thing will be fine. Geon'Ma accepted the money, dumped the gold into a crucible, and pointed to a barrel with bar stock in it. Without saying anything else, we all got to work for the last couple of hours. I found a light hammer that felt good in my hand.
The shoes were easy to make, and there were measurements for four different sizes, making ten of each. I'm guessing these were to be spares for an actual farrier, who would then adjust the shoe to fit the animal in question. At least that is what I kept telling myself for the first twenty minutes or so. I think the last time I worked on horseshoes was emergency repairs on a messengers horse. She had come with additional orders for us to march to a village to resupply. The nearby tribe of Goliaths had beat us there. They hadn't killed everyone. Just those who tried to fight.
The sound of the Hammer changed. Not only the tone was different, the echo was different too. Looking up, I was no longer in the shop I had paid for, and a short familiar figure was hunched over an anvil. Walking up, I simply wait for Daja to finish her work. As she finished the shape, she threw in in the quench barrel, and set her tongs down with a deep sigh of resignation. “So. You met my ex.” taking a cloth from a workbench, she wipes her brow as leather shaving and saw dust fall from the top of the bench.
I'm not really sure what to say, and I pause before responding. “Was he supposed to wake up?”
“No, He was supposed to stay in there.” She shrugged. “Honestly I'm not overly sure, we all make mistakes anyway.” She moves to an old rocking chair next to the forge. “ I am what my believers make me. To become a Goddess I have to gain notoriety. Dark things happened. I simply wanted to help people. And it helped you didn't it? You have been able to have a life, and a wife and kids. It wasn't all bad.”
“Yes.” I agreed. “It was most certainly helpful. I didn't want to break it, that may have been an over reaction. He threatened my family. I-I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't mean to insult your gift.” I added that part a little quicker, as I didn't want to anger a divine being in her own shop. “I have a friend who may be able to work on it some, that wouldn't sever any connection between us would it?”
She waved dismissively. “Oh no. You could replace it all piece by piece and it would still work. Real Ship of Theseus, not that you know what that is. No, any work would be fine.”
I hadn't realized it but I had been nervously rubbing my right wrist. “You won't be angry if I can't work for a while will you? I just don't want to appear to be ignoring you after you have helped me so much.”
“Bah!” She got up and went over to the work table to take a drink of some dark liquid. “This again Druss? No. I”m not going to be mad. You may not think you are doing anything for me, but anywhere you go you are crafting things. You are very useful to me. Anything you do reflects on me. Like coal in a forge, you spread my fire. Druss may have done that, but Daja helped. So your fire spreads to the next person, and that feeds me.” With another gulp she seemingly drains the cup. “Now no more of this existential discussion.”
“Could the arm now be used to store a soul? I mean, it did before right?” I was asking a dangerous question, since I didn't know the slightest thing about the magic that held a soul captive somewhere. Daja herself had said that Dark things were done, I didn't want to step into the realm of the taboo.
“Yes, it can still hold a soul” She responded. “Although, you would probably loose the gifts I have granted you if done so. A new soul not bound by me would probably interrupt the connection but it is hard to say. It might depend on the power of the soul.”
Well, that could be a last resort then. If we can't find a Soulstone that would work, could I give this up to save Marda? Would it be a good idea to do so is the better question. The last spirit had taken over some functionality, just think of what a Demon Lord could do. “Should we have destroyed the spirit that came out of the arm?” I ask, rather sheepishly. I wasn't sure if it was a proper question to ask her. “I may have told Melfina to destroy it if she could.”
The Divine Dwarf thought for a moment before answering, “That one may have been able to kill my ex, but we won't know now. He traveled pretty far from you didn't he? I could be fun to have an adversary...” I wasn't sure if this new adversary was supposed to be mine or hers. Picking up her tongs, she started working again. Thinking about my future, and the prospects of fighting that spirit, it got me thinking that most of the more robust divine warriors tended to become Paladins of their chosen divinity. I honestly wasn't sure what that would entail. And I definitely wasn't ready for that. We already had an evil spirit we were trying to get rid of, there was no point in picking a fight with another.
Normally I would have faded away by this point, or woken up or something, I wasn't sure what I was doing here. “Erm. I don't really have anything else... should I uh.. Go?” I wasn't really sure what to say. She I ask for her leave, orr....
“Horse shoes. I need forty of them if you please.” She gestured to the end of her bench. “Stock is over there, you will find the tools ready for you as well.” Her forge had changed to a double sided one, just like mine at home. “I'm sure you know how to make them right?”
Wonderful. “Yes mam.” getting to work, I skipped the apron, briefly wondering if divine soot would stain just the same as the mortal stuff.
Raising my hammer on shoe number forty-six, I stopped and looked around. Max was now leaning against the wall back in Ro'gair's Hammer, an amused look on his face with Geon'Ma staring openly at me. My shoulder hurt a bit, like I had held it in place for an extended time, and My mouth was a bit dry, but otherwise, I was still in the same place I had been when working on the order of shoes. In fact, I held one in a set of tongs, the shoe now cold. Standing up straight, I cleared my throat and moved by neck and back, which felt like they had been locked in place.
“Apologies Master Geon'Ma.” I said, looking at him. : I must have spaced out a bit there. I did not mean to hold you late if I did, nor leave my part of the bargain open with the shoes.”
“Uhm. There was no problem. We closed just a bit ago, and I wasn't ready to leave anyhow. Your Minotaur friend finished the last of the shoes for you, only three or four of them. You were talking in your- uh – sleep. Something about Having a magic carpet now, you should use it.”
Not really sure what that was about, I thanked him again for his understanding, and permission to work in his shop, and started back down the tower. We had just reached the ground floor when I heard Melfina's voice inside my head. “Druss, we are meeting at the Wyverns roost, we leave tonight at sundown. Do not be late.”
“I will be as quick as I can.” Shit, I was going to be late. Does she hear what I think or only what I say? Did she hear that? Bah, no time for this. I dash over to the nearest shop and ask the man behind the counter for the directions to the Roost. Giving me the best directions he can, he says it will take me about twenty five minutes to get there, which is about when sundown is going to be. Bidding a quick farewell to Max, I tell him to keep my family safe, and bolt through the thinning crowd, trying to get to the roost before it is too late. I'm not really sure what would happen should I be late, and I didn't want to find out.
Running through a City would have been easier if I had know the layout. Only being in the city for a little over a day and a half, and most of that spent indoors, I had some trouble. The directions I had involved going up towers and over bridges that 'should' be there. What took me the longest was waiting for the elevators, and once I used them it would cost me too much time to get back down. Multiple times I had to go out on rope bridges spanning great distances between towers, hundreds of feet up. The people who lived here must be absolutely mad using them, as several times I had to hang on the outside of the ropes to let people pass. My hand hand was clamped on those ropes so hard I thought I was going to sever them. There were times when the bridges were solid, and on three occasions I had to use my gifts to jump to something I simply would never have been able to reach. One of those times, I had disappeared from mid air just to land in a shower of sparks amid people who were about to watch me plummet to my death. With no time to apologize or explain, I had to keep moving. It was, above all, a horrible time.
The sun was below the horizon but color still touched the clouds when I burst into the Wyvern's Roost. Out of breath, I hope I looked cool pushing on the double doors, walking in like a man who couldn't bother to walk in just one door. I reality I had leaned on both of them in hopes they would prop me up for just a moment. I could see nearly everyone else there, and it wasn't until Marda moved from behind a very tall stack of papers that I counted everyone as present. She hurried over to me, and had me sign a whole bunch of papers necessary for the trip we were about to take. A fair haired elven Woman was talking to a captive audience, and Marda had clearly escaped from it to show me where to sign. It was a story that was clearly meant for anyone who cared to hear.
“Oh he was a good lad, Yes he was. My sister's neighbor boy may have been a shitting bastard, but he could make a nice cuppa. But bloody hell, when he hit his head, yes that was such a bad sight it was. Spilling himself all over the road he was. But he was a good boy and never fussed about it, just got a cloth and layed it right plum on his head. Yes. Eggbert never had a problem with him, always like to sniff, but never a hiss nor bite. No, not like that cunt of a Wyvern that Clarissa has. He is always snapping and clawing at something. Almost like how my sisters neighbors boy claws the the table when I have my Lemon drizzle cake over there, he really is such a nice boy, but he does eat his sweeties far too much, although mine are just the best around. Yes. I'll tell you what, you know the secret to my drizzle cake is to drizzle lemon juice on the shitting drizzle. It really brings out the zing.”
I found that I had simply stared at the woman for the short time it took her to get all that out, and I'm not sure she had taken more than one breathe. It wasn't that she talked fast, but that she simply Kept Going, like every story was connected to the next one. I finished up the paperwork, and we got it turned into the counter.
“Oh yes, that's lovely. My name is Petunia Luneshade, and I will be taking you all to your destination just as soon as well bloody well can get there, Yes. Eggbert is such a lovely fellow, He will be able to take us all there, including that nice big Dragonborn fellow over there, quite nice I'm sure.” Petunia led us out to her station, talking the whole way. Eggbert must be the name of her partner, Maybe Wyvern, it was difficult to tell, until we came up to him that is. “Yes, Eggbert is a good wyvern aren't you. Not like any of those silly bastards whole couldn't pull a barge of bollocks.” She started putting gear on Eggbert, wrapping a harness with glowing stones on it. A particularly out of place scale breastplate she put on herself. It was made of some sort of natural scales, not metal, but I couldn't tell what exactly.
The barge we were supposed to be getting on was about three times the length of Sylvio, Geno's mount and almost the same width, but the biggest problem was the railings. They came up to the bottom of my knees, and didn't appear very strong. I really didn't want to fall off this thing so I planned right then and there to take a position as close to the middle as I could get.
“The trip will take about a day and a half, and if we leave soon, we should make it soon after sundown tomorrow. Yes. But We will need to watch out for things that may like to eat us, so watch your selves. Oh, that is a nice turtle you have there,” Petunia said looking at spike, “I bet he is such a nice boy, I'm sure he would like some of my strawberry cream cakes here somewhere, would he like one?”
“Well, I'm sure he would like the strawberry at least.” Melfina replies, “Would you like to hold him for a bit while we ride?”
“As long as he isn't a little twat, it should be just fine for him to ride with me, I even have some nice treats for him in on of my saddlebags, yes I do. It should be nice to do that.”
We all got situated on the barge quick enough. I got on the the magic carpet in the middle of the barge with Geno, still on Sylvio, right behind me. I was privileged enough to rest my head on one of the large metallic feet, with some cushioning. Yun had simply tied themselves to the back of the barge on the railing. Can't fall off if you ware connected to it I guess. Playing the bone banjo, Yun serenades us with traveling music while the others read. They must have stopped at a book store at some point as they all had books to noses. Melfina and Geno had made small lights to allow them to read, but not too large to attract large predators. I couldn't quite make out what Marda was reading, but whatever it was, Melfina seemed to be interested too, as she kept peering over the shoulder of the halfling who was sitting against her. It was nice to see everyone relaxing. Geno had undone all the braids and tangles in his hair, and now the oil that normally coated his hair was splattering out the back, luckily going right over Yun.
Lying down in the middle of the barge, the same strange glow that had come from Eggbert's harness was glowing ever so slightly from all over the barge, which probably meant that we were magically connected to the wyvern which hopefully made pulling the platform easier. We were not overly high, flying just over the tops of the trees, which were pretty old. So my best guess was just over one hundred feet or so. I had planned to try and get some sleep, and seeing how it was dark out, I may as well try. Marda had given me a spare chain shirt in an effort to give me a blanket that wouldn't blow away, but it only covered my stomach. Well it was something.
Sleep was... not easy on the barge. I ended up tossing about a bit before getting comfortable, and Immediately started missing my wife's knees over the hard surface of the barge, even with the carpet. I woke up a few times just as I was falling asleep due to a particularly tall tree whooshing past. It was soothing to have Yun Plucking out a tune, not that it was something coherent. Simply chords played in complementary combinations. It was just gentle enough to keep thoughts from wandering in and creating havoc.
I can't tell if I am asleep or awake. The great Yellow Eye that I saw in my dream the night before blocks out the sky, or ground, or whatever I am looking towards. That great calamity of sound ruptures in my head again, “ You are close now Druss! Come home!” I can see the sky above me now, I could sit up and look around, but I suddenly feel like I just don't want to be here anymore. I could jump. How bad could it be? A warning shout from ahead pulls me up from the thoughts, but I can still feel them there, and I can't quite shake off the feeling, so I stay put.
Something large flies past us, with what appeared to be antlers. Kinda a tall distance for deer or whatever, so something else was going on, probably the reason for the warning shout. The best thing to do would be to stay down, out of the wind and easy reach, and see if I can hit things with ranged attacks. I can now hear more wing beats and before I can move, a squirrel falls at me from the darkness. As it hits the barge with a small wet thump, A great bird, easily the size of me takes it's place, and slides into me, trapping me underneath half the body Very much dead, the head is bent at a strange angle. Antlers or horns of some sort have caught on part of the barge, explaining the odd angle of the head. The creature was heavy enough that I couldn't immediately get it off my body.
“I need it's Blood!” I hear Melfina yell into the carnage. Normal battle talk, if it had been someone else I would have been worried. Knowing I couldn't properly defend myself, I tried to get out from under this carcass before something attacked me, but I was moving too slow. A figure flew out of the darkness towards me. It would have grabbed me if the barge hadn't suddenly tilted, causing the bird to crash into the body on top of my, transferring all that weight into me, knocking out my breath. As the barge continued to tilt, I slide backwards in a tangle of limbs, wings and blood. The flat surface quickly evened out, but not before I was awkwardly pushed against Sylvio, and as I got my hand free to summon my axe, Melfina's spiritual scythe cut clean through the second bird on me, killing it. With it's final effort heat and light burst forth from the dying creature, causing all my nerves to overload, my scales to tighten against my body. It felt like I had tensed all my muscles at once and held them like that, burning my nerves. Luckily it lasted only a short time, but now I was stuck under two corpses.
The barge had stopped moving completely, but we weren't plummeting to our deaths, so that was a plus. Marda had pulled her swords out, and was looking ahead, obviously tracking something in the air. Turning to me, she sprinted the short distance to the new pile of bodies on the barge, and jumped off it towards the front flourishing her blades downwards. Slicing the wings off a third flying monster, it too careens into me, drenching my upper torso in blood. Resigned to my fate, I simply sat there. “Yes. Thank you Marda. Just what I wanted.” No point in trying to get out, as I had at least twice my body weight on top of me, and it was now slippery. Sylvio was behind me, his metallic joints digging into my back, rather reminiscent of Bellia's knees. I suppose her knees aren't as cold as this metal though.
Soon enough, Petunia comes out of the air above us, apologizing for the interruption. It seems she was still talking to someone the whole time, probably Spike. “-So my friend Debbie's niece had come into this spot of bother and I says 'You should try to get out of town for a bit, let it all fade away.' It wasn't anything with the bastard law men, it was simply those shitting boys that were always chasing after them, the absolute twats.”
I couldn't quite make out anymore as She was now facing away from us, having Eggbert back in place so he could pull the barge again. Melfina started collecting parts and blood, and the others extricated me from the mass of unmoving feathers and flesh. Yun was nice enough to clean the blood off me and the carpet using simple magic so I didn't have to spend hours cleaning my armor and clothing. With a slight recoil, Melfina informed us that if we pulled the feathers out, it would radiant pain, which must have been what I felt. Those Feathers would be really nice to use on arrows though, and I briefly wondered if that radiance would transfer to something hit by them. But how to get them? It was a rather uncomfortable feeling, and pulling enough feathers off to make it worthwhile would have been agonizing. Remembering that Yun could manipulate things through magic and asking them we recovered forty before they simply got bored and went back to their banjo. At least it was something.
As the barge picks up speed, we can watch the sun come up, Which allows Melfina to process her samples easier. A full day of travel left, and now anything will be able to see us up in the sky. It was going to be a boring ride, or far too stressful. Either way, we were moving forward.
Chapter 50 This Book Should be Banned.
The first sight of the city was a blaze of colorful hues behind the huge docks of the city. Many ships of all different varieties were moving about the waters like large drunken ducks. I am not sure how the captain knew where to go, but that wasn't in my realm of concern. I needed to prepare myself mentally for landing in an unknown area with my family members who would need protection from who knows what. Nothing to worry about.
As the ship pulls up next to a dock I find that Max has come up to me while I was trying to discern information of the city. “Uh, Druss, I found your old Guild membership card, but it is expired. I also found your discharge papers, and the permit for our business. Do you have anything else That ma help?”
I stare at my oldest friend in confusion. I have no idea where he would have kept any of that, or why we would need it. I had never needed papers of those nature when entering a place before, and I had no idea why we would need them now. “Max,” I ask, “What are you talking about, why would we need to show any of that? And where were you even keeping that?”
Waving his hand dismissively he responds, “I brought them with me out of Cherwood, and the captain wanted us to bring it out so we could get into the city. Did you not know we would need it? We need to show who we are to get in.”
I stare at him in confusion for just a moment before the ship comes closer to the dock, where a massive force suddenly pushes down on me. Physically I am pushed down by the weight of some invisible hand, and Mentally I can hardly think anymore. I can see others struggling with the same problem, although I know not how they are coping with it. Only Geno and Marda were not as afflicted as the rest of the ship, although I could tell they had still noticed the difference. Geno had been here before, so whatever phenomenon this he would know of it. Why Marda wasn't affected I had no idea.
“The force you are feeling is the Raw magical power leaking out of the city.” Geno was explaining. “With all the magic flying around here, some of it gets away from the spells if it isn't properly protected. It bleeds into the air, and permeates into everything, causing the force we are now feeling. Give it a few minutes, you will get used to it.” Why Marda was used to it I had no idea.
As the Captain of the ship stepped forward I see that someone has taken up position on the dock waiting for us. A gold Dragonborn stood there in front of several other individuals, all wearing the same the armor. A Single plate covered their chest, With a large ornamental pauldron on the right shoulder. Gold Leather, sturdy yet flexible lay under the single plate. This armor would have allowed the user to move quicker than most fighters in heavier armor, and the guards wearing the armor all had the same pose, official but ready to pounce. The Dragonborn was clearly in charge as his pauldron had several ribbons attached it it, and detailed scroll work on the leather. “Business or pleasure?” The leader asks in a deep purr.
Before our Captain could open their mouth, a voice spoke from behind. “We are here for a Vacation! May I know your name Captain?” it was pronounced cap-ee-tan. An old man stood behind us, bald, thick glasses and beard. Slightly hunched over, and a cane in hand, he started forward, giving us all a wink. Where the hell did he come from- oh. It's Yun. Shit.
“I am Captain Larkin of the city guard.” The rumble of the voice was like great stones rubbing together. “I have not seen your ship before, or one of it's like. As this is not a vacation destination this should be an easy decision to turn you back, Mr...?”
“My name is Marcus Darwinstien. And we are here to learn about the dragon lore of the island!” I must say, it was said with a large great Gusto, and I simply folded my arms and covered my face with one hand to hide. Wether it was to hide my expression, hide my incredulity, or hide from the world in general I knew not. Of all the tiems for Yun to find his voice, this may have not been the best time. I only look back to catch the absolute dumbfounded look that the Captain Gayle and Bellia both share. Missing what other conversation had continued, I heard 'Marcus' say something about the pleasure of learning be more vacation like than work, and how it was clearly a land of beauty and paradise. I didn't seem to be swaying the guards, so luckily Gayle took that time to step forward and introduce themselves as the Captain of the ship. Explaining it as a new type of ship, she agreed to hand over the paperwork of everyone aboard and get this routine procedure done quickly. Stepping forward, Bellia explains that she is here on behalf of Holden Cockswell and is here to start negotiations for Airship travel with the Island.
After waiting for some time, we were told we could stay in the city for fourty eight hours. Any longer and we would have to file a petition for the Lord of the realm, Radian Ro'gair, the Adult Gold Dragon. If we want to go anywhere else outside of the city, we also have to ask permission to go there as well. I breifly wondered how they got messages so fast while we were escorted down the dock to the officail city gates, but then it hit me, almost literally.
Magic. I could smell it now that we were inside the city itself. That and the smell of People. I had noticed a sharp, tangy smell when Yun had cast spells before, but it was so quick I was never able to pin point it. Now, within this city, I knew it had to have been magic. Tremendous towers advanced into the sky, as if they could connect to the stars in the night sky, forming a bridge to them. I couldn't see the tops of them as a Haze of energy warped them, enshrouding them in colorful clouds, like rainbow mountain peaks. Bridges and ropes and walkways all sprouted like branches from the mighty trunks leading off to the next tower, and the next. The whole system seemed to be connected in some way, and I couldn't see a tower from where we were that was on it's own. People were everywhere, and I could only hope that everyone had simply left the towers empty to fill the streets. It boggled the mind to comprehending the amount of people in the city should the towers still be full.
Geno had assured the guards that he would be able to get us to where we needed to be and soon enough he led us into a petition agency. Not entirely sure what that was, I suppose it was some sort of service that went to the Lords and were there to present the case for you? As we entered the building, it was mostly empty of people, save for a few behind a small counter. Across the small square foyer from them was a wall completely full of paper. Some of it in different colors, some in different languages, some covered almost completely in dust. As we looked closer, they were forms that covered nearly all possibility such as Race, Profession, veteran status, how many personalities one may have, even Pets. Most of this would have been asked the the gates of any town I may have visited, but I suppose this way it was documented, and kept for some period of time, and could be referenced at a later time.
I found that some of the paperwork was used much less than the others. The pile that asked for petitions for staying in town had less use than requesting going to other territories. People that came to the Island were not here to stay, but instead unload cargo and pick up new goods. We all found the proper paperwork for each person, Max even finding Minotaur was something used more than Melfina's. It had taken her some time to comb through all the possibilities, Finally ending with a group of papers that were listed with the Title 'Celestial'.
After looking at the seven or eight pages we all had to fill out with every possible bit of information from number of fingers to what my favorite meal was, (I saw Max had put cinnamon rolls after crossing off buckwheat flapjacks), I was a little overwhelmed. “Hey instead of filling all this out, can I just stay on the boat?” I asked the group jokingly.
“No Druss,” Melfina replied, missing my sarcasm. “You are needed here with us. We don't know what may happen, we may have to leave quickly.”
Marda quickly explained that I was joking, and we all set down to filing out the forms. I had to get up a few times to take a few deep breathes, but we eventually finished, and as the forms were bundled at whisked into tubes like the one in the sanctum outpost, we waited to hear if we could stay. While the wait seemed agonizingly long, it was probably less than two hours. Everyone had been granted permission to say for two weeks, and we could extend that for longer if we needed to. We still were not allowed to leave the city, and if we wanted to we would have to do more paperwork for every territory we wanted to go through. I suppose it made sense. If I had wanted to go to Laketown from Cherwood, It would be nice to let them know I was coming in case they didn't want me there. The only reason we couldn't do that was the message would take far too long to get to our destination. With the use of arcane magics, I am guessing it could be sent at a much faster rate. I just had no idea how it was done. With the paperwork out of the way for now, we needed to find a place to stay while we searched for information about a Soulstone.
While Geno hadn't stayed on the Island, he knew about a few places that we could get safe information about places to eat and stay. He knew about a nice bed and breakfast type place in one of the towers that may be available, so we started on our way there. It turned out it was part of an apartment on the thirtieth floor of one of the towers. While I would have preferred to stay closer to the ground floor, beggars couldn't be choosers I suppose. Getting into the tower proved to be no issue, as most of the base of the tower was composed of various shops selling potions, robes, mundane items and candy of all things. To'Li had perked up at that. All the shops had access to something they called an elevator, which Geno told us was sort of like a fancy lift. Two doors opened to a room that looked similar to a closet, with railings all around the walls. With a couple other people pushing us on, we all entered, and the doors closed. Geno had positioned himself nearest to some sort of control panel with buttons and dials, none of which I could fathom what they did. With two buttons pushed, one for us and one for the other group with us, the closet started to move. I could feel my body being pulled down, and knew that I was moving. Had the force been much stronger, I feel like my knees would have buckled. Only a few moments of this feeling before the doors opened and Geno announced, “Floor eighteen! I'll hold the door.”
I had no idea what he meant. There was no way we had just traveled that far in just a few moments. Walking up that many stairs would have taken at least half an hour! But as the doors were open I could see it was an entirely different hall we now looked out on, and different smells were wafting through the air. Aromas of sweet treats and street meats were wafting through the air, and while we had agreed to go eat after finding somewhere to stay, the last meal we had consumed was on the ship this morning. We had skipped lunch while waiting for the petition results. Or maybe that was just the paperwork stage. I wasn't really sure at this point. All I knew was it couldn't hurt to get a small appetizer before going to eat.
Thirty minutes later, we were getting back into the elevator Max with a handful of sticky buns and meat pies, and To'Li sucking the filling out of three fruit turnovers. I had opted for a small meat hand-pie, which had taken the edge off the hunger now gnawing at me. With another short elevator ride, we found ourselves wandering around the thirtieth floor, and in front of a friendly looking door. Renting out a large portion of the available rooms, we will have enough space for the five of us, plus Max, Bellia and To'Li. Someone would have to sleep on a couch, but we were all set otherwise. We even had a balcony, which overlooked a part of the city, and it was a wonderful view of the ground, so very far away. One warning we were given was to avoid opening any bags or chests that may contain extra planar portals. Marda's haversack would be dangerous inside a tower, as with all the other magics swirling around it could cause an explosion. Or worse.
Once we were all settled, Geno suggested a nice place he knew of on the top of a different tower. Asking the proprietor how to get there, we were given the directions that included crossing three rope bridges, going up and down several levels, and possibly jumping a small gap. With absolutely no confidence on how to actually get there, we asked someone again once we got to the ground floor. While the first way would probably have been faster, we now waded through the the crowds and shops along the ground through the vast forest of the mages towers. Most of the quick sale stores occupied the ground floors of the towers. Looking up into the vast web in the sky, other small shops can be seen hanging off the side of the bridges, and some floating in place, attached to great big balloons. This would probably let them move to other locations when business slowed. Some balloons were so large that they couldn't possible come up to a bridge, or else they may crash. Those balloons seemed to contain traveling exhibits, hauling great barges underneath. One seemed to have a whole garden growing inside, while another seemed to have a great clear water tank underneath, complete with fish swimming about.
When we finally reached the tower that contained the restaurant, we spied an antiques store in one corner of the tower, complete with a sign that went up a few levels of the structure reading “Gene's Wayfair”. Since we hadn't seen any other base level shops with signs that large, it may have been a good bet that the shop belonged to someone important to the tower, if not the owner. While we were all hungry, a short visit wouldn't hurt anything, and we had to get to the elevator in the tower somehow to get to the top.
Entering the shop, I immediately gravitate to the old arms and armor. I could tell as soon as I entered that it was all superior quality, and I would have been proud to make any one of them. Chain and Plate mail shone among the older artifacts in the room, and leather armors, detailed with all sorts of patterns and designs. I even saw some Prosthetic arms all hanging together on a back wall, although none of them would have fit my frame. One of the chain shirts had clearly caught Yun's eye, as he waved me over to look at it.
A fine Mithril Shirt, made with peculiar motif that made it appear like the complete bone structure of a humanoid torso. There seemed to be such a wide variety, but something did seem to be missing, and while Yun was asking the proprietor about the cost of the armor, I examined the selection again. Chain, Plate, leather, all the normal materials, even wood and grass was there. But no dragon scale. I couldn't think of seeing dragon scale on anyone in the city. Except for Marda and I. Hm..
“Nine thousand gold?!” Yun Blurted out, pulling me from my thoughts. “that may be a bit steep for me today. Let me go eat first, think on it while I digest.”
“Come now, it was worth that much and more to the last user,” Gene says in a silky manner. The problem was that it had that tone that told me he would try to sell me my own pants if I didn't watch him. “Where are you going to eat tonight my fine patron?” He finished.
“We are going to eat at the top of this very tower, at the buffet.” Yun answers simply enough.
“Oh wonderful!” Gene preens, “I will tell you what. If you simply write a review for the restaurant, and post it with Squeal, I will give you the armor.”
I instantly felt the oil that exuded from this person, and how bad this deal was going to be. No meal Review is going to be worth Nine thousand gold. And giving away top quality armor like this is not something anyone would have done. But I didn't have time to tell Yun it was a bad deal.
“Deal. How do I write it.”
“Simple. There should be a little Kobold that roams around in a official Squeal Barge. Just write down what you think, and he will make sure that is it shared with everyone else.” Just like that, the deal was struck.
“You know,” Yun said and turned, “ I think I would like to change for dinner before we go up.” Turning, they went to a small booth just off the walking path. It seemed like an odd booth to have available to anyone. It was a mostly glass booth, with a small booth that went across one side. I couldn't fathom what it would be used for as it didn't seem very private. When Yun went in however, the view changed as the glass glazed over, like it had been hit with a hard frost, and I could no longer see through it. A few minutes later, an Elderly Orcish gentleman strolled out, complete with a tall hat, a monocle and cane. Taking a few steps forward, he strikes a familiar pose, cape billowing out behind him. Yun had once again taken a new form, this one I don't think we have met before.
Once he reached the rest of us I asked, “Who should we have the honor of dinning with tonight?”
Once more posing heroically, fist on hip, he states in a stiff voice, “Snaglak Snarrlespusf.” While it was an uncommon name, the character seemed to match it. Feeling a bit under dressed myself, I changed into my nicer dress vest, which did not cover the dragonscale arm guard, and we moved back through the shop into the elevator beyond. Marda had purchased a new bag for herself, and had paid to get her name sewn into it, which we would pick up after we ate.
Getting into the elevator, Geno asked us if we were ready, then pushed a button again. Instead of the pressure of going up, this time the whole elevator seemingly turned upside down, and we started falling towards the ceiling. As well fell, the elevator fell too, so we were all just suspended for a time, room and inhabitants falling at the same pace until everything slowly turned the correct way. It felt as if we had been caught by a huge pillow that slowly brought us back to our feet, the elevator coming to a halt, and we found ourselves looking into the large dinning area of the restaurant.
It occupied the whole top of the tower, and had windows all the way around so you could see the Island. The whole level is slowly rotating, and currently we can see the lush wilderness that meets the walls of the city. Almost like a great carving knife had cut civilization from the tangled growth, one territory stops in the same area the next one starts. Further out, a prominent volcano can be seen, red rivers of molten stone flowing away from the summit. A great disturbance could be seen near the volcano, reds and deep oranges blending in a turbid mix, with heat distorting vision even from here.
Raging red clashed with verdant green, with a smaller city much further away, a waterfall falling into it, though I could not see the source. As the room spun slowly, we could look out over the ocean surrounding the Island. Some large creature swam in the water, and the sheer scale of it boggled the mind to near incomprehension.
Looking back inside, we could examine the layout of the buffet. Three long tables held every variety of food, from fresh and roasted vegetables on one. Seared and juicy meats, casseroles and noodles covered in gravy, all of it sauced and spiced were kept on the middle tables, with cakes and puddings covering the third. Asking about the Squeal member, Snaglak is told that the Kobold should present himself, normally wearing a suit. He normally stops by once an hour or so, to collect reviews and to talk with the patronage.
We quickly paid, and found sets for the meal. Grabbing dishes, we set about finding all matter of food, a good amount of it different kinds of seafood, and ate. I was worried at first, as I have seen the food that Geno eats, and I wasn't sure about the quality of such an establishment. How fresh could fish be when you are so high up from the water? Everything turned out to be surprisingly delicious. I had worried that the food would have been cold or congealed, but some sort of spell was keeping the food fresh, as if it was just cooked.
I had just sat down with my second plate when some of the other diners started rushing over to one side of the restaurant to oogle at some commotion outside. I couldn't imagine anything happening all the way up here, until a great shadow blotted out the light. Fork frozen in awe and fear, I slowly looked out the window.
A golden Wingtip disappears from view, and a grand cacophony can be heard outside. Looking at the others in confusion, it takes a few minutes to figure out that it is cheering. Getting up, we walk over to the windows to find fireworks going off in the sky. Odd symbols flash in the sky, Geno telling us they are alchemical symbols, and other designs appear as well. Images of a large Sea creature appear among the fireworks, and as the last of the colorful display goes up, three more images show clearly in the sky. A bridge, an egg, and a Dragon. As Snaglak asks what is happening, other customers say that their patron has appeared, Radiant Ro'gair. The city seems to really like him. Better watch out what we say or do. I find myself subconsciously rubbing the dragon scale guard on my left arm.
Once we had sufficiently filled ourselves with sustenance, Snaglak writes his review. Having summoned the little Kobold, who had appeared in an outfit very similar to Snaglak's, the thoughts on the food and atmosphere were given. With a new review to copy, the little Kobold tipped his own little hat, replaced his monocle, and went on his way.
Quite unsure what to do next, and full up to the crest, we got in the elevator to go back down and report our success. As the elevator flipped us around a few times, it did not slow much as we entered the ground floor, and instead kept going down, Geno reporting we were going underground, although he didn't seem to know when we would stop. It didn't take long, as we found it stop five levels below the antiques shop. I briefly wondered if there was going to be some great cavern that the doors were going to reveal to us, but as they opened, we found a dark room, with the armor Yun had wanted suspended in the middle of the room by a single source of light, with an odd book under it. I had dismissed the book as some other artifact, not connecting it with the armor. It seems they were a pair. This could be some sort of wizards work space, but none of us really wanted to leave the elevator.
Asking Yun if there was anything they could do to reach it from here, they summoned a floating hand, and tried to move it out of the elevator. As soon as it passed the doors, it vanished, and a look of consternation appeared on Yun's features.
“I don't like this Yun,” Marda said from the back. “I don't think you should go in there.”
Nodding my head I agreed with her. “Yeah,” I say. “This whole deal seems off;. Just wrong.”
Walking forward, Melfina motions for us to wait, and move out of the center of the elevator. As we scrunch ourselves against the walls, the tall woman pulls her sacred dagger out, connected to the chain. Hurling it with all her might, she manages to wrap it around what looked to be a rib bone. With Geno helping, she managed to pull it out of whatever was holding it in place, and it plunged into the darkness. The the two of them pulled, it seemed like the shole end of the chain had been lost to the darkenss as they pulled, and pulled. As sudden as the magic hand had disappeared, the armor and the end of the chain, complete with dagger were pulled out from the darkness into the elevator.
I hadn't been able to be close enough to touch it, and now I see it may very well be bone and not metal. It really did seem to be a skeletal torso, complete with bone arms and hands. While I was close enough to touch it, I found myself not wanting to. At all.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Summoning my axe, I square up, only to have everyone duck down as the book comes flying at us! Hitting the back of the elevator, it flops around a few times, then stops. The book seems to be covered in some sort of unusual flesh, with one great eye frantically spinning in a grotesque socket. As Yun picks it up, the color of the eye matches the moon elf's, and as Geno touches it, it quickly shift to the goblins eye, before swirling back to Yun.
As we ride the elevator back up, they both try reading it, but neither can. I look at it as well, but it doesn't make sense. I can read the words, but it's all gobbledygook. Reaching the ground floor, Yun dons the armor, hefts the book and defiantly walks out into the cities streets. Marda collects the bag she bought, and we leave that strange, possibly malicious shop. Picking up some additional food for those back at our lodgings, we make our way back.
It takes some time to get back to the tower, whether from us taking a few incorrect turns, or walking a bit slower, but we eventually get back, Yun having taken out a couple of outfits from his little box. With the same properties as Marda's haversack, it wouldn't be safe for him to open it in the tower. Once inside our rooms, we all start getting comfortable, removing outer layers for some, armor for others. With a soft exclamation from Yun, we look their way to see them hold up their hand, a tattoo on the finer with today's date in clear black letters. The eye in the book now holds a piercing gaze, one that looks eerily similar to Yun's Eye.
“I think I should take a look at your new acquisition Yun,” Geno started as he moved to his bags, pulling out the candles and tools he normally used to figure out what was what. As Geno looks at the armor first, Yun starts looking into the book again, finding that now that it has taken his Eye color he can read it.
“This book belonged to someone named Vaughn Varegoth.” they say. “It seems Vaughn was a pretty powerful wizard, and it has a good amount of notes in it. Here in the middle it says that he has left a powerful Soulstone with Bloody Charring,” The book is closed with a soft thump. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“That,” Geno starts, after finishing up with the armor, “is the Great red dragon that controls that hot bit over yonder what we saw from the top of the tower. He isn't the nicest, but we will need his permission to go anywhere in his realm. Let me see that book.”
After a few more minutes, where I looked in on To'Li to make sure she was sleeping, Geno was ready to tell us what was going on with the armor and the book. “The Armor is normal Mithril Armor of a superior quality, magical to the point where it will offer slightly better protection than just normal Mithril. If that is a thing. But it is bound to this.” He then gestured to the book. “That's what is odd. The binding is now connected to Yun. There seems to be some necromancy about the set, and it now pulses between the three parts. Armor, Yun, and the book. It seems that if the book were to be damaged, it will draw whatever life it needs to heal itself from the individual it is bonded to. Also, the only one that can read the book is Yun now that the bond is complete. That's why we couldn't understand it earlier. None of us were bonded.”
Chapter 49 A disarming time.
The morning brings an unhappy captain. The slow progress of the voyage, and the near constant battles are starting to bother the crew, and Captain Gayle isn't too happy about the rumors going around. Either some larger force is trying to stop us from getting to Dragon Island, or worse, someone on the ship is asking for these things to attack us. Both theories are absolutely preposterous, the mere thought that someone could control both a group of storm giants and a Kraken on a whole different plane is laughable. And for some nefarious being to send all that this way, they would have had to know we were going before we even started on the voyage. It must be either immensely bad luck, or the area around the Island really were this dangerous. Geno thinks we should be there soon, maybe one or two more days. We will just have to take whatever comes as we reach it.
Gathered in the galley of the ship, we had been eating breakfast when the captain had approached us to discuss the problem. Now that they had left, we looked at each other. Everyone shrugged. It could have been some unknown enemy we had. Hells. It could have been Asmodeus. But nothing we could do about that right now. Stormy stopped by for just the moment needed to drop some fruit off for Spike. A small wink is shared between the earth genasi and Melfina before he leaves for his next watch. I'm not sure what that was all about, but something must have been shared between them.
Deciding what needed to be done next, Melfina had to check in with Lenny in lake town. We also had the scroll Marda had appeared with to look at, see what we could do with it. As Melfina prepared her spell to communicate with Lenny, the rest of us went over the information on the scroll we had. With some of the spell complete, it was possible that some in the group could cast it, but we had agreed it woud be better to learn more of it. We don't want to bind the wrong soul after all. With one of us touching it, and others ready to aid the person touching it, we should be able to learn more. By the time Melfina had talked with Lenny, we had made a plan.
Lenny didn't have much to report. The sanctum did have some old soulstones, but they seemed to be full. Shivering when I thought about that, I would hate to be trapped in a soul stone for eons to pass around me. The information about dragon Island was about the same. Not much is known about it besides what we already know. Goblin trade routes were just started about a hundred years ago, and most of the traders were not allowed out of the general port area. Judging from what Geno and the captain were estimating, we were about a day from our destination.
Gathering in the cabin that Melfina and Marda shared, we went over the plan as Marda carefully found the framed scroll in her pack. I was going to touch the scroll. Geno is using a long pole to hold the frame and pull it away from me if I can't handle it. Yun was ready to pull me off the scroll if I wasn't able to do so myself. Melfina was going to Heal me should I need it, Marda was going to write down anything we could translate. As the only one that could read it, I was hoping I could read it while the words appeared. Yes, I was nervous. While Spike is stopped from licking the wooden frame of the scroll, I reach out with my left arm. This is a terrible idea.
The pain is encompassing at first. It felt as if Death was slowly drawing up my arm threatening to swallow up my entire body. Breathing faster, my arm has locked up, the muscles simply not responding to my efforts. Forcing myself to concentrate on the task at hand, the pain stopped about halfway up my arm as I read. 'A substance of great worth it must be.' As Geno hols the frame in place, I rip my arm free and start gasping for breath. I hadn't realized I had been holding it. The Skin churning sensation of my muscles knitting back together tells me that Melfina has healed me with her magic, and I flex my jaw open and closed. I had clenched it shut so hard it was hurting. I knew that Melfina could keep me alive, but I wasn't sure how much more I wanted to put into this. With our streak of finding things wanting to kill us, I didn't want to weaken anyone too much.
Turning to Geno, I asked him if he would be able to fix my right arm. I had wondered what would happen if I had touched the picture with my Right arm, and I didn't want to damage it out right if it could be helped. If it was damaged, would Geno be able to fix it to keep me going. As he had never really looked at it, he had me take it off so he could examine it.
Unrolling a tool kit, he starts taking measurements with various instruments, tapping it with a small hammer, even pulling out a small jewelers lens to examine the finger joints. A small frown started to cover his face the more he looked at it, until finally he was done nearly ten minutes in.
“It reeks of necromancy,” the goblin states, handing it back. “It is utterly covered in the stuff. I sense that the user could somehow siphon energy out of a target, and absorb it into themselves. You could essentially give yourself a vampiric touch, and further more, if you were to put enough energy into it, you could simply kill something outright. There also seems to be some sort of personality in the arm, but I don't know what that could be. There is a point that it could take damage and I wouldn't be able to fix it, but I'm not sure how much that would be. Sorry Druss.”
Having no interest in doing any of that, I put my right arm back on, worried about whatever this sentience could be. In over 20 years of using it, I have never noticed anything about the arm. It always felt smooth, always responded just like having a real arm. Reaction time had always been lightning quick. Maybe that was it? Either way, I haven't really been able to damage it myself, I should be able to use it.
Reaching out with my Right hand this time, the fingertips almost touch the frame before they suddenly stop. “What do you think you are doing? Doing touch that again! Are you crazy.”
The others are looking at me puzzled, urging me on, showing me they are ready. “Did anyone else hear that?” I ask them. When they shake their heads no, I realize with pure dread that this new voice must be something only I can hear. “guys I am hearing a voice in my head. I instantly didn't like this.
“What's wrong? I've always been here, drifting in my own eternity, then you had to just come and wake me up. Why did you do that, then try to hurt me.”
The voice was asking me questions, and I wanted nothing to do with it. Undoing the straps, I try to take it off again, only for it to lock in place, stopping me from doing so. “Don't try to take me off,” the voice started again. “ I have your memories now. You try to take me off again, I'll strangle you. I can puppet you, and torment your family. I'm sure your daughter would like that wouldn't she?”
Instant terror took hold of me, and I had to think of a way to get this arm off of me. Thinking of the ritual I had bound myslef to the great axe, I thought it may just work. Looking to the others, I say aloud, “I need you to watch over me for an hour, and make sure my arm doesn't do anything.” I was panicking. I don't know what they would be able to do, but I needed it off now. I sat down where I was standing, not even bothering to make a comfortable spot. I tried to control my breathing, but I was finding it hard.
“Are you really willing to loose what boons you have from Daja with that axe?” Whatever spirit that inhabited my arm kept talking, trying to distract me. “How is old Daja anyway? She and I were working on prosthetics together a long time ago. Now she seems to have achieved Diety status huh? Ha! If you knew simpletons knew what she had done you might not be worshiping her much anymore. She was a great lover though, but I had better sometimes. But then she Stuck me in this arm, and Claimed it all for herself, punishing me once she became a God.” The voice had definitely pronounced the word dripping with maliciousness, and had kept going in that tone. I had to drown it out, concentrating on the arm, and connecting with it on a different level. I had forged knives with it, and I pulled a memory doing just that, concentrating on the motions of the arm.
Heat the steel until yellow. The strength in the arm helped hold the steel in the tongs without tiring. With this one I had been able to effectivley lock the tongs on the metal if I needed to. Flatten the blade. The vibrations of the hammer were dampened by the arm, which never got tired. I had never had to stop and rub my hand after a long day. Not my right hand anyway.
IT was getting hard to concentrate as the voice was still prattling on, saying I will loose all my abilities and we could come to an agreement. Nothing that had threatened my family and friends is worth compromising with. Thankfully, Yun had come up with something.
“Sleep!” the command had been pushed out with a magical force behind it, and my arm simply went limp. As rapidly as possible, I tore my right arm off, not caring if I damaged the straps that normally ensured it staying in place. Throwing it down on the deck in front of me, it felt dirty now. Soiled or like a rabid animal. As I continued on trying to concentrate, the arm started to twitch a little, then, gripping the boards and bending at the elbow, it started to slowly crawl away. As Geno tries to hold it down, and Yun entangles it with summoned vines, it flails around trying to break free. I need to stop it, I can't let it hurt anyone. I'll do anything.
Summoning the Greataxe, I grab it awkwardly with my left hand. The weight isn't too much for one hand, but swinging it is another matter. Turning it around, I swing the hammer side down with all my might. I cracks into the arm, denting the floor underneath, and marring the material. I can feel the hammer blow in my core, and it is pure agony “Help me!” I all but cry out. I almost cant do it again, but it needs to be done, and I bring my hammer down again, this time doing more damage. I feel that all the strength has fallen from me, and I don't think it's anything to do with the voice. Marda swept up with her Adamantine short sword.
I looked down at the remains of my Arm. Marda had definitely finished what I had started. Where two crude, off balance hammer blows still marred the surfaces of the casing, Marda's new short sword had simple cleaved the casing away, letting all the springs and cogs come tumbling out. It now resembled something from Bellia's workbench more than an arm. Glancing around, a dark figure now loomed in a corner, not moving or doing anything. Looking to Melfina. “Get rid of it in anyway you can.” I suddenly was weary from life and I didn't have the spirit left to help others. Leaving the cabin, I let the door close behind me. Something was wrong with my breathing, it didn't feel like I had full control. I will have to figure out how to do most things with One arm again. I mean, that shouldn't be much of a problem since I took it off at night anyway, but... I was over this. I had long ago come to term with having one arm, and I had max helping me. Leona was watching out for me too. I got over this problem. Maybe Geno can whip me up something over night. Or would that be asking too much. I didn't realize how heavy my axe was before. Everything is going to be heavier again. I awkwardly hurl the axe across the deck where it lands near the water ration. Maybe I over reacted. No. That thing had threatened my family, and showed control over it's self. It would have been fully capable of turning against me. What if at a critical moment my arm suddenly locked up so I couldn't save my family, or my friends. What if now without it I can't reach them in time? Have I lost my control with my divine gifts? Will I be able to work and support my family still? Is the deck moving under me? I need to breathe. Grounding. I need to ground myself. Smell. I can smell the sausage from breakfast. The galley master must be adding it to the soup. Reaching out, I grab one of the coarse ropes used in the rigging. I can feel the fibers, rough and tightly wound together. I hold onto the rope as I was getting slightly dizzy anyway. I need to Breathe. Slow. Think about the rope. Feel the sun. smell the soup being made. Process the emotions. I've been here before. I can do it again. Things will be ok. Right?
I don't know how long I was standing there. My mind may have stopped processing things for some time as Marda is carrying a now intact arm again, and the sun has moved quite a bit in the sky. Melfina was behind Marda, and was preparing to cast a spell.
“I am casting a spell to detect evil on it to make sure nothing more is there. The being that was there had been a necromancer in ages past, and had dealings with Daja at that time. We have sent the spirit to Masika in Laketown.” Finishing her spell, she smiled a bit. “No evil or divine. Just a regular arm.”
Putting it back on, I could tell that it had been fixed by an expert, as everything was working again, but it was... different. Clumsy. No longer truly a part of me, I know had to tell it what to do, as if it could no longer... read my mind. I shivered at that, which is something I don't do that much. It will still work just fine, but it may take time to get used to the new condition again.
“is it really wise to send a necromancer to the last place that had an undead problem?” I ask trying to bring some levity to the situation. It didn't come out great.
“Leaving things the way you found them.” quips Geno. He hadn't been there at that time.
“By the way,” Melfina starts, maybe a little sheepishly. It was hard to tell. “We might be able to just Heal the scroll, instead of sacrificing our life to it.”
We all just looked at each other. “I am going to go spend time with my family. You know where to find me should you need me.” I said. Honestly, I hoped they didn't need me today.
The rest of the day was spent watching To'Li play on the ship. I had tried to summon my divine energy with my arm again, and found that I was unable. I could still summon my axe, but I now had to use it to use the boons Daja had granted to me. I would have to find someway to commune with her soon. I felt strangely disconnected to that whole situation.
Before going to sleep that night, the Captain had told us we may be landing durring the night, but wasn't really sure. As I had been having such a terrible time with the ship landings and takeoffs, I figured the best thing to do was not be one the ship at all. Not really sure how the pillow fort worked at all, I had noticed that there was no rocking motion inside it even if we were on the ship. So, getting To'Li to put up the fort, Bellia and I simply slept inside with her that night, and had no problems. Waking up had been pleasant as well, simply because I could stare at my wife curled safely around my daughter, who had attempted to spread out on top of her mother, and the two of them had simply tangled themselves together. I think I had heard Melfina yelling something into the tent at some point like “Get it up Druss!” but since I had no idea what that meant, I simply stayed put. I didn't want to fight monsters today. I didn't want this blissful moment to end, but it turns out something was going on, as Max poked his head in.
Grabbing my gear, I got out of the tent, and on Deck in time to see Melfina collecting blood from some huge sort of fish tied to the side of the boat. A blood soaked figure stands atop the fish as well, but I can't make out the features. They were covered from head to toe in blood and gore, standing over a hole in the top of the fish. It looks as if something with large claws had ripped it's way through the top of the creature, coming out right next to some sort of stalk protruding from the head. Looking for the bloody figure again, it has vanished, the spectere once again silently watching over us.
Examining the large fish closer, I can see that some harvesting has begun of the meat and the scales. Picking up some of the larger scales, I found that they were stronger than they looked. I could already see ways I could incorperate this into some nice armor. Maybe that would be a good way to commune. It would be nice to make something again. A good lesson for Leona as well, adapting new materials to suit your needs. The biggest problem would be finding a shop that would let us work on our own projects. Since we should be at our destination soon, I can only take a deep breathe and see what can be found when we get there.
Chapter 48 Waltzing Astraea.
We searched the great corpse for anything useful. Finding a ring with quite a large gem in it, I set it aside. I may have been able to wear it as a belt if it had a clasp, but as it is a solid metal band, there wasn't anything I could do with it now. Melfina had collected a few large amounts of blood, ready to experiment with it to find how best to utilize it. Gods forbid her blood collections ever broke. It would be far too much of a mess to ever get clean. Marda was able to find a few items, including a magic scroll, and once we had checked everything will were ready to throw it overboard. While it felt a bit callous, it was better than letting Spike eat it. This had been a sentient being, whose only fault was the fact that it wanted us dead. The small reptile had already taken a few bites out of most of the toes, and had somehow perched on top of the middle left toe, seemingly ready to feast to the bone.
Melfina plucked the turtle from the Giants foot as the body went over the rail, we all turned to make sure the rest of the crew is OK. Burns from lightning are prevalent, and both Melfina and Yun get into action, healing and attending to others. The two of them will be able to fix just about anything that may have happened, so I turn to check on Bellia and Leona. Bellia is busy directing a crew taking down the metal poles that she had hastened and suffered for. While directing them, she is hastily scribbling down notes, muttering about retractable supports. Waving off aid, she can't be bothered by anyone, else she may loose track of thoughts. Coming up behind her, I simply rest my hands on her shoulders, then bend to kiss the top of her head, gathering some energy from around me and pouring it into her. With out even thinking about it, she simply reached up and patted my hand, then went back to work.
Turning towards the back of the ship finds Geno, rope harnessed around his shoulders, climbing up onto the railing then jumping off, swift as could be. A crew member, new scar on their arm, watches over the rope where it is tied off. Opening the door to our cabin, I find Leona on the ground, clutching To'Li's waist in an upside-down grip. Leona looked exhausted, but upon my entering, she gathered up the energy to sit up, loosening her grip on the giggling Dragonborn. Standing, Leona gives me a one armed sideways hug, grabbing onto my arm so she could stay up. Her other arm is locked around To'Li's little hand.
“You did good.” I tell her, pushing energy into her as well, hopefully removing that same tingling burn that I know I have. “I'll take To'Li, you rest for a bit ok? I love you.” My oldest simply crawls into my bed and lays on top curling up atop the covers with a soft “Ow.”
Going back outside, I find that Geno is still over the side of the ship, yelling up about the damage on the bottom of the ship and what He will be able to do. Max is attending to the crew as well, making sure that Melfina and Yun are not exhausting themselves. The crew that are back up are back to work, making sure the ship is going to stay in the air. Climbing up the the quarterdeck, I find Melfina examining some of the Blood that she has collected, conversing with an earth genasi. With To'li on my hip, I start over, only for Melfina to punch the crew member in the face. Oddly enough, she leans closer, as if to check the effectiveness of the strike, only to lean back, clearly disappointed.
“No, no blood.” She sighs. They both accepted the fact that it was going to be difficult to get blood from this particular specimen, willing or not. The Genasi, introducing themselves as Stormy, had skin that looked similar to limestone. Gold filigree filled in patterns and markings in a design that was obviously intended markings. Something like tribal traditions. To'Li seemed to like him, but it was probably because he was partly shiny.
Luckily the rest of the day was uneventful. With the repairs to the ship complete, Geno once again found himself on deck, ready to keep working. With everyone healthy enough to survive, Melfina found a nice corner or the ship to study the new blood, saying it would be put to good use. Marda was trying out new configurations for keeping her weapons. I hadn't noticed, but the Rapier had been removed, and now she carried the three swords. I briefly wondered why she had decided to set the rapier aside, and when asked she simply told me she it was in it's proper place now. Yun played with the various instruments in their growing orchestra, playing snippets of different tunes as they normally did while in thought.
With the crew battered and the ship tossed, we were all happy when nothing else came to pick a fight with us. After turning in for the night, I scrunched up with Bellia, getting nice and cozy, when the dream started. It was not like any other dream, I found myself falling through the sky. There was no ship around, no other people, nor any reason for me to be falling. I could feel the wind rushing past me. I can see the ground getting closer, but not as rapidly as I would have expected. Inching ever so closer. Closer. Until finally I should be impacting the ground at any moment. Right before I hit the ground I wake up. And hit the floor of the cabin.
It takes me a few moments to figure out what had happened, and I spy Bellia's foot poking out of the covers on my side of the bunk. Ah. I should have seen that. I seem to have been inadvertently kicked out of bed. No matter. I can set up something for tonight, then we can figure out a better alternative for tomorrow. Pulling some of the makeshift nest off the top, I simply make something that will let me sleep on the deck between Bellia's bunk and To'Li's pallet. When I finally catch up to sleep again, I manage to hold on to it until morning.
Gathering around for breakfast, I find that my companions have had a much different experience during their own dreams. Ranging from dances to secret rendezvous to food being thrown at them. Every dream involved a Tall, dark skinned woman in full plate armor. And everyone said they simply Felt different. When I asked how, Yun simply stood, pointed at me and spoke one word. “Grovel.”
Standing from the stool I was sitting on I felt that was an odd thing for them to say. As my knees touch the deck I almost felt that it was sort of mean spirited of Yun to say that, like maybe I should be worried about it. I think the best thing to do is show that I mean no harm to anyone, and that I should simply appease them in anyway possible. In fact, I should make sure they know I'm not armed, so I should stretch my arms out as far as I can and hope they don't hurt me.
Why am I on the deck of the ship, prostrating myself so? Yun was bending down to help me up, and quickly apologizing. It seems they had gained a power to command those unsuspecting or weak willed individuals with a single word. Yun had seemingly been gifted this power by the dream, and Melfina and Geno also seemed to have some new spell available to them, and both were working on how best to use them, Geno scribbling madly on a scrap of paper, and Melfina taking stock of her blood samples.
The rest of the day went on well enough, sparring with Leona with no additional combatants hurling rocks or lightning bolts at us. To'Li was more curious than playful, getting into every barrel that wasn't sealed shut, even wandering down into the hold to pick up anything not nailed down. Or she tried anyway. Luckily she wasn't able to lift some of the heavier spare parts in storage. I'm sure that various bits of machinery would have been scattered about the ship, or the area below us, sea or land. Most of the time watching her consisted of her pickling something up, and turning to me then waving it in the air. I explained what the object was, she would repeat some of the words in broken common, then setting the object back down in the wrong place. I would replace the object as best as I could, then rush off to the next thing.
Standing up on the fore castle of the ship, Max and I were winding down. He had been to busy laughing at all my explanations to have helped, and luckily I hadn't needed it. With Bellia taking To'Li to bed, I found myself staring at the sky as the colors slowly blending into the deep indigo of the night. When pointing out the thin wispy clouds, he agreed with me that those made the best sunsets. I had asked Geno about the clouds, and he had given me some long name. Something about circle nimbus. Just smiling along, I hadn't the first clue what he had really said. Now I could hear Max talking next to me, but the words didn't have meaning much anymore, as if my mind couldn't keep up with the conversation.
Suddenly I wasn't there with Max anymore. I was standing on endlessly deep water with not but starlight twinkling in every direction. I should not have been able to maintain my footing on the surface of the water, as there was nothing to hold me. Looking around, I saw a lone figure standing not thirty feet from me, silhouetted against a star lit sky. I hadn't seen the figure myself before, but I knew who they were from the appearance.
Her face was the color of a new moon. With small splotches of color on her cheeks and nose, what humans called freckles. Long pointed ears flanked either side of her face, which drew you into her eyes. Looking into her eyes was like spending the rest of my like looking at the night sky. Almost like I could see the sky through her. Exquisite silver armor covered her lithe body While the armor was shined to a starlight gleam, it was inlaid with midnight blue panels and scroll work. The sabatons covering her feet had a near spike heel on them, which would have caused difficulties for most in battle, but the posture and grace of the body was manifestation of dexterity and nimbleness. A deep blue cape covered her off hand and a rapier, a weapon very well suited for a fighter of this caliber. The cape too had the effect of the night sky behind it, but as I looked, the cape moved, the sky behind stayed in place. Easily taller than me by a foot or more, it seemed almost a shame that the armor was being worn for fear of dent or scratch. Something told me not even blood had touched this armor. She brought her hands up into fists, as if this were to be some bar room brawl.
Wary of what may happen, I summoned my axe, then carefully laid my hands on the head of it, setting the haft on the surface of the water. I was worried for a second it wouldn’t hold, but it connected solidly enough. I stood there, letting the figure know I had my axe ready, but holding it in as non threatening a posture as I could. I could not see what her intentions were from this distance, and while I had not wished to be outright hostile, my cautious actions could have been perceived as such. She made no move against me.
Calmly I called, “If you wish to fight, we may fight. If you wish to spar we can spar.” If I had to fight her I would certainly loose. But I wasn’t about to run away from it. I wasn’t sure I there was anywhere to run anyway. Raising her hands, she gestured me forward with a flick of her wrist. Resigning myself to my fate, I planted to axe head into the water, once again not sure of what would happen. The axe sunk in a peculiar way, falling slowly backwards until the entire blade was in the water. Then it started to shift and grow, disturbing the water as it goes. Expanding into a large crescent moon, a small outlined arena of light.
I had seen Pugilists fight before, and while I had little to no ability in that style of fighting, I simply had to hope I could pick up the technique. Raising my fists, I took what I hoped was a defensive stance. As my opponent approached she smiled, then threw a right jab. I missed the block, but the jab went wide anyway passing by my head. I had just reacted to it when a Left hook came at me. I got my arm up in time to block but the fist turned into a flat hand, pushing and twisting me, putting me a bit off balance. I Knew right then I was due for a walloping, and as my body turned I saw the right hand coming back around, but instead of a solid hit, I was pushed again, spun faster around for a full rotation. Nearly falling, I flung my left arm out to try to catch my balance, only for her to catch my hand in her fully outstretched arm, the other arm stretched high above her in a dancers pose. My arm was fully extended , body nearly parallel with the water.
As the “fight’ continued, it quickly became obvious that she was playing with me, and enjoying it. Any blows she landed were obviously pulled punches, and mostly I felt she was trying to make me fall. Any time I was about to fall, she would catch me. Too fast for me to connect with anything, she simply danced around me. I knew that I was going to be out matched when this bout started, and I simply took it as it came. Joyous exultation exuded from my opponent, probably from the knowledge of just being Free once again but no sound came from her the entire time we sparred.
With one final deflection she grabbed my wrist and used my own momentum to force me back to where I started this whole crazy experience. Pointing to the Crescent around us, Astraea mimicked holding an axe, and it takes me only a second to realize she is telling me something. Pick up your axe.
I don't understand why she wants me to have my axe all the sudden, so I start looking around. In this vast plane of nothingness and starlight I can't see anything wrong, until finally, I see first one, then a second, a third and a forth. They were patches of opaqueness, or voids altogether where the starlight was muddled or the color was different. Something was wrong.
I called my axe to my hand, but the feeling was different. Like when you have just discovered some deep meaning, or come to a sudden revelation, a cloud of cold wafted down my back, originating somewhere near the middle of my neck. The crescent of light gathered in a pool under me and with a shower of sparks and starlight the solid axe haft comforts my hands. The Hammer appears the same, the crest of Daja embossed on one side, but the blade seems to slowly appear from siphoned light. At first it tries to take an elongated scythe blade, but ripples like the water under my feet. As the blade solidifies, the spare light starts to dribble like white fire from the center eye between the now familiar blade and the hammer. A chime like voice calls into my head: “By the power of the Moon, I will destroy you!”
Taking my eyes off the hammer, I found myself now looking up at Max, axe in my hand, back on the front of the ship. The voids from the twilight vision are here with us now, and Max is just noticing them as large dark tentacles come out of the portals, bright blue suckers the size of dinner plates. The large meaty tentacles were popping out of the air all over the ship, coming from various orientations, as if some great monstrosity already had us in it's grasp. I start to move to the nearest tentacle when the body appears off the left side of the ship.
A great rift bulges open as a bulbous dark slimy body undulates it's way through. A single seeking eye appears through the portal seeking us out, and the remainder of the body stays in it's remaining plane. Alarmed shouts start before I move further and the ship and it's crew start to fight for their life. With targets now in melee range, and Max grabbing my bow, the warriors of the ship spring into action. While battling the nearest appendage, Max and I found that it could hit us with some sort of beam from a sucker near the tip, which luckily didn't effect either Max or I. Hearing Marda cry out in pain from the back of the ship, a deathly wail crescendos from just off the side of the ship where I had glimpsed the wraith. What could have caused that being of all things to release a sound as blood curdling as that wail?
I didn't have much time to look around and check. I had to hope that the rest of the ship was doing well enough as I fought for my life. The massive tentacles had tried to grab max, and I only had to guess that others had been successfully snatched. Just as I had time to pull my wits about me, a strange inky cloud oozed towards the ship, and I could no longer draw divine nature to myself. I would have to rely on my axe work and hope that the other healers on the ship were still able to aid anyone in need. I got busy with the task of staying alive.
Hacking into the tentacles, I started felling them like trees. The fire on my axe wasn't hot, but burned into the flesh with a radiant heat, searing the skin and muscle with small flames that dance on the wound. One chop, maybe two and only bloody stumps were left, Once the one one the fore castle was damaged to the point of retracting, I moved down the ladder to the next deck, and found Melfina wrapped in another tentacle, which we severed. Geno had been grabbed by another tentacle, which he was biting and hitting with his flail. Sylvio had skittered up to the rear deck where Geno was trying to get to the ballista there. The metal lizard reflected the setting sunlight in it's scales, hissing blue smoke at the tentacle hold his creator.
I couldn't get to Geno to help, for as I take a single step towards him, the ship lurches to the right, away from the Kraken, and away from most of the tentacles. Had this been a being of water, we would not have been able to get away like that. But we didn't all get away. Geno was still being held by a tentacle, now forty feet away from the ship, and over open air. The sudden turn of the ship had caught me unaware as well, and I was forced against the rail of the ship, where yet another tentacle appeared. As it tried to grab me I barely wrestled it away, before cutting it down as well. I couldn't tell if the damage to the tentacles was actually effecting the creature, but it did seem to make it a bit angrier. A flash of green light from behind where I saw Yun pointing to a large hole in one tentacle. Marda was able to fire the rear ballista, grimacing in pain from a tentacle blast.
There wasn't much I could do as Geno was flung into open air, and I watched helplessly as he started to fall. I tried to gauge the distance, and even if I could jump and catch him, there was no way I could get us back up, especially since I couldn't hold any divinity. As he tumbled, and slowly righted himself. Reaching to his back, he pulled a small cord, and pulled open several small blades connected to his pack. They reminded me of something, which I couldn't really place at this distance. But he was now in control of his own movement, and heading back to the ship.
Passing Melfina as she finished a spell, blood was thrown straight into the air only to fizzle and spit, before a great column of it white hot fire streaked down from above, engulfing the gargantuan monster. Light flashed around us in retaliation, and cries from my allies came from all around. Glancing back, Yun did not look well at all, nor did Marda. A grunt from Max calls me back up to the front of the ship where I know I can reach my foe.
A new tentacle has appeared, pointing at me, and I feel my muscles constrict, as if they are all about to cramp at once. Pushing through it, I swing the burning axe down, splitting it like firewood. With that the Kraken vanishes, but the tentacles still flail across the ship. With a deafening clap of thunder, lighting flashes across the deck, arcing between the crew causing spasms and shouts of pain.. Geno lands next to me, and I realize the blades were metal arms, all folded together to make a skeletal outline of wings. Like the ones Melfina has. Thin membranes stretch between each metal arm now on deck, he pulls a cord on the other side of his pack, folding the wings back in.
With a horrid sucking sound, a void opens in front of the ship, and the monstrosity comes through again, right in front of the ship. Whoever it is steering the ship, they didn't waste any time, and the ship is immediately rammed into the creature, the bowsprit impaling a fleshy part of the body, causing pain, but not severely wounding it. Lighting arcs down again knocking most of the remaining crew unconscious, but the ship remains steady, as if the helmsman is still at the post. Needing to finish this quick, I move toward the large body, now that I should be able to reach it. A single ping from an anvil rings in my ears, and I pause, just before yet another gout of holy flame comes down, probably from Melfina again. Had I continued on, that would have hit me too. The brief pause also allowed for a lull in noise just long enough for me to hear the single word from below.
“Depart!” With an air of confidence and command, Yun's voice carries over the groans and wind. The few remaining tentacles fall limp, and the great leviathan drips back through the portal, tearing a gash in it's skin from the bowsprit. As I stand in stunned silence, Max pulls a genuine cowbell from his kilt. Runes engraved into the sides do not spoil the pure sound resonating from the bell which I thought it would have been a dull note. As it rings, the great portal before us closes, and he turns and rings it seven more times, closing a portal each time. By the time the last portal closes, he is panting, sweat matting his fur. Without time to rest, Geno Max and I all move to aid the crew and our friends.
Yun is still moving about, but burns and blisters mar the skin. Marda sits atop the ladder for the quarter deck, rubbing her chest near her heart. Waving off our alarmed looks, she never the less looks to be in some pain. I can see that Stormy, the genasi was the helmsman all along, and he is very much wounded. Melfina is already tending to him, and collecting some of his blood. I guess since they had failed before to make him bleed, now would be the time for it. A small conversation turns tense for a few moments, but neutrality quickly comes back to Melfina's tone.
I heal as I move, checking to see who is worse off than others, a blood red cloud surrounding Melfina as she mass heals those around her. Reaching the back of the ship, I knock of the cabin door before opening it, Finding Bellia and To'Li safe inside. My youngest daughter rushes out to grab onto my leg, clutching it close. I can't really move from this spot, and when Bellia embraces the top half of me I don't really want to. I finally let go of my wife, and reach down to pick up To'Li. The briefest of thoughts passed through me, thinking she probably liked the feeling of lightning so close, and that brought me back to duty. I squeezed her close, then handed her back to her mother with a smile. Turning, I go to find any still wounded to bring them back to health, and find Leona.
While healing everyone Melfina is followed by Stormy, hauling a great cask. Gathering up all the Kraken blood she can. Finding a whole Tentacle stub intact, Melfina is overjoyed with all the materials she can gather from it, and clutches to herself like I had my daughter. As Melfina proudly clutches her severed prize, Spike starts to hover slowly upward, landing on Melfina's shoulder to crawl into the pouch away from the scuttling feet as the crew slowly starts to patch the ship up.
Tired from the fight, and needing to put To'Li to bed, I find Leona had been comforting Mittens in the hold, who had simply loathed all the movement and smell caused by the Kraken. Asking her if she would like better sleeping arrangements, We all go back up to the cabin. Pulling out the old ratty blanket I help To'Li as she flaps it up into the air. Shear glee from the little Dragonborn causes it to form into a tent, and she completes the ritual with exuberant clapping. It looks like a kids drawing of a small castle, complete with turrets. Gibbering happily to her self, she climbs in, and I user Bellia and Leona inside, then follow them.
The entrance is a light pinkish hue, and it leads into one large room. Brownish pillowed planks cover most of the room, and a soft springboard leads into a vast pile of blue foam cushions. The Room resembles a solarium, with a beautiful sunset sky above. One side of the room reveals the darker night sky, wispy clouds occasionally illuminated by lighting. A four poster bed is off to one side, and while looking at it, I am reminded of the room where she hatched. Standing torches emanate small puffed cushions of smoke, which smells like the cookies from that Inn. Sleepily crawling onto the massive bed like it was nothing out of the ordinary, she pulls some pillows up to her, before burrowing into the small pile. Sniffing the hot chocolate, I can smell some sort of spice in the liquid, making it a hotter beverage in both meanings. Grabbing a mug for each of us, I hand one to Leona and one to Bellia. Gathering some cushions together, we sit an enjoy each other's company for some time, before we too find solace in slumber, now with plenty of room for all. I still find myself waking up falling off the bed.
Chapter 47 Flying objects may be closer than they appear
That morning I asked Bellia to marry me. Of course, being on the ship didn't make it easy.
I had decided to ask her that morning when she left her cabin. She had uncurled herself and dressed, trying hard to let me sleep. I had been awake, but I didn't want to spoil it for her. The Ship was still sailing the ocean waters, but I knew we were going to take off soon. It is why Bellia had to leave after all. I hated this part. When the ship took off from the water, all semblance of balance went out the window. Or Porthole. Whatever.
I was prepared this time however. Staying in bed, I had all our blankets bundled around me, and I was laying against the back of the ship, so I would be able to brace myself and everything would be fine. I was going to be Fine. To'Li however, had not remember to sit in the braced position, and just as the ship was leaving the water, one last wave hit it just as she jumped gleefully from her own nest of blankets.
I half dove, half fell off the bunk in an effort to keep her from getting hurt as the whole vessel went sideways. As my hands found purchase on her, I yanked her close to me, making sure to hold her in the direction I hoped was up. I found myself mostly upside down, head throbbing, with a wiggling clapping Dragonborn toddler in my sitting on top of me. Untangling the blankets and tails, I left the cabin to pretend that I had actually made it out of a takeoff unscathed, and go see about talking to Bellia.
It wasn't as easy as simply going up to her and asking. I had been trying to wait for the perfect time, where she wasn't busy, To'Li didn't need watched over, and no one was jumping overboard. I was also trying to compose some sweet nothings in my head to woo her over again. Instead I followed her around until she rounded on me and demanded to know what I wanted. After stammering about respecting her decision to keep up on her career, and studiously not making eye contact with her, I muttered something about me being her husband.
She paused her work, and gave that fun little grin I always liked. “Yes. I think it is a good idea.” She looked back down, trying to find her place in the ledger. “Can we do it later today after my inspection of the lift lines? Would you be so good and ask if the Captain would do it? Otherwise I suppose Melfina could, but that might be....” She paused, looking to me for the words, rolling her shoulders like she had a bug crawling on her back.
“Odd?” I supplied.
“Odd. Yes. The captain should be able to do something less.. moist.”
I agreed. Although I suppose a Joining union involving blood would have been very memorable, a simpler ceremony would be less intrusive. I knew she was asking herself about the timing. It's not like I was busy on the ship.
Captain Velma was more than happy to Join us together, as it would provide some levity to a ship who just lost a few people. We set some time aside before dinner, to yet again have an excuse to have a celebration. Yun and Geno also started to plot something when I told the rest of the group. They put their heads together as Marda started asking me all kinds of questions.
After answering a few of them, I had to beg off more questions so I could go tell Max and Leona, and get ready. I felt bad that I hadn't told them first, but I had simply seen the group first, and had been too excited to keep it to myself. Leona's ears perked up as she saw my ridiculous grin as I approached them. Max saw the change in our protégé and turned around to see what had caused her to be surprised.
“Bellia and I are to be Joined.” I had said it without any preamble, just threw it into air.
Max stood there like a stunned ox, which I wouldn't have said to his face, but Leona practically tackled me in joy. She was bouncing up and down and nearly lifted me off my feet a couple times, her strips darkening on her fur. Max finally caught up with his thoughts, and came and grabbed the both of us and lifted us bodily off the deck.
“Druss my boy I am so Proud of you!!” he roared. “When are you going to do it? Who all is going to be invited? Are we going to need to send out invitations to all our old friends? How did you ask? Oh, my dad isn't coming right?” That last question was asked with a bit of apprehension. “I mean he can if he wants, I won't keep him away from something he may find pleasant.”
To'Li had caught up in the excitement and had grabbed onto my leg, and was giggling at the buffeting that I was going through. Small prickles of pain was also shooting into my leg, and I realized my daughter was starting to produce some serious power in her squealing.
“Relax Max, we are having the ceremony this afternoon, so no extra invites, no all powerful guests, no awkward conversations with people we haven't seen in two decades.” He had set us both down and I bent over to lift To'Li.
“Macks!! 'Onna!” she was catching on quick. While she may not have understood what was happening, she knew the names, and if they were happy so was she. Most of the time.
“Are you telling me that you are going to wear the same dingy things you have been wearing the Whole time since we left?” Leona demands. I opened my mouth and closed it, not really sure how to respond. Max took To'Li from me, and decidedly studied the nearest deck beam above.
“Well I hadn't really seen a cause to Bring anything” I respond sheepishly. “I think I should be fine in one of my Army coats. There should be one without too much Blood...”
“Dad! Honestly. Can't plan for anything anymore.” Exasperated, Leona shakes her head at me. “I have something you can use, if you promise not to get anything on it.” She turns and digs out her extra pack. “ I assume you don't have anything either Uncle Max. Don't worry I have something of yours here too.” Emptying out the contents of her bag on to her bunk, she reveals to garments at the bottom. “You will find your best shirt, and I'll take some time to repair it, probably clean it too. Honestly.” Laying out two items she steps aside.
A royal blue frock coat lays on the bed, next to a Great kilt. They were the outfits Max and I had worn when we went before the Cherwood council to open the shop. I hadn't worn it in over twenty years. I had no reason to. People had liked us better when they had learned we were veterans of the Legion, so we had embraced that look. I had also worn the coat when I met Max's father to get his help in affording the shop. Important events in my life.
Trying on coat on, it didn't fit as well as it could have, but it wasn't far off. Double breasted could easily be turned into single with a lapel in short order. Overturned cuffs on the long sleeves and brass buttons down the length of the coat. The whole thing smelled of Mint, probably to keep the bugs away. Max's Kilt was a deep red with golden strips and when worn properly the stripes would be vertical on the lower half, horizontal on the torso, and was wholly more dignified than anything I could have worn. It was simply a regal image on him. We took the time to make any alterations we could with the simple sewing kits we had. None of us were tailors, but the Army had made sure that we knew how to sew to patch any holes that we may have, and Leona had to learn in case she ripped anything.
When the time for the ceremony came, I found myself standing near the back of the ship, all my friends watching, and a couple of the engineers from the ship up there as well. As Bellia and I stood with Captain Velma, To'Li and Leona spread the flowers on the guests. Or rather, Leona was spreading them, and To'Li would sometimes throw them at people, and sometimes eat the flowers. Geno and Yun had summoned those flowers into existence, and I briefly thought about what could go wrong with her eating normal flowers, let alone magicked ones. Something to worry about later. Once everyone had a hand full of flowers, Leona pulled To'Li to the side.
I was holding Bellia's hand the whole time, and I turned to face her, my eyes soaking her in so I could always remember this. She wore a billowing Jade split skirt, like a loose pair of trousers. While they would be useful for things like climbing the rigging and riding horses, she had obviously bought it for a nice occasion. A cream Blouse flowed around her in the wind, and a wide burgundy sash around her waist to keep everything tucked in. The wind licked at my Blue coat, and Leona had helped me with the buttons, creating large lapels turned out from the open coat. Black trousers and a clean shirt lay beneath. Yun had some how produced a practically new shirt when I had asked for help with mine.
I mouthed “I like your outfit. You look fantastic.”
She grinned. Mouthing back, “It has pockets!”
“We are here today to Join two in front of you and the Gods.” The Captain said. “If any of you here wish to challenge against the Joining of these two clans, let that battle commence.” It was an old rite, and I was surprised at first that they knew the words the the Clan Joining. Some clans had not approved of their offspring joining together. When none of the small group of people said anything they continued.
“With this Join, there will be pain, suffering, joy and hope. Peace and anger, wealth and poverty. Wondrous Inferno Panathalax: Are you prepared to accept these conditions and any other the Gods wish to set before you? Are you willing to fight for your partner's clan, and defend her from your own?”
I had never thought I would feel like this. “I am.” This was far more frightening than any battle I had been a part of. A weight settled in my stomach and it was all I could do from shivering from nervousness.
The Captain turned to address Bellia. “Alarm Bells Ring In The Air: Are you prepared to accept these conditions and any other the Gods wish to set before you? Are you willing to fight for your partner's clan, and defend her from your own?”
Her cool Blue eyes flinched ever so softly with the question. She didn't know anyone from her Clan anymore. Clans were no longer overly important, but someone's past can still be painful. I squeezed her hand. “I am.” she answered.
Captain Velma finished the Rite. “Then May the Gods above and the ancestors below Bless the Joining, and may those gathered here aid the Joined in times of need. My Friends! I present Druss and Bellia!”
Flowers were thrown into the air from the small gathering. I could hear crying behind me, and as I turned I looked to Leona, who was grinning ear to ear and pointing farther to my left. Max was crying into his great kilt, which would need to be cleaned again.
Presenting a small metallic ball, and setting it on the deck, Geno produced several small explosions in the air, and small colorful fires seemed to fall from the sky above us, startling a few people on deck. The images died well before they could touch anything, and the Captain seemed to be rather pleased with them after realizing they wouldn't harm the ship. To'Li forgot about all the tasty flowers on the ground in first fear, followed quickly by joy with the pretty colors. Bellia and I nuzzled for a moment, and moved to start preparing for the banquet afterwards. Looking back up at the display, words had appeared in the lights. “We are happy for you! Get it.”
I thanked the Captain for the ceremony and went to my friends. Max was still crying a bit, big happy tears rolling down his furry face. Leona, holding To'Li, had moved over to hug him, keeping the small Dragonborn between the two larger bodies. Marda was grinning and clapping with Melfina and Yun. Spike had been placed in the Holster on Melfina's shoulder, and someone had drawn a mustache on the small reptile. He looked somewhat more dapper which may have been the idea.
With the ceremony over, we clear some space on the deck to eat together. It isn't practical to set up tables on the ship, with the shape of the deck and the space needed. Most of the ship can't really sit and eat all at the same time anyway. But there are a couple of tables where food can be prepared or set out to dish up. Melfina was able to conjure smoked Brisket for the small feast, with a side of Frog soup. Being able to sit and talk with everyone, with Bellia at my side able to relax was the best thing I could have asked for.
While we had volunteered our services for the ship, we weren't needed overly much for regular duties so we were allowed to work on our own projects. Max and I decided a regular sparring session with Leona would be a good idea for everyone involved, as the unsure footing would help us improve. Or at least keep us in good shape. I could use the exercise anyway. That coat looks a lot better double breasted. I would also have to keep watch over To'Li, which I was honestly looking forward to. It would allow Leona to work on her own things, and give me more time with my younger daughter.
Geno started talking to me about a plan for some sort of early warning system for the ship, and when he tried to explain it I was quickly lost by all the terms he used. He wanted to set a trap for anyone that may attack us, and an alarm so nothing could sneak up on us, but all his ideas seemed to be running into problems. I had heard of some abilities that could easily be used on a stationary camp, but something that could travel with the ship. Either on land or in the Air would prove difficult.
Marda shared she wanted to look more into the identity of her new sword. With the knowledge of the origin of the name, she needed someone who would know more about the stars, and was pointed in the direction of the Navigator. As they put their heads together over some brisket, the conversation seemed to indicate it would take some time to get answers.
A couple days pass, and Marda excitedly fills us in on what she has discovered. :The champion inside the Blade she has was probably named Realt. After the guiding star. A Powerful warrior, stories tell of groups of lost travelers in great peril were found by this Paladin, and were guided out of the Darkness. The right hand of Veizen. The sword had forgotten their name, whish Marda thinks she now has. Passing around a small scrap of paper, she passes it around, where it has a single word. Astraea. Not sure what would happen should she reveal the name, she doesn't speak the name aloud.
The Dreams that night unfortunately did not compare to the joy of the day. I found myself in darkness, with a dim light ahead. As I approached, a lone figure came into the light, their back towards me. I found the light to be coming from a forge, one so very similar to my own set up, but changed somehow. The figure is a Dragon born woman, working alone, hammering something on the anvil. The fire of the forge fades, and so does the woman. She appears father away, another light in the distance. A lone fire in a well maintained camp, the same figure dressing a kill skinning and slicing meat from it. No one else was in the camp. The fire fades once again only to appear several feet away, this time the scene was my table, back in Cherwood, set for four people, but three of them are empty. Before anything else can happen, the dream fades, leaving me to my slumber.
It was a beautiful day sparring with Leona on the main deck. Max was nearby with a few of the crew members watching us go through our maneuvers. Max was criticizing our technique, the crew members were probably betting on who would get the strike. Both of our weapons were covered in several layers of leather, to make sure any hit would be non lethal. Leona was using her shield and spear, with her short sword set aside. The smaller sword would not have fit in the scabbard as it too was covered in leather in case she wished to use it. While the leather covers were little more than temporary sheaths, it served as a good cover. A full on hit could still hurt, but it shouldn't do too much damage, and Max and I knew how to heal small injuries anyway.
Leona had been besting me with her spear more often than not the last couple of days. She claimed it was because slavers and gang members didn't use spears and I was out of practice. I told her she simply knew all my moves and had over come them. We both knew it was because she was getting better.
Just finishing a break, we started to square up again when we heard a shout from up top. “Brace for incoming!! Front!”
I look up as something solid and large hits the front of the ship, then my heads tilts back further so I can see the lookout. Yun stands up there, gathering something in their hands, then launch it forward. A small ball of red light streaks forward, and I can barely hear it erupt into the now familiar fireball I have seen in the past. Needing to get Leona into safety, I only have time to look at here before we are both knocked off our feet.
A crash of Thunder rocks through my chest as a lightning blast hits the ship. My muscles instantly cramp up, and I cannot freely move anything, hands clenched around my axe, Teeth grinding together. Pain in every nerve, I lay on the deck of the ship looking at the suddenly darkened clouds above. Yun jumps from the lookout post up top, to appear next to me suddenly. I need to get up. That blast of lightning would have hurt others around me. Now that the pain recedes, I sit up.
Leona lays on her back, unmoving. Fur has been singed shorter in a few places, and she is smoking slightly. I try to scramble over to her just as Yun gets there. Laying a hand on her shoulder, her eyes flutter open as Yun brings here back from the brink. Staggering to my feet, I half drag, half carry my groggy daughter towards the back cabin where Bellia is watching To'Li. I turn my head to the side to find Max hauling the two sailors below. I'm not sure if they are alive are not. He is smoking a bit too, but clearly moving around.
As I get to the door, it swings open, revealing Bellia, who is trying to get out of the cabin and push a frightened To'Li back inside. Bellia awkwardly passes by me, and I haul Leona inside pumping a bit of my own energy into her to keep her alive. As I get her all the way inside the cabin, I close the door with a “Keep your sister safe.” I don't specify who I am talking to.
Turning, I see that the ships crew has jumped into quick action, those on the front of the ship are loading a great ballista mounted there. Bellia is Grabbing large Metal rods that were stationed around the ship and tossing them to Crew member who are mounting them into post holes in an organized pattern. There must be some reason for that.
I can see our assailants are three people who are either very far away, or much larger and closer. Judging from the very short warning of an attack, and the fact the missile seemed large enough to rock the ship slightly, it was probably a boulder thrown by a giant. As they were obviously hostile, and I wasn't going to be hitting it with my axe, I drew divine power into myself. Whatever boon Daja had granted me had been working well enough, and I know used this power to fire three divine bolts at h the closest giant.
Sadly, as I hadn't used that ability much in favor of closer more personal combat. I could have used my bow, but I wasn't really sure of the range right now. The ballista on the other hand didn't seem to worry about the range. I could see the small sword clad figure of Marda lining up the shot, and a large bolt flew true, striking on of the giants who was pulling another boulder from a large bag. The lead giant is clearly the one controlling the lightning, looking more druidic than the other two. In fact the last remaining one seemed to be staring out into nothing at all, mouth slightly agape. Must have been something Yun did, distracting one of them to get it out of the fight. Smart.
Another ballista bolt flies from the back of the ship, Whipping over those one the front. I can hear the solid Thunk as it hits one of the giants, but I cannot see which. As I try to move into a better position, Another lightning blast comes down, effecting most of those on the main deck. The Pain is lesser, but it brings me down to one knee. I looked fearfully over to Bellia, but she turns out to be doing better than me. She could clearly take the power better than I could and the metal rods seemdd to have shown their purpose. The energy of the lightning crackled through the rods, as it had clearly been partially absorbed by the ship. That would be why it wasn't so pain full as the first hit, but I was still seeing stars Another blast like that would be bad news.
Melfina seemed to know just that. As Yun was playing some strange ballad on the new Bone Banjo, Melfina granted us aid. Burns started bubbling and itching as our skin rapidly healed, mitigating the damage caused by the lightning. As uncomfortable as her healing was, the tingling burning pain running around inside my limbs.
The Giants were closer now, nearly up next to the ship as we had continued forward in the air. Marda fired another bolt from the readied ballista on the front of the ship. With all the absolute chaos going on, I can still hear Yun picking out a tune on the new banjo. Looking rather incredulously at the bard, five small lights fly from Yun towards the distant Giant who is now getting closer to us. The five lights meet with the giant, then turn into small flying creatures, the likes of which I have never seen. Drawing more power into myself, I pour it into a bolt of radiant energy, and hurl it at the larger of the three giants, trying to stop it from calling down more lightning on us. Melfina's scythe appears to attack, as we hit giants with everything we have, defending our ship.
Max appears next to me, a quiver on his hip. Pulling the bow from my back ,he moves forward, strings it, and plucks three arrows only to jam them into the ships railing in front of him. Nocking an arrow, he pulls the bow back. I can see his shoulder muscles tense as he draws his fathers bow. The silver string in his hand slips, and the arrow misses the target, sailing pointlessly into the empty air. Knocking and Drawing again, he aims faster and finds the target this time. Plucking the third arrow from the railing, he hits the storm giant again, before fading from sight. He didn't move from my view, but simply vanished where he stood.
I didn't have much time to wonder where he went, as one more Lightning blast comes crashing down over the ship. The protections now in place keep everyone from being outright killed, but I seem to be taking the brunt of the remainder, or at least that's how it feels. The Stink of seared flesh is all around, and I wonder how much is coming from me. The horrible burning is coming from my muscles again, and I frantically look around for Bellia. It is clear that she was hit, but again, she takes the hit and shrugs it off, helping those on deck who may not have been as lucky.
The storm giant comes closer now, near the back of the ship where Geno has taken position on the rear ballista. The war machine was pointed at the giant, and was clearly ready to fire, but I could see Geno waiting as the giant came closer, ready to smash the ship with it's own hands. At the last possible moment, he fires. ThauWAng!! The siege weapon releases the bolt with a Mighty Snap of the cord, the bolt almost hesitant to leave the ship, then it appears to shatter into hundreds of bolts, forming a huge barrage of ballista bolts, directly into the giant not twenty feet from it. With meaty impacts, wooden shafts pepper it's head, chest and arms as blood streams out of every new hole. The massive body now starts falling, whatever power it had to keep up with the ship now clearly gone.
Leaving only two giants now Yun heads to the front, to try and deal with that one. The small creatures still fluttering around the giant seem to be creating small spurts of super hot steam, burning the giant as it keeps getting closer, and Yun has had enough. With that deadly gesture with their finger and a thin green ray, a small hole is blown in the side of the giant, as if something went through it and simply removed the material. A second barrage of bolts flew from the back of the ship, carefully aimed to miss everyone on the ship. Sadly this barrage only hit half the giant, and even with the hole in it's side, and multiple blots in it's other side, this one had yet to do any damage to the ship. Smashing a boulder against the ship several times, it finally stopped moving as Yun's summoned creatures were able to melt half of it's face.
Looking over the side of the ship, Melfina calls on her Deity directly. “In the name of the Moon I Will Punish You.” Red mist emanated from her mouth, as if it was her voice itself, and the mist sped to the falling giant below. Nothing else happened, and I couldn't sit there and watch.
And then there was one. The last giant, several ballista bolts sticking out of it, a couple of arrows from Max, and some radiant burns later, was turning to flee. It too had hit the ship, and was happy enough to leave while it could. We were not going to let it if possible. A blast of icy cold from the spectere slowed it, which would make it easier to hit.
Max appears on the back of the ship, next to the ballista with a panicked look on his face. Since he has the bow, I move up to him, and take my bow back. Drawing four arrows, I actually hit all four times, just to show him up. Not that it killed the giant. Unleashing another Fireball. Yun also was not happy about the unprovoked attack.
Max takes the bow back from me, “Impressive shots Druss, but it is still alive. Maybe you should work on that.” Drawing another arrow, he takes a deep breath, and pulls back, waiting only a fraction of a second. The snap of the string is so minuscule compared to that of the ballista, but the arrow simply jumps towards the fleeing giant. Hitting the large humanoid the the back of the skull, the giant seems to stop in mid stride, the whole thing simply starts topple end over end down towards the ground.
As we start to breath a sigh of relief a bloody hand comes over the side where Melfina is, her eyes glowing red. The dead giant, complete with hole in the side and bolts through the body, crawls mindlessly up onto the ship. The body slumps to the deck, taking up most of it. With the battle done Melfina must have released the body on the ship, maybe we could find something on it.
Chapter 46. Cruising Music
I awoke to a calm morning on the Garfunkel. Joyous laughter greeted my ears while I lay in the hammock, and I took some time to enjoy that. Also, Bellia didn't know I was here yet, presumably, so I could probably stay here for some time. Of course, if I stayed here I wouldn't be able to spend time with To'Li, and that would simply be punishing myself. So, deciding to get up and chew the arrow, I unraveled myself my the blankets and hammocks, cleaned everything up and put the hammocks away, and walked up to the main deck.
I saw Bellia on the quarter deck, supervising some work there, and I walked up to join her. I didn't want to put this off any longer and let her stew in it, so I didn't go for breakfast. She was clearly in her commanding mood, so I simply stayed silent. She of course held up a finger showing that she knew Someone was behind her. I just wasn't sure if she knew it was me. This whole routine gave me more time to steel myself, and make sure I knew how I was going to word things. When the task was competed, she turned to me, and flicking her hand asked “What do you need?”
“Well Dear,” I cordially start “How would you feel about going to-”
“Druss! Have you told her yet?” The call had come from Yun on the Main deck.
“ What did you need to tell me?” She quickly asked before I could say anything. I mean, My mouth was still open. I was clearly trying to say something. “Are we going somewhere else?”
Well. So much for easing her into it. “The destination is Dragon Island.” I state.
There was maybe a heartbeat of a pause. “Are you insane?” She started into me “You want to take To'Li to a Dangerous uncharted Island where all manner of unknown pitfalls could occur?”
“It's not really uncharted. We have a few people with us who have actually been there. Not exactly totally unknown. And if you don't want to go Max has already agreed to take everyone back to Cherwood. You could take some of the Legion.”
She scoffs at that. “ You want me to take a horde of Man children to escort our newborn daughter to a city that practically ran you out?” She was really getting into it now. “You want-”
“I WANT TO GO BACK TO MY FORGE! And Have things they way they were! Where would you have us go!?” I had meant to interrupt her, but not yell it. I didn't realize that I had gotten so worked up about it. Yes. The legion that I had kept close in my heart all these years had not shone quite so brightly in person. Yes. I had wanted to stay with my daughters and let To'Li grow in places that she could make friends and start learning. Have toys. I wanted cinnamon rolls. Made from the same guy at the same cart.
“I want my cottage.” Bellia said in a small voice. “and I want to be working back in the workshop. This is nice and all, but it's not the same. I suppose Dragon Island would be cool to see, all the fabled creations that are supposed to be there.”
“Druss! There are Pancakes!” yes. Thank you Yun. Why did I bring them. I resist the urge to rub my face.
“Of course I want to keep To'Li as safe as possible.” I continue, ignoring Yun for now. “But I'm worried about Marda. It's really serious.”
“Why didn't you sleep in my cabin last night?” She looks straight at me, hammering my spirit down into submission.
I didn't want to say it was because I wasn't sure if she still loved me. So I told the half truth. “You looked so peaceful last night, I didn't want to ruin your peace.”
“Hmm” I knew she could tell I wasn't quite coming clean, but she decided to take it. “You will stay in my cabin tonight?” Even though she had asked, I knew it wasn't a question.
“Of course I will.” I reply. She accepted that answer with a nod, and grabbed my hand, leading me down to get some breakfast.
To'Li had woken up with more energy than a dozen of Yun's Fireballs. I was more than happy to share my buckwheat flapjacks with her, knowing that she wouldn't eat that many. There was dried fruit, which she would throw into the air and try to catch in her mouth. It was easier due to the fact that she never sat down while we ate. While only about half the attempts were successful, she simply picked up the wrinkly ration, and tossed it back into the air with a giggle.
As I stayed and spent time with my daughters Yun volunteered to go get the others we had left at the Dog's breakfast. It was a well spent several hours where To'Li showed me her new abilities to summon seagulls. She had discovered the secret of throwing literally any food into the ocean, or anywhere really, and waiting. In mere minutes every gull within an hours flight had beat their wings to our ship, driving the crew crazy. I went between waving the birds away from myself and laughing and the little Dragonborn's attempts at catching the winged beasts.
While waiting for Yun to come back, I found that Geno had come onto the ship after us. Working on his metallic friend, he had been up most of the night working. Still working on it now, I will have to tell him about the maelstrom of seagulls later. I wonder what sort of changes he is making.
When the others show up, Marda is wearing an extra blade. She still has her hooked blades, now arranged on her back, both pommels peaking over the right shoulder. The Adamantine blade is sheathed hanging from her left shoulder, ornate scabbard glimmering in the morning sun. A hastily made sheath holds the Rapier on her her left hip, across from her dagger and haversack. The whole arrangement looks cumbersome, but I know she wouldn't have any problems cutting things into little pieces, as always. The Rapier had me worried.
Handing Geno a wrapped burrito, and me a breakfast sandwich she seems to be herself. “Marda, While I appreciate the sandwich, the Rapier is somewhat of an unwelcome surprise.” I tell her. We had specifically decided not to touch the spooky haunted bone rapier.
“Oh.” She responds. “Well, I kinda woke up with it. I think I danced with them in my dream last night, and either they chose me, or I chose them. Not really sure. Either way, They sure are violent.”
I blinked a few times. Most of us were rather violent, but I needed clarification. “Was there a fight this morning?” I ask.
“No. The rapier just wants me to stab someone. They want to taste blood.”
Warning! Alarm! Bad! I raise my hands to show that they are empty “Marda. We are going to do this nice and easy OK. I don't need you to stab anyone using a weapon that appeared after you were possessed by a Demon lord. That's not really a thing we want to do right?”
She let out a small laugh. “No I don't want to stab anyone.” She turns her head. “No! These are my friends! I'm not going to stab them!”
“Yes. I agree. We are your friends, and stabbing us would be a bad idea. We are going to agree not to do it right?” I ask her.
“No! Of course not. I don't have a reason to stab you, and I wouldn't anyway.” Someone is going to get stabbed.
“OK. If someone Does Need to get stabbed, use something else for now OK?” I ask, knowing full well someone is going to get stabbed. With a nod, she agrees to the terms, and I go back to watching my daughter play from across the ship.
Within five minutes, while To'Li shows me a particularly interesting bit of rope she found, Yun comes back up to the upper deck, had to their side. “Hey look! I just got stabbed!” my head was starting to hurt. We had only just left and could practically reach out and touch the dock. Yun simply truncated any possibility of conversation by walking to the other side of the ship to gleefully show Max. Calling Marda up the the quarter deck, I try to put on my stern father face, knowing she was just as old as I was.
“Marda, about this whole stabbing business..” I hesitated. Marda was my friend, and I had to keep myself from lecturing her. Raising Leona told me that a stern lecture was as effective as hitting cold iron. Yeah, it might move eventually, but it required far too much effort. There were far better paths to take.
Marda did have a nice solid defense though. “Yun told me to.” Oh. Of course. That makes it soo much better. I rubbed the base of my crest.
“OK, I could see that, but we decided no stabbing right? We don't do half of what Yun wants to do for a reason right? Remember the club?” I wish I didn't. “Yun, come over here.”
With a quick glance a Yun I tap into the Divine energy granted to me. I want to make sure that impurities from the rapier haven't seeped into Yun. We don't need another Demonic influence. Finding one good Soulstone is going to be hard enough. As if looking for foreign materials in an ingot, I use the divinity to try and remove any harmful effects that may have been added. I also heal them, closing the small wound created by the Rapier.
Marda gave a small jolt. “Ooh, the Rapier doesn't like that. She dislikes divine casters.” Well Now we are getting somewhere, as terrifying as that place may be.
Melfina had come up with Marda, true to her word to Garnet, staying by her side. “What do you mean She doesn't like Divine casters.” the cleric inquired. “Who is She?”
“Well. If I am getting this right, the bones used to be part of someone, and they are now sorta... cursed to be the sword. She used to be a knight, who was punished by am angry God.” Oh Yes. By the way Marda is explaining it, this all makes sense. Easy. “No! I won't stab the Dragonborn, He is my friend!”
“Yes Marda.” I say quickly. “Keep that in mind. I am your friend, who you shouldn't stab. In fact, No One Else Should Be Stabbed.”
“I”m sorry, the Sword wants to keep tasting people. Marda says clearly distracted.
“It can taste me!” Melfina says, a little more excited than I would have liked.
“Nonono. No.” I said. Was anyone listening to me, or themselves? This was a very bad Idea. My first thought was to simply throw the thing as far as possible, hoping the Ocean would take it away. But if Marda had woken up with it, like she had said, trying to get rid of it would only cause a reason for a rift between us. It doesn't need anymore blood
“But I have this vial of my blood,” Melfina started, digging through her belt pouches. “the Sword can sample that, and we might gain it's- Her- Her trust. Learn something more.” She finishes her thought, handing a small vial to Marda. The Halfling quickly removes the stopper and up ends the vial. “After all, Melfina finishes, it's what swords are for right?”
Well, Yes, but also no. They are used solely for shedding blood, but they don't normally DRINK it. No point crying over split, um. Blood. A look of anticipation comes over Marda, to be quickly changed to consternation. “She stopped talking. Said something about the old Gods, and now she's gone.”
A brief silence occurs where everyone can enjoy their own thoughts as to why a cursed Bone Rapier, made from an old knight of an old God may be a bit nervous after drinking the blood of a servant of one of the said Old Gods. That's fine. I'm sure nothing bad could have happened. Before any of us can come up with a coherent idea, Yun speaks up. “Hey, anyway, I picked up this cool banjo thing. It has some writing on it that I can't read, but it looks like maybe draconic script. Druss, can you read it for me?”
It was in fact a banjo, with a very odd design. The script on the edge of the Banjo is in neat letters, but it is hard to understand. The words read “You will pull this from my cold dead hands.” we etched into the instrument which was made of bone. Of course it was. It wasn't humanoid bone, but something larger.
“It has a spear point in there, so be careful. ” Yun added. “It looks like it unfolds, or extends into a spear, but it broke the strings the first time I tried. Not very good as a instrument if the strings break every time you have to fend off an annoyed crowd.” As I can't figure it out, I show Geno.
“Well, that's Lizardfolk script.” Geno starts. “And it is most assuredly bone. Maybe Dragonturtle Bone.
“Yun I swear,” I hastily add, “ if this things starts asking you to stab someone, I'll will throw you and it off the ship.”
With a creak and a Snik, Geno proceeds to immediately impale his hand with the spear head. I simply stare at Geno first, then Yun. With a point of my finger, and some effort, I heal Geno. “Just don't summon any demons, I give in.” Walking back across the ship, I watch from afar as the two of them figure out how to get the banjo made of Bones to turn into a spear made of bones. Wonderful.
The rest of the day was mostly uneventful, and less stabby. I was able to spend it all with my Family, strange as they are, and was informed by the Captain that we would be leaving the water for the sky some time tonight, as we didn't want to attract any attention. That night I joined Bellia in her cabin for some well deserved blissful sleep.
I awoke to dark cabin. Bellia was curled up in my arms, her head on my chest, her tail across us both. I could tell she was awake as well, and we we both listening to try to figure out what had spoiled our sleep. I could hear splashes of something falling into the water near the ship, and a commotion outside on the deck. I was instantly ready to Jump out of the cabin to aid in whatever calamity had befallen us. But I Was also torn. To'Li was the most vulnerable person on the ship. I couldn't just leave her here. Bellia was here too, but I wasn't really sure how well she would do in a fight. Sure she could take care of herself, I decided I would stand just outside the door, blocking entry to any who may wish the occupants harm. I could support the rest of the ships possible defenders from a range after all. Grabbing one of the old unused Hand axes from my kit, I handed it to Bellia and summoned my own Axe. Trying to hide the anguish from my face, I tell her I will be just outside, and open the door.
Musical Bliss hits me. Voices singing the most beautiful song I can imagine stop me cold. Every woe and problem instantly vanishes from me. But I can feel them hovering, just waiting to come back. The water. If I can get into the water all my problems will be fixed. I can finally think of somewhere to live peacefully, we can find a Soulstone, and I can finally keep watch over all those I have wanted, no, Needed to protect for so long. I Just need to get into the water. The side of the ship is in front of me, but I have no problem getting over it. I cannot lelt nay obstacle keep me from finding the happiness I need.
I don't even notice what the temperature is when I hit the water. I can hear a few other objects enter the water behind me, But they don't matter. They cannot provide the answers that loom so close to me now. I can feel them here, floating just out of my minds reach. But the serenity is still washing over me, knowing that I will soon be able to rest.
Something grabs my foot, pulling my head under the water. Maybe something guiding me to the answers, I care not. Nor do I care about the water entering my nostrils. I just need to wait a few seconds more...But something is wrong, I can hear more splashes. Something is pulling me, and I need air. The music now sounds crass and horrid to my ears.
Reaching out, I summon my axe, and feel it's familiar grip in my hand. I clumsily cut through the water to whatever is holding my foot. I am rewarded with Green blood spilling into the churning ocean water. I struggle my way back to the air.
As my head comes out of the water and I take a huge breath, I see a watery creature in front of me, and I swing out with my axe, connecting at the creatures neck. The body goes slack, and I see the head bounce a different direction. Turning around as best as I can, scanning for more threats, I find Bellia in the water directly behind me, with Yun behind her.
“We have your family safe, go help others!” Yun calls, grabbing onto Bellia, wrestling a bit with her.
I finish my sweep. There are others in the water, some simply floating in place, some obviously and actively trying to help them. Other figures are dragging sailors away. Swimming awkwardly to the nearest malicious figure, I see a sailor being dragged down, a flash of fins in the waves. Careful not to attack the helpless mariner, I target the killer creature with another swing, sinking the blade into it's back, stopping it's movement. Bringing the crewmember's head above water, I look to see how the others are progressing. Before I can act any further, I realize the singing has stopped. Everyone is slowly coming back in control of themselves. Bellia has a bloodied snout, and Yun is looking a bit apologetic. They must have hit her to try and snap her out of the trance. I swim to her, and heal her just to make sure she is ok before we head to the ship. Ropes have been lowered into the water from the ship, and we all swim back to the ship and climb aboard.
Back on deck, I find myself face to face with yet another large creature. A huge lizard, Metallic and majestic is studiously inspecting the people on deck. It was a few seconds before I noticed Geno standing next to it, smiling. Marda walked up to it, scratching it's neck, which it appeared to enjoy. This must have been what Geno was doing, modifying his metal creature. The legs were longer than Ricky's had been. Instead of textured fur the surfaced was coated in bright blue filigreed scales, obviously crafted with love. A large segmented tongue extends out with a quick flick, only to retract back into the maw. A long thick tail whips back and forth, ending in a thin whip like tip. “This is Sylvio!” Geno exclaims proudly.
I look around for To'Li, trying to make sure she is ok, and Find that Marda had shoved her into the captain's cabin, with the captain herself watching over her. Finding no Harm to my youngest Daughter, I come to find that Max and Leona had not even heard anything, and simply stayed in their own sleeping quarters. Knowing that my Family is safe, We take some time to admire Geno's work, while Marda tells us what she found out.
“After, um, stabbing more things with this, She has been nice enough to fill me in a bit.”several still bodies sit on deck where creatures had obviously met resistance from the crew. “The One bound to this blade was once a knight dedicated to one of Our Gods.” She of course meant the Old Gods who were very much still able to influence those on this plane. “ After a transition, One of the Gods was displeased with the knight. Forsaken by them, and Punished, they were cursed into this weapon.”
I guess if she was going to stab anyone attackers would be the best target. Looking around, I see that some fighting did take place. Melfina is going around collecting blood, both green and red. Yun is making sure everyone is OK. Once everything is determined to be set properly, Bellia and I go to collect To'Li, only to find the Captain offering to keep her for the night so we can be alone. Bellia thanks her, and we go to her cabin together.
I had barely held it together when I found that I had endangered my family. When the Two of us were alone, I could barely face her. “I'm sorry. I messed up. I should have checked with you first, and I should never have left you here. I should have stood inside this door and protected you. Made sure nothing happened.” I felt so ashamed, with this ridiculous Idea that I could keep them safe on this journey. “I can go to the captain and have the ship turned around, we can go back, find somewhere safe to stay...” I trailed off. I didn't know what to do.
“No Druss.” Bellia said, grabbing my head, so she could look at me. “This was not your fault. The whole ship needs your help, and it would be selfish to keep you when aid can be given.” She pulled me closer. “During a crisis like that I need you to do what your instincts are telling you to do.” Right now I just wanted to hold her close to me. Sitting down on her bunk, on top of the blankets, we eventually got back to being wrapped in each other's arms.
Bellia did have to get up a few hours later to help get the Ship airborne. We had lost two sailors, including on of the engineers, so she couldn't get out of duty. Leaving me to rest, she dressed and quietly left, making sure I was covered and warm. I of course always am, but it still left my chest fluttering a bit. As I felt the ship rise, I drifted down into sleep. I expected horrible soul-wrenching dreams tonight, full of new watery nightmares. Instead, there was just the blissful void.
Chapter 45. Title pending.
The smoke was just starting to clear from the tunnel when we heard a commotion at the entrance to the private dock. As we were all in the entrance to the tunnel, we couldn't see who it was. I could see Yun taking stock of all the ways they could leave without being noticed, and suggesting some of them.
“Hey, I'm just going to change form, and take off, you all have fun.” They said, turning to leave.
“Now wait a minute!” Marda cried, “You can't just leave us here like that Again!” I was a little puzzled. Again? When had they done it the fir- oh yeah. The sewers in Laketown. Now I guess in Laketown they had gone to find Max to help us, but Max was already here. And Post... was here. Where did Post go?
“-I suppose going invisible would be an option, we could just leave Druss here. Everyone loves him.” Yun was continuing.
“We don't have to leave him anywhere, we can all just go down this tunnel and see where that leads.” Marda was arguing. “I'm sure there are more fuckers to kill!” While Marda was no longer screaming at the top of her lungs, she was still a bit blood thirsty it seemed.
“I don't see a problem with that.” Geno chimed in. He was once again atop Ricky, just like the first time we saw him, Or, Didn't see him. Whatever.
While I didn't really have a problem with staying here, I certainly didn't want to leave them before what could be more fighting, So when Max came over, I turned to him, hooked a thumb over my shoulder and said “You stay here and deal with the guards, we are going to go down this random tunnel.”
My oldest friend thought about this for just the briefest moment, and looked directly at me, with annoyed disappointment in his eyes. “Do you know how much paperwork is going to be involved with all this? Oh no. No. I hate paperwork. You are going to stay here and deal with all this just like I am. You can't just break the law, and run away. You have two daughters now that you need to set an example for.” He had come closer to now put a massive hand on my left shoulder, very effectively pinning me in place. “You will have to face the consequences to what you do here. You do realize now that the Legion are in town, most of the guards are going to be made up of them for the time being?”
The look on my face must have my incredulity. Did Max really think I was in charge of this Cadre of Chaos? I didn't have to even look behind me to know Yun was already thinking of just leaving us again, like they first said. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone behind me had turned into a whale, or Fire Elementals, or something equally ridiculous. “And how should I explain the large balls of fire?” I asked. Or the Whale I continued in my head. Or the Lighting bolt our cleric was Definitely not powerful enough to have cast , the Flower petals on the back of the ship, the explosions on the ship, and The Pieces Of PeoPLE THE SPECTERE LEAVES BEHIND! It would do no good to shout at him, so I simply started thinking.
“You could blame the sinking ship on the large fish creature who had been swimming so close to it.” Max countered. “They seemed to have been employing bombs or something of the like. But either way, You can do the explaining.”
I didn't have long. While a good portion of the incoming people appeared to be Legion, three people were coming over to me now, two of which were in the Legion. Judging from the make shift insignia, they were in the Swords. The oldest Sword stepped up, and with a commanding voice asked “Who are you, Why are you here, Who do you work for?”
If this Muppet had bothered to open his eyes, He probably would have know exactly who Max and I were. As far as I know Everyone in the whole Legion knew who Max was, and my own story, while not as well known, would have been floating out there anytime heavy drink was involved. It was a great drinking story: the idiot who wouldn't give up on the weapons he made. Not to mention the Giant black mace Max was leaning on, Or the black bladed axe I had on my back. Or the standard issue green vested tabard that I was wearing. So if they didn't have any idea who we were that was kinda on them.
As to why we were here, they could have been told by Any of the Recently Saved Civilians currently being questioned and healed, The little boy, who may have been traumatized by Max and myself, Or I dunno.. That twat waffle Ragnus WHO I COULD SEE standing right over there in the middle of a bunch of officers! I would think that if he came, he would have told the guard that he had Approved of an operation on the docks. Unless of course Max had not in fact told him and just taken four rangers a cleric and a druid to have some fun.
As to who we were working for, that I have already covered, Vest, Ragnus, etc. Anyone who had been more than a year in the Legion should know the basic identifiers, and anyone who had joined in the last two months would know Max, who had been yelling at each of them for the last two of three days. But none of that would have been really helpful, and I really just wanted to go eat something. It was possible that Ragnus was a little upset with me at not signing up again with the Legion. It may have been good for morale I suppose. Either way, I should come up with an answer that would benefit everyone possible...
“Have you seen my turtle?” It came from Melfina, behind me, and it definitely diffused the whole situation. Before anyone could respond, I decided to give my answer.
“We are a covert detachment sent by the legion to save the enslaved civilians that were being held against their will.” I said in a bored tone.
“Why is the ship sinking?!” The younger Legion member asked.
Because it has water in the bottom of it you silly noodle. “See that shiny boy over there?” I point to the cleric that was with us. “He is one with the tempest. Did you hear Thunder a few minutes ago? Yeah, that was him, calling down a lightning bolt to hit some slavers on the ship.” To'Li could have called more lightning that that cleric. “It must have hit some of that explosive powder. Blown a hole in the ship.
“Why would the slavers have explosive powder in the hold with their slaves?” I was asked. So I responded, “Well, everyone else in this city had guns to wave around. Why not them? And why hasn't this technology been shared with the rest of the continent?” Honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted that to be spread around. But again, it kept these two from fully thinking about it.
I started looking around to see what Drax was up to, frantically thinking up excuses for him too, only to find that he was leaving. Not a single person had even tried to stop him. I guess that means they were sane anyway. Types like his were prone to damaging others when annoyed. If someone had tried to keep him for silly questions fingers at least would have been broken. Plus it would have taken about five guys to hold him in place.
It was several hours until we were released to be on our way. We had to repeat everything that happened. Six times. Ragnus was laughing at the end of the day. We all trudged back to the inn, hungry and tired. We had been on the dock since early in the morning, had a light breakfast, and had no lunch while we waited for the ship to empty. I was looking forward to easting anything I could from the menu, not caring at all about where the grease came from.
Entering in the front door of the Dog's Breakfast, we see both Post and Drax siting in booths. Drax had a large keg of ale he was drinking directly from out of the tap. Post is laying in one of the booths, their arm dangling down to the floor, the other one wrapped around the top of their diminutive head, blocking light from getting in their eyes. A Mug of something steaming and an empty plate on the table prove that something was consumed before the nap started. Drax was clearly drinking his meal.
Getting our order in, we were lucky that Suzan was still here to help us out. Melfina was excited to see something called Blood sausage on the menu today, and she sat and tried to figure out what it was while we waited for our food. When it arrived she was only somewhat disappointed in the fact that it was cooked Inside the sausage, and not dripping with it. I don't want to say it out loud, but I think she may have been putting on a bit of an act with that.
“I”m sure there would be a problem with serving food in fresh blood Mel.” Marda said around a large mouthful of burger. Washing it down with a gulp of beer she continued. “Most civilized people like things to be cooked.”
I for one know that I Would rather stick with my stack of flapjacks than touch anything called blood sausage. Geno seems to agree with us, as he makes some sort of sound in the affirmative around the large breakfast burrito in his mouth. If he wasn't careful he may drown in it. I saw the bottle of the stuff disappear into his food before he re-wrapped it. I don't mind spicy food as the heat wouldn't overly bother me, but that's a bit much. Yun simply chuckled. They had ordered only a cup of herbal tea, and I'm not sure how they weren't ravenously eating something.
“We need to figure out what we are going to do about the stone,” Melfina says. She was just mopping up the last of the sausage and potatoes. “I was thinking of talking to Dani, seeing if she had heard anything more since we talked.”
It was a good idea, and we decided it would best be done in our room, so we cleaned our plates and went upstairs. Melfina wiped the blood across her lips and spoke into the air, “Have stone. It's dangerous. Need another. Have you heard anything new? Need help, Dog's Breakfast.” It was a shame she has to cast it that way, as she just got all the blood off her face from the battle and the food. And the way she had to word it was always funny. It shouldn't be a long wait before we get something back
“-FFFuck!”Melfina exclaimed. “These things are super rare. I'm not sure where-” She cut off again and her eyes looked over our heads. Someone must have sent something more. “I will tell everyone. Thank you.” She looked to us again. “There are rumors circulating around the Hells. We should be on our guards.” She didn't elaborate on what the rumors were, as the spell probably hadn't lasted long enough to tell us.
“Maybe the sanctum would have one?” I threw out the idea, mostly thinking out loud.
“But do we have time to get there?” Melfina asks
“Less time than you think little girl”. The voice was Noxious and slimy. It had come from Marda, but it clearly wasn't her that had uttered those words. Her shoulders had slumped. Arms loose at her side, head bowed slightly.
“You will never have me back!” Melfina spat. She looked ready to pounce, or lash out should anything appear
Marda looked up at her. Geno, Yun and I had subconsciously stepped away, and I could no longer see Marda's full face but a wide smile had stretched across it, darkness around her eyes. “I Already Have You.” the voice purrs.
Enraged, a wild cry emanates from Melfina and I see that six wings have sprouted from her back. Two large ones, then two more smaller on top, and below then. Feathers grow from the base near her back, brown with black streaks in them. Her face have become more angular, Fey like almost.
“Don't be like that,” Marda/Asmodeus oozes out, “You were always meant to fight.”
Melfina begins to glow, and I am forced to look away before I go bind. Holding my hands in front of my eyes, I hear a Hellish Growl forced from Marda. “Choose stronger friends next time” The voice was forced now, straining with effort. “At least I have a vessel now! I'll be back!”
Marda collapsed in placed, but Melfina caught her before she hit the floor. Melfina's wings folded around her little friend. The three of us were able to get back over to them before the wings opened up, and when they did we saw Marda had come back with some side effects. Her eyes were streaming blood, and darker than they were before. Seeing this, Melfina instantly speaks a commanding prayer, and a fine red mist surrounds the both of them, not the angry scarlet of blood, but a soothing sunset crimson. The mist settled on Marda and as it cleared we could see that blood was no longer flowing. Melfina's Wings had grown more feathers are the casting of this healing spell. All of the wings had those brown and black feathers.
Now that we knew she wasn't in trouble, we all seemed to notice that she had somehow summoned a few things. A wicked looking crown had appeared, spines spreading into her scalp with ink black ooze falling from the crown. The stark difference showed Marda to still be pale. A Framed scroll in one hand, and a small rapier in the other, neither of which I had ever seen before. The Hand clutching the rapier was blackened, and wherever they had been made it didn't seem to be a good place. “I was in a cave like room, on a throne.” Marda started mumbling to us. “ This creature of some sort was there, and approaching me.” Her voice slowly gets better as she talks. “I saw various items around the room, weapons to one side, and a book case to the other. I had time enough to grab both of these things, Then I was back here. I don't know what they are.” Ripping the Crown off her head, the thorns on the bottom proved painful to remove, but it was off none the less.
The scroll obviously had writing on it, and we all looked at each other trying to figure out if it was worth reading. We were all guessing that it had come from some nasty origin, and it could be dangerous. No one else could recognize the script of the scroll, but I could figure out the meaning of the scroll. As we talked, Melfina's wings reduced and dissipated, the feathers falling away and shriveling to nothing, save for one that remained. Picking it up, she looked to me, “ We must take the risk.
What scrawl was in place was not one I would know, but the meaning simply came to me, and I could understand what was written. When I did read it, I made sure not to say it out loud, or touch it. That way I couldn't accidentally cast something, From what I can see, and telling the others what I am looking at, the scroll is a spell for Binding a soul to an object. We might be able to cast it, and target a soul to bind, but It would be Way above what I could do, and it seems rather vague.
As I am looking at it, we notice that some sort of petrification is happening to the floor around it. Not sure what the side effects could be with such a potentially powerful artifact, We need to figure out something to do quick. Yun, acting quickly, conjures up a magical hand to pick it up. Grabbing the heavy metal box that contained the wand and the platinum, we shove the scroll in there and shut it, closing off any magical effect that may continue the spread. The magical hand, appearding as long elbow length purple glove, was partially blacked, but is slowly turning back to normal, or whatever works as normal for it.
Bending down, Yun goes to pick up the crown with their own hand, and on contact, a single vicious thorn grows out from it in a flash, as if it was defending itself. Grabbing the Rapier with the magical glove, Yun brings it close to examine. Finding nothing interesting about itthe glove moves to put it back when Geno asks for it. Without a second thought, and a flick of the hand from Geno, the magical floating glove throws the sword to Geno, who instinctively catches it. A black aura immediately starts to from from contact with the handle of the sword, and he quickly drops it, the blacked state staying in place.
Moving closer, I call upon the power granted to me by Daja. It was an odd relationship, but then all of my relationships were a bit abnormal. With her power I had been able to summon the Tool which could create or destroy. I had also been able to heal with that power, the wounds closing with heat, as if heat welding two sides of a piece together. Now, I felt as if I was trying to unbend something, or restore it back to the way it should have been. I knew I would not have been able to undo a huge change to someone, but I felt I could remove some of this blight. Or at least I had hoped.
It worked well enough on Geno, and I felt I could still have some power left over, some heat left in the coals, so I went and tried with Marda. Her whole arm had been blackened, and while it hadn't withered, it wasn't natural. While I could feel the spell take hold, it didn't remove everything. Her hand was still black from touching the blade.
Geno had decided that he didn't want to touch it again, and had pulled out some overly large leather gloves. Going down to the elbow, they were probably as thick as my own hide. Don't think about that. Melfina too is getting ready to examine these items. Candles and blood come out of her pouch. As the two of them settle down to examine the items brought back, I make sure Marda and Yun don't need healing, and Make sure that no one is eavesdropping at the door or window. Several minutes later, Geno is ready to give us some information.
“The sword is made entirely of Humanoid parts, mostly bones. The blade is somehow made of hardened sinew, and the grip is knuckle joints, probably from the same person as they vary in size, like fingers getting smaller across the hand. There is a needle in the pommel to administer poison with a pommel bash, and a thorny point near the top of the grip, made so the user could prick one's finger, although we don't yet know why. The blade itself is unnaturally cold, and would probably transfer that to a victim.” He gave the description like a bored scholar. Monotone. IT was disrupted by Melfina inside her candle circle.
“It is called Soylent Sword. It is Human parts, from the same human in fact. The cold or necrotic powers can be added to an attack, at a price it seems.” She points to the framed scroll. The chest is open, although the aura no longer spreads for now. “This scroll will give more information upon a donation of life force. The more life put into it, the more spell will be shown. But the surface is spelled. The surface will hold whoever touches it. So trying to give a small amount may grant a giver death if not careful.” She reaches out to close the lid over the scroll. “the scroll is made from the skin of an infant.” The lid closes with a click.
“Asmodeus' Crown was made around the beguiling of another Devil. It will protect itself from non-chosen wearers, thus the spikes that struck Yun. What we will need is Something that both the Celestial and Demonic planes fear. The Elemental Essence of the Physical Plane. I'm not sure where to find that.”
“Oh! Dragons are chalk full of that stuff,” Geno nonchalantly throws out.
Oh yeah. That will be easy. Now we just need to find a dragon and ask them nicely if we can have some of their... essence. Not even mentioning how impossible that will be. It'll be great. Maybe we should be reaching out to someone else. Drax wouldn't know this stuff, but now that we have a circle here...
“You know, we could ask Garnet if she knows of any soulstones. She may even know more of this essence we apparently need. Do you have enough energy to contact her Melfina”
“Yes of course Druss.” We took a few minutes to compose a message, and she soon spoke into the air. “Asmodeus is using Marda to come, she is in danger. Soulstone dangerous. Dragon Island could help, can You help us?” She waited for the usual response, thought for just a few moments, then recast her spell. “We are at the Dog's Breakfast. The Soulstone will complete a ritual. Pure Chaos worked defeating Asmodeus in the past” A small look of confusion came over Melfina, “ The only response was 'K'”
Oh. Crap. We never moved the rug. I scrambled to stand up from the floor where I had sunk during all of this. Tumbling out the door, and nearly falling down the stairs, I raced through the dinning room. Getting to the top of the basement stairs, I nearly collided with the diminutive figure of Garnet the Tone Deaf, leader the the Bards guild.
They stood, craning their neck up at me, and I took a step back (not that it helped their neck). “You should have been faster.” A small layer of dust covers them from the rug that was over the circle. I'm not sure what happened down there, and I will probably never find out if I am lucky. That was all they said before they dodged around my legs and continued up.
Pausing in the Dinning room, they gave a small smile to a sleeping Drax, before waiting for me to take the lead. They did not know what room we were in after all. When we reached the second floor and we stood in front of the proper door I went to reach for it, but never got my hand on the handle. The old gnome simple kicked the door open and walked in like they owned the place, which they sort of did thinking about it.
“You are pure chaos” they said matter-of-factually. Before we could figure out what they meant, they said, “Fill me in on what you goofballs have been doing.”
It took some time, but we filled them in on the slavers and the curse put on Marda, and finding a Soulstone, which we couldn't use. Once we had finished, they waved their hand dismissively. “Marda can't be taken by Asmodeus. She is Blessed by the earth.” We all looked rather taken aback by that fact. I hadn't known Marda knew any natural magics. At least, I thought that is what.. whatever Garnet had said meant. The Gnome continued, going around the group. Pointing to Melfina they said She would be a good host.
“You,” Garnet said, pointing at me “Are also blessed by the earth so again, you would be a terrible host.”
“Well, I know my natural magics can help me, but I didn't think they would be that helpful.” I start, about to ask Marda when she had learned whatever abilities she had not shown.
“No silly boy.” Garnet chided. “ 'Blessed by the Earth doesn't mean that you know anything about Nature. Dragonborn, halflings and Humans are all blessed of the earth because Those are the original races to this Plane. All others were created with influence from other planes. You are connected too much to this one to be a good host for anything trying to come over. That one however, would be a great target, and has probably been tempted several times. Haven't you Dear?”
“My sister still serves him as I once did,” Melfina says. “ I was reborn to save Solvene, and have served her loyally since, although temptations to return to my old master occur frequently.”
“Your sister gave me a necklace to subdue the influence of Asmodeus so is she playing both sides?” Marda asks.
With no answers, Garnet mulls this over in Silence before clearing their throat. “Ahm. Well. I would like to see the Soulstone please.”
Looking at each other, I realize that I still had it, wrapped in a slightly used handkerchief, still in my pocket. Asking Garnet if they were sure, upon insistence I handed it over. Still holding it in the handkerchief, Garnet examined it for sometime even going to the extent of Licking it. I was worried that they would get sucked into the stone, or collapse a soulless husk. Nothing happened. Asking Who grabbed it in the first place, I responded that I had. “Did you see infinite realities all at once being forged into a single thin sheet upon itself too?”
“Yes, I saw that all at once, and was nearly overwhelmed by it,” I respond.
“Mmhm. It tasted like a blue cricket's chip. This is indeed a bad Soul stone, and if I am not mistaken, it has what smells like a Planetar in here? One of the celestials?” Melfina nodded, but I had no idea what that even was. While I look to the others for information, Garnet pockets the Soulstone, and pulls out a new handkerchief. “Here. You can use this one in the meantime. I may be able to remove some of the souls from this one, so we may yet use it. Although I would suggest trying to find a new one. If you are to be traveling I will need something that will connect me to you, should you need me in an emergency. May I have some of your Blood Melfina? I think that would be the strongest catalyst as you already use it for powerful magics.”
Melfina agreed to it, and soon handed over a vial of her own blood. “Good,” Garnet continued. “For this all to work, you must stay by Marda. Without her, I can't do anything if I travel to you Melfina.”
“I will not be leaving her side.” We all knew it when Melfina said it, and there was no hesitation, nor did any of us expect it.
“Good.” Garnet said “Let me know when you arrive at dragon Island. Unitl then, I will be busy. I think I will visit Drax for a short time first” And she left the room, heading back down to find the sleeping giant.
Something had been bothering me. “Do we have time to find Dragon Island?I thought Asmodeus said we didn't have a lot of time, I'm just worried about Marda, I finished, looking over to her.”
“You forget Druss,” Melfina starts. “Asmodeus is the Bringer of Lies. You can't trust what he says. We will have time.”
Well. I had forgotten. With everything else going on, I had simply let it slip my mind. Feeling a little foolish, I decided to work on problem solving. How were we going to get to Dragon Island. Asking the group, Geno said it would of course take a boat to get there, as we didn't have any sort of teleportation wizard anymore. But while we didn't have a regular boat to get there, we did have an Airship. Suggesting that I go down to talk with the captain, Yun decides to go with me.
We find Garnet alone for a moment while Drax had gone to fetch some drinks. Seeing me in the Breastplate Drax gave me, a slightly saddened look is painted on Their face.
“I appreciate the gift Drax gave me,” I say. “He said it belonged to a friend.”
They look at the Armor for a moment longer, and say, “It suits you.” Then they go back to waiting for their drink. I move on, tired as I am, we need to get to the dock. It is already late, I want to make it there before the captain goes to bed.
It was several hours past sunset when we left the tavern, and upon arriving at the ship I am somewhat shocked to find Max and Leona playing with To'Li on the deck. He was Throwing her up into the air, and spinning her around after he caught her. I would think it was a bit late to be doing this.
“Max!” I started in on him “What are you doing?! It is way past her bed time!”
“ I wanted to play with our daughters!” He retorts. “This is the only chance I've had for days thanks to you!
“Thanks to Me?! You didn't Have to stay in that camp!” I riposte.
“I have been dealing with those children for days now, I should be dealing with my own, At home like any Sane Guardian!” He had handed To'Li to Leona, who stood off to the side. I couldn't see her expression.
“You are the one who wanted to come with me! You could have stayed at the shop!”
“And who is minding the shop by the way? All of our work has probably been stolen, and all our tools rusted away!”
“Cellia is watching the shop, and you liked the fact that she knew what she was doing!!”I finished.
He had nothing more, and simply Glared at me. I was glaring right back, and realized I had gotten in his face, or as much as possible anyway. We stood that way for a few heartbeats before I said in a small voice, “ I missed you buddy.”
Grabbing me in a massive embrace, he said over my head, “I missed you too.” Leona had grabbed onto one side, clutching us both, squeezing To'Li in the middle of all of us. To'Li was positively vibrating with glee.
“Daddy here!” came the small slightly muffled voice of my youngest daughter. My heart broke. I had been too busy to spend time with my family. I needed to spend time with them. I knew then that I would stay here tonight, instead of going back to the tavern. I had left the tent there, so I would have to find a bunk somewhere.
“Max, if we were to go somewhere else, would you protect my family?” I asked. I wasn't sure if Bellia would want to go home, or if Max were wanting that.
“Well, I do worry about the shop, and we aren't really making any money out here doing what we are doing.” he stated. “On the other hand, You know that I would go with you, and Protect our Family.” Leona nodded as well, Holding To'Li again who was wriggling around her big sisters arms.
“Well, I may have come into some money, so we may not have that problem so much.” I admitted.” I need to see what Bellia wants, and see if the captain is cool with it as well.”
Max decided that it was in fact time for bed, and after a short time of preparation, To'Li was ready to be tucked in. Taking her into the cabin that Bellia had used, I found it was still in use by her. My Love was sound asleep in her bunk, a fine mess of blankets pilled into a heap. A similar smaller pile awaited To'Li, and I lay her down into it, where she curled up and pretended to sleep. I knew she would be awake as long as she could stand it. I always had.
A small voice in my head told me to stay the night with Bellia, and I wanted to curl up around her, but uncertainty stopped me. We had not really spoken for some time, nor spent much time together. She was working on the voyage here, and I just wasn't sure where our relationship was. I didn't mind that she worked, I just wasn't sure how she felt. I needed to talk with the captain anyway. Leaving the cabin, I closed the hatch as quietly as I could, and headed off to find the captain.
Captain Gale was reading a book when I found them in their cabin. I had thought about what I was going to say on the way over. “Captain. I was wondering what your plans were for the ship, and was wondering about that writ that Holden had 'prepared' for us.”
“Yes of course Druss,” The captain replied, sticking a slender finger in the book, keeping their place.
“Well captain, Holden was so very good to give a writ using the ship as we see fit until our return, I was wondering if it would be possible to return... by way of Dragon Island?”
“Dragon Island you say? Well, I think that would be possible. It would be nice to see a proper Airship again, although I am particularly proud of this one mind you. It should be a fine trip.”
With that settled, I still want to ask Bellia. She may not have counted being gone this long, and I wanted her input, or just to see her smile really. Going down into the crew quarters, I find a couple of Hammocks and String them up together, one right under the other. I don't want to break anything on the ship. Climbing into them was another story entirely, but once I was covered up by a couple blankets, and curled up, I lay there listening to the Cacophonous Hammering of the metal of infinite reality. Then Nothing else.
Chapter 44: What's up dock?
After recovering the bodies from the street, Thoroughly disturbing our new ally in town, explaining things to guards who had luckily not been one of the corrupt authority figures in the city, we now find ourselves back down in the cellar of the Dog's breakfast, trying to figure out what we need to do. Remembering the soulstone from the night before, we decide now is a better time than any to look at it. Having grabbed it, we had been distracted by the information we had found, the chest that had pilfered, and the encounters with Post, we had forgotten about it. In fact, we forgot where we had even put it, finding that I had left it in my vest pocket, wrapped in a slightly used handkerchief. I must have wrapped it up after the visions I had encountered after grabbing it. Not the sort of thing one should be touching right before a sneeze.
Pulling the stone out of my pocket, I hold it in the handkerchief for Yun. The shapeshifter took one look at it, stating they knew Nothing of magical items, Someone else should be looking at this. Geno, who is going to look at it first. The goblin had assembled some sort of wand, similar to one that would be used to find water, but much larger. He started to explain that this device could detect magic, and before I could tell him to stop, it reacted to me. Steam was pouring from the handles, a quick clicking sound was emanating from the rod, where it evolved to a whir. The rod also reacted to the wand we had found in the chest, and a few gems Geno had pulled from his pockets. Explaining that he had found them last night, he wondered what they were capable of. All the steam and clicks coming from his instrument must have meant something, for he quickly packed it up, smiling.
Melfina was also taking the time to try and figure out what the best course of action would have been. Examining the stone herself, she was alarmed to feel other souls inside, including some other worldly beings. She also muttered something about trapping on of the princes of Hell in this one may be a bad idea.
Lighting incense and pulling out a small ornate bowl, she cut into her arm, long and deep, allowing the blood to fall into the bowl. The incense was positioned so the ashes would fall into the blood, and she closed her eyes, lips silently moving. Not wanting to interrupt her, we help Post who was still fussing with the bodies.
Crates had been moved away from a wall, and a small hatch had been opened. Similar in size to a oven door, a dark tunnel extended into the wall at a downward angle into the unknown. Post was sliding bodies into the void, and it extended far past the point where I could see. With the casual manner that post was taking, this was not the first time they had dealt with bodies disappearing from this place. It was rather disturbing work and I eventually did my very best to not look at what I was doing. It was impossible not to think about it, and not look at the same time. Like shutting your eyes and doing a task by feel. Luckily we didn't have to do it long before Melfina finished her ritual.
“How can we use the soul stone to save Marda?” It was a simple question she asked, and I assume it was to her Deity Solvene. The wound on her arm had sealed with the finalization of the ritual, the blood that had fallen was slowly being consumed by the ashes of the incense. As the ashes fell, they can in contact with the blood, and both ash and blood were consumed as if on fire, but with no flame. It was a quicker process that I would have expected, and Melfina opened her eyes with the last of the blood being consumed. “She has said it is a Leap of Fate.”
At first I had misunderstood her, and when others asked her to repeat it I was glad I wasn't the only one. She repeated herself, and indeed, it was Fate. Great. I for one would not want something so important being left to a roll of the dice. I can't imagine how Marda felt. And of Course, we still didn't know how to use the thing.
Melfina gathered all the ritual components back into her bags, and got to her feet. It may have been my imagination, but she appeared to be just a little shaky similar to someone who has just run a far distance. Or lost a lot of blood. “I will need to find more incense for my spells.” She says. “We also have to check on the dock for tomorrow.” She is right. After the fight, and the spells they just used, I bet Geno and Melfina were both tired. While we all wanted to help Marda, there wasn't much I could do and we had a few other things to take care of today. Geno, Yun and I could all go out to the legion, and give them the good news, while the ladies go find what they would need for spells, and we would all meet at the docks later to look it over.
After making sure everything was cleaned up from the fight, we all left the Dog's breakfast. I was a bit worried about splitting the group up, for fear of retaliation from the Baraxus gang. After walking through the city I suppose I shouldn't have been worried, as we didn't encounter any, nor did I have trouble with the gate guards. Leaving the city, it was very easy to find max. He was 30 feet from the gate, surrounded by members of the Legion. I could easily hear what he was saying and it would have been humorous if it wasn't so necessary.
“OK! I know most of you already know, or at least should, but you need to change your socks daily people!” His soft voice carried surprisingly well, and some of the crowd gave an embarrased shuffle. “Obviously those like me with hooves or.. uh, other appendage endings won't have to, but, um.. if You wear socks, change them.” Was he really giving the rookie talk? This should either being common knowledge or given to them before they are even part of the unit! I suppose it is good we have new recruits, but what is Ragnus doing letting these kids join if we couldn't afford to pay them!
“If you aren't feeling well, Don't Hide IT! Go get one of the Maces- er clerics. You'll learn what group they are in, but talk to them. Got the sniffles after standing a cold watch? Talk to the clerics! Got a nasty itch on your feet? Talk to the clerics -After changing your socks! And for those of you fools getting a nasty itch after visiting certain folks in town, go talk to the clerics. If the clerics are busy, go find a Paladin or, gods help you, one of those addle-brained druids. The Paladins Will lecture you, and the Druids Will laugh at you, but you will also feel better, and you won't kill your best friend should they catch the cold you gave them!”
He continued on in this fashion for nearly twenty minutes, going over basic weapon maintenance tips, how to roll your tent, even how to fall asleep against your buddy in the rain to keep one from drowning. The last time he gave any of this speech was maybe twelve years ago to Leona, and that had been majorly toned down. Before that was anyone's guess, but at least thirty years ago. I know he had seen me while he had been pacing in front of the newbies, lecturing them. He had starred at me, not breaking mental stride over the importance of brushing one's teeth. Now that he was done with the gaggle, he turned on the spot straight towards me, flung a massive arm around me,bending his neck to whisper in my ear.
“Why the hell did I ever let you talk me into this! I miss my shop, I miss competent people! How did Leona ever learn anything from us?! She has turned out so well, she must have learned it somewhere else. This is ridiculous! The veterans are all set in their ways, the new kids thinking of nothing but invincible glory in battle!” I could see that Max was not in fact enjoying this time in camp.
“Don't worry Max,” I tell him. “We found something that will help the Legion. Where is Ragnus?”
“He has this huge ridiculous tent” max gestures. I had seen it, thinking it had been a mess tent. “He will be in there. Now that I am helping with some of the drill work, he has taken some time to strategize. The problem is though, we have to use torches or candles, as none of the clerics know how to make any light. One of those silly druids tried to make a stationary fire, and actually got a nice globe of fire to hover nearby. But when they pointed at the table the floating ball of fire flew into a bundle of parchment, and the whole thing went up! Luckily it was just the dinner menu.” Knowing that the clerics were making all the food, I imagine the menu in question would have been boiled cabbage and potatoes, or boiled potatoes and cabbage.
Entering the tent in question, I do find Raguns going over a model of the city on the table made with leaves and twigs. The model was formed over a map of the city, but it wasn't a complete map. As if the map maker had died halfway through, only the closest building to the gate were in high detail. The rest was very lightly drawn as the city spread, and finally just the outer wall on the other side.
“Ah the Legend returns!” Ragnus called. He meant well. “What can we do for you sergeant? Want to have some command again? I have plenty of people who want to learn how to properly fight!” “No Ragnus, I do not.” I answered. “I have come to give you these.” Handing over the ledgers I explain. “This should give you all the evidence you need to get the corrupt guard out, and grant you the ability to go into the city and clear out said corruption.”
Ragnus seemed over joyed. “Excellent! Then we can continue our search for the child! It may take some time to get through these books, but we shall work through the night. In the morning, we shall march in, I give you my word!”
That task done, I left the tent, and gave my farewell's to Max and collected Yun and Geno who had been talking to him. I had asked if he wanted to come back in, but he simply said he would stay to keep Ragnus on task. Finding no trouble getting back into the city, the three of us head back towards the docks.
The docks were as busy as they were before, and the area we were looking seemed to be less passenger stuff, and more cargo. After all, trade is what builds a city right? With wagon loads of goods waiting to be loaded up, and dock workers crawling about everywhere, I suddenly felt rather unhelpful. If I asked the wrong person a question, or made my questions too obvious, I would stick out in someone's memory. Geno had mostly the same feelings, as there were not as many goblins around either, although there were more of them than Dragonborn.
Yun however didn't seem to have that problem. We had gathered at the mouth of a dark alley looking onto the docks, and Yun had wandered deeper, only to have a vaguely familiar form come out. Back in Cherwood, Yun had taken the form of a Dwarf dockworker with the name Derek Shaftswell. With the image down, “Derek” is able to get onto the docks, posing as a temporary worker from another shift. Mingling with the other workers, they should be able to find something.
We would have helped if we could but Geno and I were comfortable in the alley opening, and we must have looked imposing as no one asked us what we were doing. And it was a good thing too as we had not rehearsed any story as to why we were there. I was skulking in the shadows, tucked between some crates, and Geno had climbed into a refuse bin. Really we stuck around to make sure there wasn't any trouble, but otherwise we sat there waiting.
It wasn't difficult for me to wait, as I had done it for most of my life. Stand around while on watch, or wait for some creature or force to move on before skulking through the forest. Wait while watching for a target to come out of a tavern or house. Wait for the iron to get hot. Geno had taken up what was hopefully a chicken bone to scrawl plans of some sort on the filthy wall next to him, so that left me to my thoughts.
We had so much to do here, it seemed a bit overwhelming, although we had succeeded in some of it. While we hadn't really Cleared the name of the Black Legion, we did get them into the city so they can show their own. Ragnus better keep them on a tighter leash too. He and I will have some words if he doesn't. I don't really want to think about that. Maybe my subconscious will add that to the room in the pillow fort. In with the bodies would just be what? A copy of the Legion's charter? Ha. As if. Hey. Maybe I should add a chute like in Drax's basement. That would get rid of the bodies quickly! Then we would have another functional room, instead of a dysfunctional room. Should I be adding the bodies to my room? Can I do that? Maybe it's just bodies that really bother me. How do I feel about those that have died by my hand while in just this town? Do they deserve my sympathy?
Before I could dwell any more on that Melfina and Marda find us. Smelling vaguely of incense, they must have found the shop they needed. Obviously feeling better, Melfina decides to it may be a good idea to use some of her magic to find more information. The problem is we don't really know where to look, as Yun has yet to return. We decide to wait until they return before using up and more of her energy.
It's not a long wait. Geno has finally perfected the design and was in the middle of making something when Yun comes walking out from the depths of the alley. I had lost track of them while talking with Marda, and I suddenly felt guilty about it.
Yun, still as the dwarf, was able to report that the dock we are looking for was a private dock at the end, with no way for us to get down there. They had been able to swipe a couple of passes that would allow people to go take a look, and they might come in handy to get us down there. The cargo listed on the manifests coming from that dock didn't match up to the amount of people working the dock, so they either had the quickest off load time in the city, or extra hands to unload some mobile cargo. And the security to go with it. But it also meant that something was getting into the city past customs. A tunnel perhaps, or some other way of smuggling.
After revealing the information, Derek tells us about a marine research vessel in port, which they intend to check out next. As they leave us in the alley, Melfina now knows where she needs to direct her spells. Settling herself down deeper in, past the crates I was on, she begins her spells, trying to figure out where the Baraxus gang may have out a tunnel.
After twenty minutes she stood up and stretched. She hadn't moved the entire time, and had been still as a post. A frown crossed her face, and she spoke with Marda asking where someone may put a smuggling entrance. After conferring for a few minutes, Melfina settles back down to try again. Geno has finished his project, and has taken two mismatched bottles and made something out of them. Tying the two together, and positioning them against his eyes, he claimed he was able to see farther than normal. It looks like he had polished the ends of the bottles, maybe even put some sort of spell on them. Like most of his work, I don't need to know what magic was used, I just trusted that it worked.
An exhaperated noise came up from my Left where Melfina was sitting. She got up and paced back and forth a few times, then had a hushed and hurried conversation with Marda. Plopping down again, she muttered her spell again, in a slightly perturbed voice. It grew calmer after she had been chanting for a few minutes, and then she grew quiet once again, presumably when the spell took hold. After another ten minutes, she jumped up again, this time with a triumphant sound. She wasn't quite jumping for joy, or shouting her victories, but she did have a grin on her face.
“There is a tunnel behind the rubbish carts!” She exclaims. “A great big rubbish cart against a wall hides the entrance to a large tunnel, big enough to have a few people next to each other. Thank you for the advice Marda.” Ah. That is what they were talking about. Melfina had been using some spell to look at the private dock to see what the layout was, maybe we could use that, so we talked about it until Derek came back.
The dock appeared deep enough that the ship could pull up next to it, probably with the assistance of longboats. There was a long waslk from the private dock to the nearest public area, meaning it would be difficult to be unseen just simply walking up to it. The dock area was carved from a steep hill, what may have been a cliff before the dock had been put in, so there was something over looking the area, but it was still pretty far away. If we started from up there, it might be a challenge for some people to get down, which would give anyone looking an advantage. And we knew where the secret tunnel is, So we had several options.
Geno had been muttering something about the a “Raging Echidna” when Derek came back. Motioning us to follow, we all went back to the Dog's Breakfast. It was mid to late afternoon when we got there, and Post was still there working on the books. Joining us in the corner room, we cover everything we had found out. Still in the form of the Dockworker, Derek reveals that the ship he went to go investigate is inhabited by a Merrow named Jetsam, and a Triton named Flotsam. Some old goblin by the name of Jareth was the captain of the ship, and Geno perked up at the name. The goal of the expedition was to find out how the Dragons were spreading out from Dragon Island. Not sure how any of that would help us, we started trying to figure out how to get to the ship. Marda bribed Post to forge a couple of passes for us, making copies of the passes Yun had taken. The idea of just going in invisible was thrown into the ring. We did worry about one of those mage hunting cats, and that would pose a problem. Yun had drawn a map from what they had seen, and Melfina had seen, so we had a visual aid to work with.
Yun suddenly stands up with a puzzled expression. They remembered that some of the supplies they had helped load onto the expedition ship had been explosive powder. And Harpoons. Why would they need that? Geno immediately suggests going back there, and he would be happy to go with Yun to find out. The problem being Jetsam, the large aquatic creature didn't speak common, so it would be difficult to speak with them.
Pulling out a red gem, Geno asks Melfina if there was any way she could grant them the ability to speak other languages. If she did, she could store it in the gem, and they could use it when they were ready. Since she did have a spell like that, the two of them were soon on their way, leaving us at the inn.
Talking to Post for a short time after, we convinced them to stay in town again so they could help us. Telling them that the Black legion would be coming into town in the morning, I threw out the idea that we could use that as a distraction, hopefully if the Baraxus lot were going to try anything, it would be there. We might even be able to get some of the Legion to meet us and come with us to the Port, giving us some backup if things went sour. Maybe Max could come with them. It would be good to have him at my back should it come to that. Right now, we weren't sure if we wanted a fight or not.
Since we had to wait for Yun and Geno to get back, I just decided to take a nap. Spike and Sora were playing together, and the noise wasn't too great to keep me awake. After all. I had learned to fall asleep anywhere I wanted. Most of the time.
I awoke when they returned, both of which were very excited. Yun said we had collected ourselves some new allies, and Geno was going on about dragons, and the best Goblin captain he had ever met. Yun had in fact befriended the Merrow, Finding out that Jetsam had been saved from the slave trade and was now a part of the Undertow. With the knowledge Jetsam and Flotsam had learned, they were prepared to help us out tomorrow, and make sure the ship didn't go anywhere should the crew get spooked.
It was seeming more and more that it would end up in a fight, and while I worried that the captives would be killed in the middle of it, there didn't seem to be any better alternative at this time. After contacting Max, he would bring in several capable rangers, and a druid. We would go in early and hide in the tunnel, behind the garbage wagon, and wait for them to start emptying the ship of the cargo. Post and Drax even agreed to help, and they were planning something special.
To end the night Melfina cast one more spell for us, summoning a huge Feast for us to enjoy, featuring all sorts of delicacies laid out. While eating I asked Geno about the captain he had talked to, and why dragons were involved. The only dragons I had seen were the ones we had killed when they attacked our ship, and Geno reassured me that those had been a small species of dragon, Wyverns. He then proceeded to tell me, around mouthfuls of Egg drop soup, all the stories he and the captain had shared. The best part was the revelation that the dragons have a council or cabinet that governed the happenings on dragon Isle. An Ancient green dragon, Eclectic Er'And. Bloody Charring who was an Ancient Red Dragon. The last of the Ancient Dragons was a bronze, by the name of Burnished Bromand. Two others were on the cabinet, Mad Meriwynd a Mercury Greatwyrm, and Radiant Ro'gair, an Adult Gold. The cabinet was supposed to work with The grand Russet Sovereign, Amberfin, the Copper Greatwyrm. I wasn't really sure what all the titles meant, Geno was way to busy telling stories about the various cabinet members and Jareth, but it was still wonderful to hear about them. I had always wondered about the Dragons, and where they had gone. Apparently The Grand Russet Sovereign is still in charge, but have been a recluse for some time. They had been the one to shatter the world, separating the island from the continent all the many years ago. The task, and all the deaths had taken a toll on the Copper Greatwyrm, and have left the duties up to the cabinet. The fact That Jareth had been blessed by all these Mighty beings is something to keep in mind if I were to ever talk to him.
The morning came, and we were up early, Post already gone before we were even up. Not sure what they were planning, we got ready for battle, and headed out into the city, not even a hint of the sun up yet. We made our way to the dock, and went to the Airship, where Geno awoke Ricky the bear. The crew had brought him along, and now we had either the Bull or Ricky to choose from. Waiting for the first shift to come in, we snuck in with them as we made our way towards the private dock. The ship was due an hour before midday, so we would have plenty of time to wait, but this would provide our best chance. Sneaking over to the garbage cart, we pushed it aside just enough to reveal the tunnel entrance behind it. Pulling the cart behind us, we sat and waited. This was going to be the worst part. Ideally, the tunnel would only be used to smuggle the slaves that were brought from the ship, but if anyone just happened to check on it, or come from where ever this lead, we would have a problem. With the time it took us to get to the docks, and hiding here, we still had a few hours to go. Max had been told to gather on the hill above the dock, within bow shot and wait for us. He had been able to bring everything we had asked for, including a tempest cleric from the Maces. Just because they were classified as healers didn't mean they Had to heal.
Post, as it turns out, had been hiding in the garbage cart, Well, at least we knew where they were. With no mention of Drax, and very little talking we waited. We could see bery little of the sky, but we could see through a small slit between the wall and the cart. A beautiful spring morning soon gave way to sudden cloud cover, looking like a storm would break out at any moment. When the Ship finally did show up, we could se the Dock workers looking skyward, clearly nervous to be working under such conditions. Cargo boxes were agonizingly slow coming off the ship, none of the boxes large enough to fit people. Finally, with on last crate, other people appeared. Dressed in worn clothing, one dock worker was escorting what appeared to be a tourist, but we knew to be the slaves. All looked rather disheveled, there were already a half a dozen heading for the tunnel, being escorted by slavers. One last duo appeared on the gangplank, a tall woman, pushing a blond child. Matching the description Ragnus gave us, We now know where the kid is they were looking for. Not in a basement then.
Melfina decides that it would be a good time to start things off. With a prayer, she seems to fling a wire thin whisp of blood out, impossibly far where it lands in a ring around five of the slavers. Two of the slavers seem to be affected, as the blood gathers around their ankles, like shackles. The spiritual scythe appears, and slices a chunk out of another, and the battle starts.
With a great yawp, Marda lets out her new battle cry, kicking the garbage cart, moving it quite far to my surprise. It went so far as to hit the nearest of the slavers, a good fifteen feet away. Maybe the wheels were pointing in just the right direction. Marda sprints out right behind the Cart, to engage the nearest of the foes. Melfina, recovered from her first spell, flings another out, the blood drying in midair this time, and the intended target, the Woman escorting the child, is hit with the effects. Her flesh desiccates instantly and a look of terror freezes on her face, the skin crumpling as the body hits the gangplank, then falls into the water below. The child may have seen some of it, as he immediately starts to weep loudly.
With the Scythe finishing off the one who had been knocked over by the cart, the escorts pull out various weapons, mostly bladed, and attack Marda and Melfina, landing some hit. Marda doesn't seem to notice, even Riposting an attack, nearly slicing her foe in half. While I want to her them, I need to get that kid out of here before something happens to him. Pouring divine nature into my body, I run faster than anyone can react, grab the kid and run to the other side of the fray than all the action. Out in the open now, if anyone wants to get to me they would have to cross directly in front of the rangers on the hill. Interposing myself between the boy, I draw my bow and try to attack the closest foe with a weapon in hand. Only one shot lands, and I curse my lack of practice with the bow.
Vines suddenly lash out at the enemies around Marda, flailing at their ankles and shins. Flowers bloom out of the cobbles around Marda, closing some of her wounds. One Body near her just falls to pieces, and I recognize the handiwork of the spectere, but I can't even see it. That is terrifying. As Arrows rain down from the hill, they pierce into the foe I had wounded, felling him. A cry of frustration comes from the hill, and with an Order of “Stay Here!” Max comes barreling down the hill, His Great Mace high above his head, ready to strike.
Now that the captives aren't being minded, they scatter. Arrows come raining down from the ship, and as I try to figure out what to do about the slavers on the ship, Drax comes out over the ship using some sort long fabric sheet, gripping a set of handles underneath. As he slowly falls onto the ship, he is immediately surrounded by the slavers, not that he cares. Pushing them all away, he grabs the remaining slaves still aboard and tosses them over onto the dock, where they slowly fall to the ground, just like when Geno had done that with To'Li.
Chaos breaks out. A flower petal swarm obscures the back half of the ship, a gift from Post's repertoire. The spectre and Marda are competing to see who can kill the most, and I'm not sure who is winning. Yun had not only somehow made a whale appear in the tunnel entrance, completely blocking it, but had also thrown a Fireball at the ship, where it actually impacted Drax before it exploded, much to the old Half- Orc's own Delight. I had given the kid to Max and charged in to the fray only to have the last remaining enemies on the ship, and to top it all off, explosions were taking place on the ship, just below the waterline. Causing the whole thing to slowly sink into the port waters.
Two archers on the front of the ship are causing havoc, peppering my friends with arrows. Yun was about to cast yet another spell When several arrows sprout from their chest. Being too far away, I watch as Marda administers a healing potion to keep them alive, and I try to hit the enemy with my own bow, with no success. As more arrows rain down from the hill, missing as well, a single loud lightning bolt comes down from the sky, to hit immediately between the two archers in the front, and they both fall to the sinking deck. Leaping from the ship, Drax lands on the dock as the last of the Merrow's explosions goes off in the front, and the ship sinks even faster.
The whale gone from the tunnel entrance, I can see spike slowly crawling away from where the larger creature had been, and wonder how the two correlate. We all gathered at the entrance to the tunnel again, the battle sound now gone, we can hear Something moving through the tunnel. Either a large force of many people, or a force of one Large thing, we prepare for yet another fight.
Yun was apparently not going to bother with a fight. After taking one too many arrows to the chest, they simply gathered their hands together, and with a tiny little bead of flame, threw not one, but two fireballs, one right after another into the tunnel. The double shock waves showed the power of the magic as it eradicated whatever force had been coming to engage us.
Standing there, watching that power of destruction, I can't help but wonder if it was really a bad thing that most casting had been outlawed. It was a sobering event, and a little hard to take.
Chapter 43: All Ablaze
The smell of Smoldering putrescence was invading my nostrils. I had experienced odors like that before, but not this strong. We took only a brief time to examine the corpses around us, and only Melfina was able to find something. A Spool, similar to a fishing reel, but instead of string it is a thin chain. It must retract somehow, but I for one didn't want to spend any more time in this room. My head felt wrong, similar to when you hit something wrong with a hammer, the whole arm goes funny. Not sure if it was from touching the soul stone, or knocking my head into the massive stone pillar in the middle of the room,. Either way, it was past time we got going.
Making our way expeditiously back through the tunnel, we pass the slain magic-hunting cat, and arrive back out into the gambling area which is thankfully not on fire. With the opportunity to look around, we come to a very quick consensus to try to find an office and search it. Due to the gaudiness of the rest of the casino, we were able to locate the office easily. For once, Yun had little to no interest in looking for information, and left the task to Marda and Geno, deciding to find the bar instead. As they meandered away, the muttered something over their shoulder that we should be able to see better, and with a yelp Marda was glowing slightly. I could see her clearly now as she was neatly outlined in some sort of fairy glow, and indescribable pink-purple taste. Knowing that we all didn't want to be in the same room, I offered to keep an eye on the front door, and if Melfina stood at the office door, I could signal the others if we started getting trouble.
Watching the front door was dull work, but it was only needed for a short while. After only a few minutes, Melfina attracted my attention with a whispered “Psst!” As I come over, the others inform me that a trapdoor has been found, along with the bookkeeping records of this place showing all the fraud that is taking place to launder monies. Wanting me to stand in the office Door, Melfina will stand above the trapdoor while the other two venture deeper. With a light cast on Geno, they venture deeper, Melfina testing out the spooled chain. With a snap, and a “zziiip” I snap my head in her direction just quick enough to see the chain being pulled back from the pit into the spool, a large grin splitting Melfina's face.
The force of the spooled chain snapping back to her belt pushed her back a half step, and in that instant flame gushed from the hatch below her. Instantly there and gone again, it would have been hot, but hopefully not a killer temperature. As Melfina yelled down to those below, they yelled up, assuring us that while they had suffered some burns, they were mostly OK. With the noise of the blast of flame, the sudden silence was deafening. Was that a noise from the front, or was that Yun making the drinks?
As Geno calls up that they found a metal chest, I can definitely hear something pounding on the front door now, and several seconds later they start coming back up from the chamber. With a small chest chest in hand, and Geno patting his pocket with a broad grin, They close up the hatch, and we leave the office. With Yun ushering us towards the back of the bar, we escape out of a service entrance at the back of the building.
While not necessarily slinking through the darkness and shadows, we still had to make our way back to shelter somewhere. Deciding on heading back to the Dog's breakfast, we eventually find ourselves in front of the grease stained windows, a soft glow emanating from them. Wearily venturing inside, we find Suzan awake and tending to what little business there may be at this early hour in the morning. She was not happy that Drax was no longer with us, and it took some cajoling for us to get any room in the tavern. Eventually, we were given an empty room and permission to go down to the basement if absolutely necessary. When she handed Marda the room key I could have sworn Suzan muttered something about bedbugs, but I thought she had been kidding. Entering the room I wasn't so sure.
All the bedding had been stripped off the canvas mattress, and left in a bundle next to the bed as if ready to be laundered. The room was at the end of the hallway, in the corner of the building, and had two windows, one of which led to a fire escape. Good. If that grease should catch fire, we would have a chance of getting out. After ensuring our privacy, Yun checks out the lockbox. Finding Both Magical and Mechanical locks, we take some time to remove both of them. Slicing the pads of her fingers, Melfina wipes the blood on the top of the chest, and snaps her fingers, praying softly. The blood evaporates off the lid of the chest, and black dried blood falls from her hand as the wound is healed instantly. She looks rather tired afterwards, indicating it was a more powerful spell she cast. Determining the Magical lock was now gone, Yun set about unlocking the chest. With a definitive click, we all tense as Yun opens the chest.
Hundreds of platinum coins fill the chest, and a slender wand is tucked on one side, opposite a large diamond. We all sit speechless for a time, looking at each other. Proposing that we look at the ledgers we found, the corruption almost oozes from the pages, showing who they were paying and how much. Now we just needed to know who to give this information to and The Legion would probably be asked to come in and clean the streets.
Yun takes the wand at holds it for a couple minutes, then passes it to me. As soon as I touch the smooth wood, I hear a voice in my mind asking me a question. “How do you know a train has passed by? You can see it's tracks.” Oh. Wow I really hope this thing does more than tell the best lame jokes when you pass it around. Judging from Yun's face, they were probably thinking the same thing, meaning they had heard one too. I had a lot of questions about this thing, and having absolutely no knowledge of Magical items, I handed it to Geno. Between Yun and Geno they would be able to figure it out. With his touch, another joke came into my mind. “What happens when white blood cells fail to protect us from infection? Their efforts go in vein!” Geno too must have heard the joke too as he gives me a look. I'm not really sure what a white blood cell is. When ever I see blood it looks red to me. Maybe some creatures bleed white?
As we talk about what we need to do with the information, we decide that Post would probably know who we could give the evidence to, making sure it gets to the right people. Going down to ask Suzan where Post is, She replies that They will return tomorrow, during the day to work on the books for Drax. Thanking her and returning to the room, We can hear cannon fire in the distance, knowing that the legion was being bombarded again. After setting up the tent in the middle of the room, I ask Melfina if she can contact Max and make sure everyone is OK.
Asking if anyone was hurt, we also informed him that we had found evidence of corruption, and we offered aid if it was needed. Getting the response back, some tents were damaged, but otherwise everything out there was fine, we were not needed. With the Pillow Fort standing, we set watches and went to bed, leaving Yun on first watch.
It felt like I had only just pulled the covers over my nest of blankets when I hear Yun yelling my name. Ignoring it for as long as I can, I suddenly wake up fully when I hear others moving around in the Fort. Putting my arm back on, and wondering how long it had really been, I start to head out of my room. Finding Melfina out of her room, we gather together to find Post sitting in the common room, drinking Hot chocolate.
“Post. What the hell are you doing in here?” I ask of them.
“Well, the room was supposed to be empty”, they reply. “So really I should be asking you what you are doing here. Also, is this fire real, or what is up with that?” The Halfling was pointing at the Pillow fire in the fireplace of the common room. I hadn't really thought about it, but it did give off heat somehow. Best to Not think about it.
“We had some night time fun with Drax and got tired, so here we are. As for the Fire.. I don't really know.” Post reached out to touch it, and grinned while pulling the wiggling fire closer.
“It's warm! Kinda hot really, but not overly so. Like a bed heater.” I seemed as long as Post's hands weren't actively burning, the fire would stay in them, so I told them they could sleep in the spare room if they wanted to, and went back to sleep. I had last watch, and needed my rest.
As my watch came around, I found Post still in the common room, splayed out under some pillows, sleeping soundly, with the Pillow fire. Crawling out of the tent flaps, I find Marda has already got up, and was talking with Melfina, who had taken second watch. The only chair in the room now sits under the handle of the door. Marda and I settle in for watch, and some time later hear noises coming from another room. Asking her if she remembers what the next room over was, she was thinking it was the office. Who would be in the office this early in the morning? Well, early was relative. It was probably past five in the morning, closer to six. But it would have been too early for Drax to be up, even if he was back. I had Every impression he was a late sleeper. Moving the chair aside, Marda and I head to the office door, finding it both closed and locked. Making a tough split decision, I lift up my foot, and plant it directly next to the handle of the door.
Instead of the door bursting open, it completely breaks off it's hinges, and I am rewarded with a ledger to the face. I had every thought to protect Drax's records from being destroyed or stolen, and instead Drax himself throws one at me. The old Half-Orc is standing in front of his desk, going through it, and I had surprised him.
“Oh.” I started. :I thought you were going to be someone else. Uh. Sorry. Didn't really expect you to be here.”
“Why wouldn't I be in my office? I had to get away from that blasted wizard for a time. His voice was grating. And I wanted to make some notes for Post. I will want to see them about some security. And a New door now.”
Marda had been standing behind me the whole time, and now apologized for me, offering the tavern owner a platinum coin. As we sheepishly leave his office and make our way back to our room, we once again put the chair in front of the door. A short time later, Post emerges from the tent, dressed, sans fire pillow.
“Oh! Post,” Marda starts, “We need to talk to you about what we found last night in-”
“Nope, can't stay! I have to get to my morning job.” A small newsboy cap atop their head, they move towards the open window.
“Wait!” Marda starts. Digging into her bag, she produces a platinum coin. “Here, have this.” Now, can you stay for a bit and talk with us?”
Taking the coin, Post makes it vanish in an instant. “Nope!” they say cheerfully. “I appreciate it, but work is work, I just have to be there. Normally I would have already left from my house, but I was here in town already. I've waited long enough to leave.” Even with Marda protesting, Post left, through the window to the fire escape, leaving no trace behind.
With nothing more to do, we finish out the watch, and once everyone is awake and ready to eat breakfast, we head down to get something to eat. We leave Melfina about halfway through her morning prayers, as they can be a little unnerving that early in the day. Best to leave early and not loose one's appetite. She joined us before we had even put in our order. I may have been taking too long to decide.
Our server this morning was someone we had not met before, and someone who clearly wasn't someone to drop their name. A human man, and one to gossip, brought our food in good time, asking us if we had heard what happened last night. Feigning ignorance, we reply that we have no idea what happens in the city. Pointing to a folded paper on the bar, he tells us that the casino Burned to the ground last night, with no one inside, and the vault was found to be empty. I very carefully did not look at anything, half playing at surprise. Only half though. We were completely surprised that it had actually burned down. We should have seen the gang would cover their tracks. Smart to take everything from the vault too. That way they wouldn't have to admit how much was there.
“That's not all either. The hall of records in the capital building was broken into last night as well! The authorities can't figure out what the person was really looking for as a bunch of random records were taken, without any pattern. Probably someone with a grudge, just trying to make things hard for others. Either way, If you need anything more, just let me know.” As he moved off to check on the other tables, we all studied our food, no one eating anything quite yet. Yun noticed first and took a big bite of pancakes, which caused us all to tuck in. Spike of course sampled everything.
As we were coming to a close of our meal, Post came tearing into the tavern, breathing far too heavily. Gasping for air, the Halfling bent double, clearly in pain, and before we could render aid, simply heaved all over the floor. Some patrons who may have had sympathetic stomachs got up and quickly left, holding handkerchiefs over their faces. Slipping out of the booth, Marda goes to find a bucket of water and mop, Post mumbling something about cleaning it up themselves. As the water is poured over the mess, and the mop is liberally applied, Melfina opens her mouth to ask a question when a Second mop comes out from a cupboard, where it too starts to mop on it's own accord. With no one touching the mobile mop, the rest of the patrons, along with the server cry out in panic about magic, tearing out of the building.
With a stern look at Yun, they cry innocence. Melfina also claims to not have cast a spell, saying it would have been a waste of divine blessings. I didn't even think about Geno. No moving parts, and it wasn't actively hurting anyone. With a slight from, Melfina, she gives a smart tap to Spike's shell. The vomit cleaned up, Melfina wastes no time.
“Were you the one who broke into the archives?” Very subtle that one.
With a start as if they had a spider crawl down their back, Post rounded on her. “Not Here! Let's go upstairs.” Moving the mops and bucket filled with soiled water behind the counter, Post leads us up to the office. As Geno Mends the door, Post picks up the book that had hit me in the face last night, laying where it had fallen. Setting it on a stack of similar books, the Halfling takes the cap off, setting it on the desk.
“Yes. I was at the archives last night. That's why I was in town. The room you were in was supposed to be empty so I could hide out there if I needed to.” Oh. Of course the bedbugs. That would have kept people out, and Post would have been the one to tell Suzan about it. We should not have been there. “I was stealing the records trying to find evidence of voter fraud and corruption. That way we could get Kevin Baraxus out of here. We know that there is something going on, with kidnappings and missing people. All the other records were to keep the gang off my tail.”
After laying it all on the table, it was only polite to show our hand. Post was delighted to hear that we had all the records needed to prove what was sought after. We had wanted to talk about them earlier, but being in such a hurry to get to work, we didn't have the chance. Revealing that a ship comes into port every few days, the Pompadorks use it to smuggle things in and out of the city, and Post wants to prove it is people. Revealing that we have ways of finding one of the lieutenants in the gang, we will look into them today, and investigate the ship tomorrow when it comes in.
“Yes, that will work fine.” Post agrees. “I will need time to set up my with my contacts so we can get in and out.” With a small slice to the hand, Post rubs blood across their lips, and Melfina gets very excited. As the rest of us look at each other and roll our eyes, we start to leave the room when we hear a tumlt coming from below. Glass breaking. The sudden and unique sound of Fire starting. We all rush down the stairs, to find the front of the building catching fire, and out of the windows, on the other side of that fire are the Pompadorks. Ok. We can do this now.
As Marda yells up to Post about the Fire, I run for the door, and I can hear Melfina right behind me. Bellowing in rage, I stride through the fire, drawing my great axe. “You Should Have Apologized When You Had The Chance! I challenge, infusing my body with speed all while scanning the gang members. Light as the wind, free and unrelenting. You could have no better stopped a typhoon than delay me this moment. There! The shoulder checking chucklefuck. One moment striding through flame, the next I was in front of him, in a wide backhand swing, I cut into his Thigh. Deep. He falls, still alive, and I plant my foot onto his torso. Leaning down, I breath deep. I can still smell the fresh smoke. Feel the heat in the soles of my boots, the sting of soot in my eyes. Burning. The flame comes out in a torrent, dowsing the upper torso and face of the nameless feckless thug. A charred shape remains, and I bellow once more into the group, “The Legion Stands!!”
Vines erupt out of the ground to my right, and Melfina strides through the tavern entrance, her skeletal wings spread behind her, Duty in her eyes. Duty to her friends, Duty to her deity. As she gets closer to her targets I can see the effect she is making, at such a proximity those who once stood in arrogant confidence are now wilting in place. Those terrible skeletal fairies are called forth, and start their deadly work. As one foe turns, the ghostly Scythe appears, blade sprouting from the chest, then slicing them nearly in two. Pouring water onto the Fire, Marda find an equally important fight in saving the tavern. We can hold them off for a few seconds.
Arrows start springing towards me from archers, and while a fair amount miss, enough of them find purchase to be a hindrance. Luckily, none of them puncture my new armor. I should thank Drax again next time I see him. Somehow the enemy had the gumption to attack Melfina, even through the gnawing guardians, and the cleric is bloodied by the assault. We may need some help out here.
Geno blurs out, fast as always in combat, leaving corpses in his wake, and Death comes to collect some as well. The spectere appears between two of those harassing Melfina, simply tearing them to bloody shreds. Then comes Yun.
I'm not really sure who had summoned those vines at first, but Yun gave them a satisfactory smile and nod, and Danced over to the nearest gang member. With an ear to ear grin, they simply pointed at the leather clad ruffian, and spoke a singular word. It was something he had said before, and I will forever recognize it, but it was not a word I care to remember. A befuddled look came over the hapless brute, then he simply turned to dust and fell to nothingness in front of dozens of people. Bending over, Yun grabs some of the dust, and with an open hand, blows it into the wind.
They scatter. Or try to. I had made my way to the archers who had been peppering us with arrows, and I caught one before it could get away. Those caught in the vines were completely restrained and though they wanted to flee, could not. Approaching the biggest of them, I knock him in the head with the flat of my axe, hoping to keep one alive, but Divine blessings have other ideas. Getting clear of her attackers, a glowing sphere starts emanating from Melfina. As it touches her foes, blood is ripped from eyes, ears and noses. Even the vines are withered by the siphon, and gratefully it fails to effect my, immediately anyway, from harm. The man I had stunned screams as his blood is removed, being absorbed by her.
Once last man, walking down the street, strutting and dancing to some beat in his head which is covered in the most ridiculous of hairdo's. His pompadour is bigger than his head, and as he stops, the end bounces slightly. Pointing at Melfina he cries, “just spreading the love!” and she starts dancing, just like he was. Maybe not as naturally. Looking at me, he says “Your moves ain't shit.”
Moves? What? A sudden headache takes hold over me, collecting with all the new wounds. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was leaving.
The spectere apparently did not approve of this new man, and it spread its deathly chill onto him, a hoarfrost coating him. I did not approve of him either, and rushing forward, I swung my axe. He was slow, and clearly was not expecting an attack like this. Swinging my axe, I split him open from crotch to chin, and he died in a matter of seconds. In a flash of sparks, I appeared nest to one of those who had run, cutting him down as well. Regretting killing him, I cursed to myself, but what is done is done.
With the confrontation over, I turned my attention to the tavern to find it charred, but no longer on fire. Marda came over, her single hooked sword and Adamantine addition sharing a crimson color. I had seen her dashing around, but she had seen Post call water to put out the flames. As if summoning the other Halfling, Post came out the front door, and quickly urged us to clear out most of the bodies. We could leave some, as it was far too obvious that something had happened here, but a large scale battle would be a problem should the authorities find out. We moved the majority of the bodies down to the cellar, all the while hearing the whistles of the constabulary coming closer. With the remaining vines still present, a couple of us will have to talk to the authorities when they arrive, and as I was actually a ranger, I could play the role of summoning them. It was nature after all. Completely dismissing my Axe, it went back to wherever it came from, and I knew I could call it back should I need to. Making sure I had the Bow prominently on my back, I waited there with Marda and Yun. Yun had taken the shape of some sort of hill folk, wearing sack cloth pants and suspenders. Muttering something the whole time about a missing dog, They simply stood by acting as an eyewitness. When I was asked about the vines, I confirmed that I had divinely natural magics, and with a wave of my hand, the vines disappeared. I'm glad Yun was paying attention. Marda gave most of the statement, as she had the experience and know how to talk of battles with enough vague details to both get the point across, and muddle it up at the same time.
Once the constables left, I silently thanked the gods none of them had been on the side of the gang, and we went back down into the basement to tell the others it was clear. Post was not happy with us scaring off the other server, as it had been hard for them to get workers to stay. They were also not happy with the fact the we had magic users with us, who were using it so flippantly. But with our promise to help investigate the boat, and our capabilities, Post was wiling to look past it. I guess that means we have to plan on getting onto a ship, not getting caught in something over our heads, and finding a whole bunch of missing people so the Legion can get back into the good graces. Not to mention stopping that big ball of fun Asmodeus. One day at a time.
Chapter 42:Legion and Horde
The clear skies from the night before had given way to an overcast morning. With the intent to keep the true nature of the Garfunkel secret, The ship was to set down into the water to finish the journey. While it would extend the length another day, no one aboard had a problem with it. We didn't want to attract any extra attention. As the ship came down over the water, Vern started his daily caterwauling about using magic, and the rest of the passengers reacted to the sensations of decent. To'Li was of course enjoying the sensation, as we had been throwing her up into the air for the last three days. Everyone within a mile could obviously hear Mittens displeasure, and with all my experiences, I had simply tied myself down, and held on for dear life. Spike had the misfortune of skittering across the deck, Where Melfina would have to go retrieve him. He had been heading for the galley, maybe there was a little less misfortune there as first thought. Bellia was something else entirely.
Busy keeping track of the ship, she didn't have the luxury of staying put in one place. With bent knees, she simply ignored any jolting in the air, then absorbed all of the impact of the water landing with her legs, using her tail to keep balanced. All while working. It was the most Badass thing I had ever seen her do, and I had never been more attracted to her in my life.
Of course with one more day of travel I had time to figure something else out. I didn't want to tell someone they couldn't leave the ship, But I also didn't think the city would be a very good place for To'Li. In fact, I wasn't even sure that the captain would be staying in or near town for that matter. I needed to confirm what the plans are, and figure out a plan if need be. I wanted to ask the captain first, but she seemed to be above, or aloft or whatever the term was. Bellia however was keeping stock of the cargo on the ship, making a list of what was needed that could be procured in town if possible. While I wasn't thrilled about interrupting her work, I had to know.
“Bellia, uh Dah'ling. What were your plans once we get into town?” I ask. I may have stumbled over the term of endearment, but there is a chance she didn't notice.
“Yes? oh.” She didn't look up over her ledger. “I was panning on getting some supplies for the ship, maybe shopping for myself a bit. To'Li should be fine on the ship with the rest of the crew. They seem to have really taken a liking to her.” I wasn't really sure of that myself, but if Bellia wasn't miffed about the various scorch marks that had appeared on the ship, the crew wasn't about to say anything to her about them. “Plus,” she continued, “Have you talked to Leona? She may be staying on the ship.”
I had not talked to my oldest daughter, as I was almost afraid of what her response would be. Or maybe I was worried what my response would be. The problem was I had no idea where it would be safe in this city, so I wouldn't be sure about either answer she could give. Thinking like that wouldn't get my anywhere though, Time to just ask her.
When I finally found her, it was clear I had over stressed myself for no reason. When giving her the chance to come with us into untold danger and meet old army buddies who may or may not even be alive, she told me in a very straightforward manner that her choice was to stay on the ship and watch over her little sister. She was giving me a look like I had just told her I was going to grow another head. Chuckling to myself, this solved so many problems. I didn't have to worry about several different locations, as the ship could simply leave if things were going to get problematic.
With all those problems out of the way, we prepared ourselves to embark into the city. Without the aid of a forge, I probably wasn't going to be able to fix the hole in my breastplate, and my axe was of course always in prime condition, I didn't have much to do except watch the country side go by. Informed by the Captain that we would land past nightfall, it seemed a better idea to stay on the ship one more night instead of wandering about town, strangers looking for a place to sleep. Marda spent most of the day playing with To'Li, the laughter of both of them were heard on most of the ship. Geno was down in the hold, checking over Mikey, Who he had decided to take into the city. A suggestion had been made to cover the being in something to pass him off as livestock, and Geno had simply walked away, pretending to not hear the words. Spike, we found out later, had in fact slipped into the galley, was was subsequently fed a multitude of fruits by the cabin boy.
Near night fall, the very top towers of the city were visible, and a soft glow came from that direction as the light faded. With Yun playing the lute for the crew, it allowed for ease of mind tonight. A brief thought flickered through my head trying to figure out how high up we were, the night before but it was cut off but soft explosions.
Rumbles echoed softly off the city walls. They were not nearly as raucous as the fireworks had been in Laketown, and no bright lights appeared from over the city. Concerned as to what they may be, there were no other clues that we could glean information from. So, too far from the city to do anything about the noises, and with very little to do otherwise, we turned in. I lay awake listening to Bellia sleep thinking about who in the legion will be there in town, Since I started writing to Mr. Corbin, I had not sent anything to any of my old comrades. In fact, I wasn't really sure who was still alive. Well, I heard that some of them will be here. It can't really be that many. I'm sure they have work needing to be done in other places.
In the morning, we find the ship in dock, and a sleepy, irate dock master waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp. An older Human gentleman,he has gray hair, a bulbous belly, and small spectacles that sit on the end of a long round nose. Asking us if we are bringing in any odd creatures, weird vegetables and the like, we tell him that we have nothing to declare. Eyeing both Spike, and Mikey, and scowling at my axe, we pay the fee he asks, and he leaves us alone.
As we start through the city, the mood around us is certainly more dour than the last own we were in. While not openly depressing, the atmosphere of those around us was not bright and bubbly. Unexpectedly Marda asked us if she could have that walk she had wanted, alone. While we all expressed some worry, she assured us she would be fine, and started in another direction. With Yun getting directions to our destination we eventually found the place.
The Dog's Breakfast was at best a rundown aged establishment. A cloud of hopefully pipe smoke covered the inside of every window, and the doors were slightly at an angle, probably from being forcefully opened from the inside too many times. Once inside, conditions did not improve. While there were patrons at a few tables, they too were coated in a film, that turned out to be grease. The nicest part was a large rectangular rug, one large enough to take up most of the floor. Something about it showed great care was taken to keep this rug in pristine condition. An old woman, a permanent smile on her face, and one eye doing whatever it pleased, cheerfully waved us to a table. With backed benches attached to the floor on either side of the table, it took a small amount of time for us all to shuffle into them.
Once we were all in the woman came back over and introduced herself as Suzan. I was about to ask her about the owner Drax, when both Yun and Vern inquired about the special this morning. Both of her eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically looked at both of them at the same time. They were of course sitting across from each other. The special turned out to be a stack of 8 waffles that had either had the center removed and replaced with fruit, or it just had normal fruit on top. I wasn't really sure, as she herself was slightly drooling at the end of the description. With two specials ordered, the rest of us chose less ostentatious food, and Marda came in just in time to get her request in.
Marda sits, but she has a look about her face. Not a look deep in thought, or one that is just clearing one's mind. A look of instinct. Giving in to the first thought. Melfina saw it too, and she simply pout her hand on Marda's shoulder. The touch was enough to bring her back into this space, and Marda blinked a couple times. Taking a deep breath, she came back to us, and with a short, silent wait, the food is brought out.
As she was passing out the plates, I asked Suzan if Drax was available. While alarm was not the right word, she was somewhat surprised by the question. “Oh,” she starts. “The boss was involved with some drama out by the gates last night involving the Legion. Last I checked he was still asleep, but I can check if you want.”
“Was there a problem with the Legion last night?” I ask? I was getting concerned now.
“They tried to get into the city last night, and there was a fight between them and the guard. Drax got involved.” I was really worried now. Whatever those explosions were last night had probably been the guard fighting. Why would the Legion be Fighting the Guard? And whose side had Drax been on? We need an ally in the city, and we need that circle in the basement if we have any hope of getting more people here. I guess it was all up to what Drax was going to say.
While she went to get Drax I studied my meal. I had no idea what the Classic Claddagh was going to be, and I was rather surprised. Small sausages, rashers of bacon, toasted bread, spiced roasted potatoes and brown beans were gathered on my plate in no particular order. I wasn't sure if I needed to cook it more, as some of it looked rather cold, but I found it quite good.
Heavy footfalls came from the stairs at the end of the dinning area. Ancient boots appeared, followed by what could only be the owner of the tavern. A half-orc, instead of the normal greenish tint his skin was a pallid grey, but otherwise strength radiated from him. With no shirt on I could tell he was by no means Fit, but I had no doubt he could take thick bar stock and snap it like a twig. A beer belly proceeded him when he moved, and I could tell he was by far older than me. Something else was off with him. The last thing I wanted to do was stare at him as he approached, and I quickly studied the remains crumbs on my plate.
Standing at the end of the table, his scratched his stomach, considering us for a few moments before saying anything. “I was told you wan'ed somethin'” His speech was slightly slurred, and I couldn't tell if it was from just waking, alcohol, or some sort of physical ailment.
I didn't want to spout out that I was here for a magic circle, so I simply said “Garnet sent us.”
That immediately caught his attention. Reaching back, he pulled a chair from underneath a patron, flipped it around and straddled it all in one swoop. Drax was sitting before the patron hit the floor. Turing to see who had pulled the prank, the nearby patron palled slightly, found another table, and moved there.
“What did she want?” the tavern keeper asks us. Again, I didn't want to say much out loud, so I tried to think quickly.
“There may be a more private place to discuss this right?” I asked. “Maybe the basement?”
He blinked at me a few times. “What's wrong with talking here? What does Garnet need?”
“We were told she may have left something down there that we should see.” That seemed to help.
“Ohh of course. Suzan, these fine folks are going to help with the basement inspection. If you need me I will be down there. Guiding us through the kitchen, and back to the stairs that led to the basement. It was no simple cellar, but a constructed level that seemed a bit larger than the floor above. Normally a cellar like this would have been only for storage, but this one seemed to house something more. A large pristine rug in similar condition to the one a level above sat in the middle of the floor, away from anything else. An armor stand stood near a wall, next to a small sword rack. A singular breast plate sat next to a short sword, both of the most exquisite metal.
Drax grabbed the rug to pull it off the floor, revealing a circle of runes. It was similar to the one we saw all the months ago in the bottom of the Bards tower, but it just looked like some circle of stories. Vern was clearly curious enough to start investigating it, but was very carefully not touching it, almost like the simple act of running his fingers over the circle would summon the mage hunters from hundreds of years ago. As he studied it, I turned to Drax. “What happened at the gates last night?”
He gives me the rundown. The legion was trying to get into the city again. Something about looking for captives in people's basements. They have been trying to get in for a while now, but the city guard won't let them. More accurately, the local mob won't let them. A council member named Kevin is heading a local group of thugs. This allows Kevin to seemingly corrupt the guard, and probably do many other nefarious things here in town. A likely candidate for a leading role of the Othertoe. Drax is no fan of any of these happenings, and has apparently sent some of these thugs on permanent vacation. The gang is very much not welcome in his establishment.
“Garnet sent us to look for a faction we call the Othertoe. It's a group who specialize in slavery and other foul deeds, and we know they are here in the city. The Legion is right. They are taking people.”
“Where would we be able to find Kevin?” Geno asks.
Drax shrugs. “I'm not so good at finding him, but I know someone who could. A lad by the name of Post. He's a good mate, travels all around the city, knows it inside and out. As a Halfling he can explore everywhere, and is seen less than others would be. He could probably help you find him. ” I'm sure if Drax had been younger, he would have had no trouble finding whatever he was looking for.
Vern spoke up at this time, informing us that the Circle, if activated, would lead to another circle in the Incantori mountain range. Glancing that Marda and Melfina, We know where it goes. We had been there. While Vern was muttering about never using magic anyway, I stepped a bit closer to look that the artifacts down here. A mouse skeleton sat nearby the sword and armor. It was most purposely placed there, not left over from neglect. What could the mouse mean? And who was I to care. Looking at the breastplate, it would have been a little small for me, but some slight modifications it would fit just fine. And the metal could only be one thing. Adamantine. The armor had been inlaid with the harder black metal, both decorative and functional. Large Adamantine plates covered all the vital areas, and bands of it wrapped around the sides. The short sword was the same, with the metals combined in construction of the weapon. These were no ordinary items. While there was obvious wear, they had not seen use for a while. Before I could ask Drax about them, I saw he was giving me a baleful eye, and I decided not to ask.
Inquiring about the map, Drax again told us that Post would be the best person for the job. Since he wouldn't be around for a few more hours, we needed to find something to do. Asking the others if we could go see the Legion, everyone agreed it would be fine. Informing Drax we would return to talk to Post, we climbed back up from the basement floor and back out into the dull light outside.
It had cleared some, but there were still a fair number of clouds in the sky. Drax had given us rough directions but we had to ask a few other people. Looking for landmarks I didn't see the troublemaker until he ran his shoulder directly into me. “You and your dirty legion should leave town while you can!” A human, wearing a leather coat, ending at his waist stood in my path. His hair was slicked up in a large wave, almost like a crest itself, looking like it wanted to float above his head. It looked like some creature had made a nest atop his head, and molded it into a tight nest.
My first instinct is to simply kill him. Instead of grabbing for my axe, I reach my hand out for him preparing to clamp down in his shoulder. Slipping away, he calls “Ha! As slow as the rest of them.”
With a growl, I unleash a wave of fire from my maw over his shoulder. A look of shock flashes on his face. Eyes darting from one side to another, he recovers his composure. “Most people apologize when the run into me!” I challenge. My hand had clasped my Axe still behind my back. He says nothing in return, simply turning and leaving. Not in a slow gait mind you. A poorly painted red one eyed skull on the back of his jacket, I make sure to remember what he looks like. He will have one chance to apologize.
I turn, and realize more of these men are about. This must be the gang Drax was talking about, and I can see why he dislikes them. All with the same ridiculous haircut, which Marda informs me is called a Pompadour. All with a similar coat, although some are in worse quality than others. Each one has the word Baraxus on the back. Turning in a complete circle, I see now that the whole interaction was probably a spectacle for the gang. And coming from where the assailant had gone, Yun was trotting back, smiling, with Geno bringing up the rear a bloodied blade in his hand. Handing it to Melfina, he smiles. “We can find him later when we need to.” the goblin says nonchalantly.
Reaching the gate a few moments later, I can see that the guards are letting people pass, but no many are coming in. Spotting the blade of my axe, a gatekeeper approaches me. I guess my cloak had rode up on the blade when I was about to unleash it earlier. “Hey! Legion! Who let you in here? The Legion is not allowed inside the city!”
“I live here. I've always been inside the gate.” I had spoken before I had even thought. A soft snort of laughter came from Max next to me. I was getting slightly perturbed that no one had bothered him, but then again, he was taller, older, and more vicious looking than I was. His giant mace had never left his shoulder either.
The quick response had dumbfounded the guard. It was a terrible plan, and wouldn't hold any water should he ask any question at all, like Where I lived. I don't know how I did it, but the guard let us through, with the promise of my reentry. Leaving the gate tunnel I stopped in place when I saw what lay beyond. Not twenty feet from the wall, and going for as far as we could see, a huge camp, orderly and full was stretched before us.
Only the closest individual faces could be picked out, but in the sea of tents the green doublet of the Axes was in view. The Blue and gray of the Maces. And of course The Black and Red of the swords. The various green hues of the Axes were never the same, as each one was custom made by the owner. Scouts and skirmishers, the Axes needed to blend in with the grasses and bushes. The Blue and Grays were a nod to the Gods and faiths of the Maces. Healer,s and divine casters, they always stood out, Guiding those who needed spiritual aid, in healing or prayer.
The Black and Red were the colors of the Swords. Wiping blades off on a foe's cloak, it would leave the Black of the blade, and the blood of the fallen. It stood out as a challenge to the legions enemies, and a symbol of the Elite warriors and Commanders.
Murmurs rose from the camp, and heads started popping out of tents. When I could hear what was being said I grimaced. “The Legend is back!” “It's the Myth, I never thought he would show up!” I had never adjusted to the moniker, The Legend, but it was a lot better than what I had been called. In the Legion, Last names were commonly used when talking about someone. Since Panathalax was a longer name, it had been shortened to an insufferable-
“Panny! Is that you? We knew you would show up and join us!” Great. The jubilant cries come from one Ragnus Harnal. Looking at him, he was still as lively as when he took over the Armorer position from me. He wore the vest of the Axes, with arms bare, showing off his ember like skin. He appeared almost like a crackling piece of firewood burning from inside. Veins of ember colored light could be seen faintly through his tanned skin, and his hair appeared darker, the color of dying coals. Soot gray, but with a glow of deep red here and there.
“Ragnus, Who put you in charge?” I was smiling when I said it, but I was also serious. While he was a good soldier, as far as I knew, There Should have been more qualified people here.”
“And Sergeant Corbin! How are you big guy?” he was ignoring me. This wasn't going to be good. Pulling out a fold of parchment, Ragnus pointed near the bottom. “If I can have you both sign here, we will get you some proper fitting gear and a place to stay in no time. It looks like you brought some new recruits too! The troops will be thrilled!”
All humor gone now, I folded my arms across my chest. “Ragnus, we are not here to sign up. We heard that some of the Legion was coming here, we never thought it was going to be this many! Where is everyone Else from the Company?”
The Fire Genasi dropped his act. Rolling up the sheaves of parchment, he waved us towards a larger open tent. More of an awning really. While not dejected, he was more serious, and that was nearly as bad. “The Legion isn't really getting paid anymore. No one wants to hire us, anymore really. Support has dwindled for us. A Wealthy family has offered to support us if we are able to find their son, and we tracked the kidnappers here, but we haven't been able to find anything else. We started searching in people's basements, but the public wasn't really happy about it, and we were told to leave the city, not allowed in again. Now the city wil fire a cannon every once in a while, and shoot at us but it's not that effective. Injuries mostly. The Maces can heal anything that happens.”
I found it hard to Believe that no one needed the Legion anymore. The stuff the Legion stood up against never really rested, did it? “Ragnus, what are they shooting you with?”
“Oh.” He responded “Cannons use something similar to what is in the Fireworks. But the cannon here can't point far enough down to hit us, so they just go above us.” So that was what we had heard last night. “They have also been firing pistols like this one.” He held aloft a device similar to what the deputy of Cherwood had carried. A sort of Hand crossbow without the bow. Pulling the trigger, there was a tremendous explosion. People nearby jumped a bit, and I may have been one of them. “There are nearly six thousand of us around the city, so the Maces are busy treating small injuries and making food.
“Ragnus,” Max started, voice soft, “Why isn't the Legion allowed inside anymore?”
The Armorer's shoulders drooped a bit. “Well, when we couldn't find anymore clues, we started a house by house search. Looking in basements and attics. Most people were not very happy about that. In fact no one was. The guard got involved, and after a couple fights we were told to stay out.” He looked rather depressed about that, understandably so. Half of the power of the Legion was reputation. And we had lost it here.
“Look, Ragnus.” I start. “Barging into people's homes and conducting a search for something isn't What we should be doing. We can't just pick a fight with no questions asked, or evidence.” Look who's talking Druss. “Let us look into the missing kid, and get some credit back for the Legion. I know for a fact that some seriously bad people are here in town, and the Legion will be needed. Keep the troops ready, and be ready to answer the call for aide.”
Max put his hand on my shoulder. “I am going to stay here for a while. I want to catch up with everyone, and look around.” I couldn't blame him, I would have liked to stay for a bit too, and was tempted to.
Melfina must have been reading m mind, as she cleared her throat and nodded towards Marda. Oh. Yeah. We needed to get back to Drax and find out where that Soul Stone was. “That's fine Max. You know where we will be, if you can get back in. Ragnus, has anyone seen Quiet?”
“Yeah, she is probably around here somewhere, but no one has seen her for a few days.” So she is still alive. She had never talked much in person, and getting a letter to her was difficult at best. We had simply fallen out of correspondence.
Giving our good byes, We headed back into the city. I made sure to be in the middle of the group as we got through the gates, and we quickly got back to the Dog's Breakfast. The Legion hadn't been at all what I expected. Six thousand. I could not have even hoped for that many, but it also made it a problem. I could not allow them to become an invading army simply taking over a city. We would need to gather proof that something was going on here in town. And we would need to find someone to prove it to. Sounds like this gang leading Council member had some power.
When we got back to the tavern, we found it to contain the same amount of people, and on second look, they were in fact the same people. Drax came pounding down the stairs to see who had come in, and seeing it was us, waved us to follow him. Leading us to a room on the second floor, it turned out to be a good sized office. A large desk, or one big enough for Drax sat on one side of the room, and a few chairs faced it, along with a long table with bottles on it, all of them empty. A fine square rug sat on the floor under the chairs, the colors still vibrant. A young Halfling sat in a Large chair behind the desk atop several Tomes. A ledger open on the desk, He seemed to be doing Drax's accounts, or checking over them at least.
“Post here helps with the numbers sometimes.” Drax admits. “Since Garnet never comes by much, I have some trouble keeping track.”
Taking the Map from Vern, Geno approaches the desk, unfolding the map. “Post, Drax here says you would be able to help us with finding where this spot is on the Map. It's quite old, and chances are the city would have changed a good deal since it was made.”
“Sure!” the halfling says cheerfully, “I love this kinda stuff. A treasure map right?” It took him a few minutes, turning the map this way and that, the whole time muttering to himself in halfling. “Ah. Oh. Oh dear. I know where this is, but you aren't going to like it. How are you all at fighting?”
“We will be fine with that.” Marda replies. A small blush appearing on Post's face, he jumps down to dig around in a satchel. Pulling out another folded map, he opens it to show what was probably a more current version of the city.
“Well, that's good, because that is going to be the location of the Gambling house. Or the Baraxus Casino, which is what the Councilman is calling it. That is where that Gang hangs out most of the time, providing full time security. If you go in there, there will be a fight.”
It all clicked, and looking to the others, at the same time for everyone. Councilman Kevin Baraxus, and his gang of Pompadorks. Well, it may just be a bit fun looking around his place. In fact, we just happened to have someone here who really didn't like that whole group. “Drax, my good man! How would you like to come with us? I'm sure a “vacation” is in order for a good amount of the gang, as they seem to be working quite hard. What do you say?”
“I am not sure it would be such a good idea... Garnet told me to stay out of trouble.” I could tell he was fighting for excuses, and a thought struck me.
“You know Drax, I bet that place would have some really nice rugs.”
That did it. He agreed immediately to helping us out, and we quickly decided to wait until night to go. This Gambling house happened to be open all hours of the day and night, so hopefully there wouldn't be as many members of the public around. We just had to wait, which would have been a problem if there was nothing to do. But I had something else I wanted out of him.
“Drax. About that breastplate we saw.” I started.
“What about it?” he was quick. Protective.
“It was armor of a great warrior wasn't it?”
It took him a few moments to answer. “He was a friend. Not as close as Garnet, but we went through many trials together.” He was silent for a time. “He died a long time ago.” I could tell he wanted to say more, but just didn't have it in him.”
“Would he have wanted that armor to sit there, or be used, go on more adventures?” I asked. Of course I wanted it. Why wouldn't I? It would be a huge upgrade on the account that it didn't have a large hole in the side.
Drax acquiesced to me taking the armor, and Geno and I had to spend some time modifying it. For my use. It was an incredibly tough material, and reshaping it for me was difficult, but eventually we were able to slip it into the layers of fabric that made the vest. It was a slightly different weight, maybe a bit lighter. Drax also gave the short sword to Marda. While her hooked swords were phenomenal weapons, the short sword was perfectly suited for her, as if it had been made for a halfling.
When the time to go came, we headed out to the Casino. Bringing Mikey along had been a bit troublesome, and it took longer than we had hoped, but we got him across town. I couldn't blame Geno for wanting him there, and the large mechanical bull would be useful. We had planned on Yun, Melfina going in. Yun and Melfina would play the same roles they had played in the strip club, an older wealthy gentleman and bodyguard, while Vern would simply be the target audience for the establishment. The old Elf had put on old clothing, worn out and ratty, and none of us had figured out where he had acquired it. It was somewhat startling to find out that the casino was catered to the elderly, and simply made us dislike Baraxus more. The plan was to get the public out, and Yun was fairly certain a strong illusion could make it look like a fire had started. That would get everyone out, and Drax was part of the volunteer fire brigade, which would give him a reason for being there. The trick is, we had to be quick, to make sure that reinforcements didn't show up and ruin our good time.
I had now been several minutes since the trio had gone in, and we were wondering if something had gone wrong, when screams could be heard from inside. Younger folk rushed out the door, smoke wafting from the opening. Before we could do anything, Marda stopped us.
“Melfina says that Spike found one of those Magic hunter cats. It scared spike pretty badly too.” she said. Well, we had killed one before, how hard could it be?
Running to the doors, we pushed inside. I was responsible for locking the door once everyone was inside, so I waited by the door, getting people out. There really looked to be a fire, with a heat I could feel. Many Baraxus gang members we standing in front of a door, some looking for orders, some trying to put fires out. As the distraction of the fire was getting people out, the rest of the group started getting rid of the gang. Vern had simply vanished, and I really wish I knew how he did that. A fireball from Yun, and a bloodcurdling scream from Marda, and most of the fight was done. Drax had pulled a massive great axe out and had unleashed a yawp of his own, one more brutal and devastating, than Marda's. As the Half-Orc waded in, most of those that had somehow survived the intensive inferno we cut down with a single swipe. I Had infused natural energy to make myself faster, should my allies need me, but there was nothing left to fight now. The door that had been behind the guards bursts open, and a scream of terror emanates from somewhere to my right, as Vern sees the creature behind the door.
With the last of the public out, and the doors locked, I rush up to stand with Drax at the door, to find a vaguely familiar creature. A large cat, no eyes on the head but a Single large eye on the end of the tail which is held up and over the creature. We had fought one before, but it had been sickly and malnourished. This one was healthy, and angry.
With Vern screaming “This is what you get for casting spells! I knew they would come!” in the background, we lay into the creature. With Yun chanting behind us, the creature starts to slowly float up the the ceiling, allowing Marda and Geno to scurry under it. A long tunnel, sloping downward leads off into the distance, With a few cuts from the Drax and I, the creature is soon bloodied, and is desperate to leave us behind. Scratching at the ceiling, it shuffles down the tunnel, out of my reach. As we run after it, just before I can reach it, a single arrow from Vern hits the beast between the ribs, and it dies. As Yun releases the spell, the corpse splats into the ground of the tunnel right behind Marda.
With us all racing down the dark tunnel, I come to the end, finding Yun and Geno already there looking into a huge chamber. Undead stand, packed in shoulder to shoulder. A great horde of them, more than one hundred strong stand, gazing at a enormous stone pillar stood in the center, the Horde facing it, as if in a trance. A sickly red glow emanated from the top, many feet above. As we all stood there trying to figure out what to do, Melfina and Drax catch up, the Half-Orc giggling with glee. With everyone here, Geno runs up to the first of the undead, attacking it. The rotting skin and bone give way to the sheer force of his hit, and it goes down. Those closest in the Horde turn.
Pausing for a brief second, Melfina closes her eyes. Raising her voice, holding her dagger aloft she Proclaims, Her voice twining together with another, A Greater Sound. “To Those Departed: You Are Mine!” Darkness enveloped her. The sensation of wind picked up around us, but the air was still. Energy, Dark and Corrupt buffeted the corpses before us, and something within revealed the darkness was not encompassing Melfina, not emanating from her. It was being absorbed. The dagger we had made her, the weapon she had Poured her Faith into was absorbing and destroying the energy around us, and in turn eradicating the closest ofthe undead horde before us. Nearly a third of it was gone.
“Yun, Get me up there!” I cried. I hjad a feeling this stone was pretty dangerous, and we didn't have much time. I was hoping that my fake arm would protect me from at lesat some of the negative forces.
As Drax waded in, a large wall of fire rose up, blocking off the far side of the chamber, past the pillar. Anything walking through that would be decimated. Coming up to Grasp my shoulder, he muttered a familiar chant, and I had the feeling of walking through a door. I hadn't actually moved myself, but a force propelled me forward, and we were suddenly atop the pillar. The glow of the Soul stone was nearly blinding now, and without thought, I grabbed it with my right hand.
I saw everything. I was everything. A younger Drax and I were fighting alongside Garnet, who appeared to be wrapped in some sort of a curtain.
I was looking at a Tiefling flying through the air, both her axes clutched in her hands, as she cursed Giants and trees, and the world around her.
I watched as my companion stood on the second floor of the inn, and up ended his bag of ten foot poles on the unsuspecting people below. He was laughing as the poles kept coming out, filling the area and crushing everyone in the inn.
I saw this and so many other worlds. I was in those worlds, I was those people. Then it all snapped back. My right arm held the stone, and a cold shiver ran up my spine. I did not like this stone. Not one bit. But we had to get off this pillar so we could leave. While I couldn't get us up here, I could at least get us back down.
Shakily I turned to Yun, reaching out my left arm. “Do you trust me?” I ask. I must have spun too fast, or not been as steady as I could have. It didn't really matter as Yun responded “not for this” and I slipped backwards off the pillar. I had no idea what side I as on, and I had to turn in midair to figure it out, cursing and swearing the whole way. Calling on my gifts, I disappeared halfway through the fall.
With a shower of red hot sparks, I reappeared about 5 feet above the ground, and made an awkward landing, pitching forward to face plant somewhat painfully against the pillar, thankfully not the wall of fire. Getting up, I began to fight off the few remaining undead that Melfina had not been able to destroy outright. As Yun descends slowly to the ground and we dispatch the last of the horde, Geno shuffles up to me.
“Sorry, I was a bit distracted”he admits. “I meant to do that thing I did to your daughter. The slow fall thing.” I nod, rubbing my forehead.
“No big deal.” I nod, rubbing my forehead. “Let's get out of here.”
As we gather around Vern turns to Drax. “Would you like to go kill more things?” He asks the Big Half-Orc. With a energetic nod, still laughing raucously to himself, Drax agrees. With a turn, the wizened Elf touches the big fighter and opens his mouth. “Well then, I bid you farewell. Come Drax, let's go have more fun!” With that, they are simply not there anymore. No chanting, no ritual. Just Gone. Who in the Hells Was this Guy??
Chapter 41.8 Three Days Before the Mast
The next three days on the ship were... odd. It wasn't as bad as the first time I found myself with very little to do on the ship. It was also mostly smooth sailing, er, flying I guess. I didn't have much to do except help the crew of the Garfunkel where I could but I was not much. If a rope needed hauled or something heavy moved I helped out, but that was a rare occasion. While no where near a sailor, I knew how to get out of the way if orders were given so I wasn't keeping people from doing their jobs.
What did help with the few days we had was watching To'Li. Bellia was taking care of her for the most part, which I felt bad about, but I think it was making up for the absence at hatching. I of course still stayed close to play with her, but Bellia was holding, feeding her at meal time and minding her if I had to step away. Bellia was also trying to teach her some things about life.
Meditation for the little Dragonborn was not going to happen. But I found out that Bellia did have a way to train To'Li, even if the smaller one couldn't talk. The only problem was Bellia didn't tell the rest of us, and the first night it happened, the whole ship wasn't too pleased. Before bed, Bellia took To'Li up to the back of the ship, and took the ornaments off her crest. To'Li, resting of Bellia's hip had been looking around sleepily, but the moment the ornaments came off, she perked up a bit. Looking oddly at her mother, her mouth opened and closed a few times. Bellia had closed her eyes, and taken a few deep breaths like she was simply enjoying the fresh night air. Eyes snapping open, head head shot forward and with purely elemental rage, a great bolt of Lightning blasted off into the clouds.
An immediate earsplitting thunder-crack emanated from the light, and the whole ship shook. Crew members and passengers alike ran about, trying to figure out what was going on. To'Li sat in Bellia's arms, opening her mouth a few times then closing it with a happy little chirping sound. With no more exciting things happening she nestled against her mother's chest and closed her eyes, ready for bed.
Bellia did the same practice the next night, and while it made a few people jump, none of the crew went scurrying about. To'Li once again opened her mouth, a few times, seemingly enjoying the experience. The third night something changed. Bellia once again closed her eyes, concentrating to bring about her lightning, and To'Li did the same. Not sure what to expect, I stood back, apprehensive. When her mother opened her mouth, my daughter did the same, and while lightning shot out of her mouth, she clearly could feel the energy being produced.
I asked her if we needed to worry about To'Li doing the same, and Bellia explained what was going on. Those Dragonborn that could breathe lightning could always feel that energy around them, and the ornaments they wore helped keep that energy contained, keeping others from being shocked. Meditating helped Bellia control all of that power coming from both of them and unleash it, she was simply trying to get To'Li to notice that energy so she could start to learn about it. “To'Li doesn't need to speak to be able to learn,” Bellia had said. I'm all for her learning to control her element. My early days had been rough according to my parents. I had set fire to the wood pile my father had so carefully collected over several months. My neighbors had called it a Wondrous Inferno. My parents had like the name.
Spending time with Leona and Max was great too. During the evening meals we always ended up telling stories of our legion days, trying to guess who we may see in Davenport. The conversations always sounded more like we were going to a reuinion instead of a probable fight. Still. It was nice to reminisce, and we were all having a good time together.
Melfina also spent a good bit of time with my Daughter, and while Bellia found her a bit odd, I had no problem with it. No divine rituals were happening there, and I”m almost certain Melfina would ask fist anyway. While still early for my daughter to learn anything from anyone, I planned on keeping these people in my life, and I wanted To'Li to be comfortable with them. Playing with Melfina a couple hours a day also let Bellia and I take a break, where I could relax, and Bellia would tend to the ship should they need anything. Melfina said it was to make up for a different life, but didn't elaborate much farther
When not playing with my daughter, Melfina was often found praying, mediating, and writing in a small journal. More pensive, she was obvious trying to figure some sort of problem out, and this seemed like the best time to do so. Not much to do otherwise. She wasn't withdrawn, and I didn't worry much about her. If she needed us, we were available, and I'm sure she and Marda talked during the voyage.
Yun was enjoying the voyage as much as possible. Enjoying the fresh air and the view, I found them sitting by the rail, fishing rod in hand whistling an aimless tune. When asked what they were fishing for while we were this high in the sky, a simple answer was, whatever may be silly enough to bite. When not fishing for birds Yun was playing the violin. The problem was, it wasn't a tune anyone was familiar with, and when asked, the response was, “It is an old song that has yet to be written.”
The crew liked having nightly entertainment, and Yun was happy to provide it. Everyone wanted to talk to the friendly musician, and Yun was happy to collect the bits of information they would grant. Yun of course took some personal time as well, maybe to think up performance ideas or simply ease the mind. I do know that the music played after dinner was ease of mind for everyone on the ship.
Geno of course acted very similar to when he was on the train. Asking questions, making sketches and practically prying up the decking to find all the secrets he could, he was even showing anyone who was sitting still long enough for him to finish explaining it. To'Li of course found the goblin entertaining, as they were both about the same height, so when Geno was talking to anyone withing earshot, To'Li was sitting there, staring at him with a small blank look on her face, mouth slightly open. I think it was the eyebrows she found most fascinating. They would waggle up and down when Geno was excited.
Marda stayed the busiest out of all of us. She specifically asked what chores could be done around the ship. Taking care of Mittens, making sure all the weapons on the ship were ready, and keeping an eye on Vern were some of the things she did. I saw her sometimes staring off into nothing in the middle of a task, hands still in the air over the blade, whetstone hovering over the blade.
I did see her Talking with Vern on several occasions, and while I wasn't worried for her safety, I was still cautious of the Elf. There was nothing wrong with him, but he had spent over one hundred years by himself, and that would probably do some strange things to a person. They were talking of the soul stone that was needed to help her mostly, although other topics were of course covered.
Mostly, When Vern wasn't engaged, I saw him muttering to himself about destines, and his impressive library that was now in ruins. While he seemed mostly bored, he would sometimes get startled by people approaching him, as if he forgot we were here. That happened mostly in the morning, and soon after lunch, and I was suspecting it was because he needed a nap after eating. At lunch he would remark about not having salted fish, which he had decided twenty five years ago was the only thing to eat for midday meal. When Marda did ask him about the soul stone, he would perk up, saying how much he looked forward to having it back, and complaining about it's previous owner. Vern claimed he borrowed it from the wizard that had owned it before him, but it seemed the Elf had never had intention of returning it.
I'm sure he will be happy to get his artifact back, but we will have to reach Davenport first. On the third night, we can see the lights of Davenport in the distance. With the desire to keep the Garfunkel a secret, the captain orders the crew to find a place to land, and as the ship starts to descend, all the nerves we had collectively been ignoring come back. How much of the Legion will be here? How powerful has the Othertoe become? Will we have support from anyone, or are we going to be alone? With nothing more to do, we gather our gear to disembark, and prepare to enter the city, full of unknowns and untold danger.
Chapter 41 A Small Amount of Rage.
I tried my hardest not to taste the water as I breathed it in. It reminded me of taking a long deep breath of cold winter air, which had been salted and flavored with...other less pleasant flavors. In fact, it would probably not do well to mentally dwell on this now or ever.
We had been underground now for nearly two hours, and Marda and Yun were quietly “Discussing” the directions we should take. Squabbling would have been too rude a word for it. They had been doing perfectly well as far as I know, and we had not found a dead end yet. Marda however was using her hands to make an invisible map in mid air, While Yun's were simply clutching their head as if trying to squeeze the information out. With a small grin on her face, Melfina waded over to me, “I think our captive is stirring a bit.”
Sure enough, the skinny jackal like form of Jonas was in fact moving about a bit in the shallow water. I had made no attempt to save the body from the grime, and we had been forced to drag him through the portions that were completely underwater. Now I had to make sure that he would remain unconscious until we got to a place we could properly ask questions. Crouching down, I wrapped my arms around his throat, blocking air from getting through. I had seen it done before, and thought it couldn't be that hard right? Holding him like that, I could have easily killed him, and that's what he deserved right? Just squeeze a bit harder, and a bit longer...
“Druss!” Marda had come back to see what was holding us up. Hearing her voice I immediately let go, panicking. We needed him for information, we had already lost so much here in town. Quickly checking to make sure he was still alive, I looked at the others rather abashed, and started to move on again towards the designated direction.
What had come over me? Was it the normal anger I sometimes felt? Maybe it was the thought of the questioning we would have to do to get the information out of him. Deciding right there I didn't want to be a part of that, I just did what I was needed for, and dragged the limp form behind me. Sure enough, within ten minutes or so, we were back in the war room. Only a few faces were vaguely familiar from before, but Masika was still there, and she quickly spotted us.
“Well Hello again! Dani has gone out to see her specialist, so she will be gone for a while. What can I do for you, and who is that?” Masika had been sitting on the edge of the Wartable a long handled shovel in her hands. Cleaning off the blade of the shovel, she put away her tools in a small pouch.
“Someone who has a lot to answer for,” Marda replied curtly. “Do you have a table we could use? We need to tie this one down.”
“Well yeah” Masika replied, “I have a nice preparation table upstairs in my crematorium, But I don't really want any claw marks or anything in it... plausible deniability and all that you know?” She paused for a moment in thought. “I do have an old butcher block table that was used before I got this nice one. It's down here in the storage room. It even has the old tools with it. They are a bit rusty, but that may not be a bad thing...” When we nodded in agreement she took us over to the storage room. A few old crates were in the way, but we quickly moved them out.
Now came the hard part. I didn't really want to be part of what was going to happen in this room, but I didn't want to let my group down. How was I going to explain to them? Turning around, Yun has already shifted back to their usual form. “Druss, if you don't want to be a part of this its fine. I know that this sort of thing can get to you, and I don't think we need any feet smashed today. If we do, I'm sure Marda will be happy to take care of that.”
Masika was looking around the room, very carefully not looking at Jonas. “How about I find something for myself to do while you all are busy. I could grab everyone some refreshments like a nice charcuterie board. We just got some really nice cheeses, and the local bakery makes this really nice herb bread.” grabbing her shovel, she started to head towards the tunnel up.
“I could help with that” I offer. Following her up the tunnel, I make a remark of her shovel. “I see you carry that tool with reverence. Have you carried it far?”
“Hmm? Oh, Yeah!” Patting the shovel she keeps going. “Effective and practical, not unlike your tool.”
I swing the axe of my back, briefly admiring the workmanship once again. “Yeah, While I have had an upgrade, the Black Blades have got me through a good deal.” We had reached a small stout door. She stopped and turned, considering me for a moment before opening the door.
“Alright since we both need some plausible deniability,” with a practiced smile and a knowing look, “the cutting board and knife is there, I'll grab the food.”
The room was a small pantry with a built in counter for food prep. While not a large area, it obviously was enough to keep the previous occupants of the war room fed. I went to grab the cutting board and a couple knives and set them up on an end counter turning to see when Masika had gone.
Opening two tall narrow cabinet doors she pulls out wrapped hard cheese and summer sausages. Crusted breads and fruit were also gathered, and we both stood next to the counter, cutting and slicing.
Getting a good variety together on a platter, I left her there to clean the knives and took the food down. That way, as she put it, nothing could be heard, nothing could be known. It was only a few feet from the tunnel entrance when I heard an unholy animalistic Yowl, mixed with a high pitched raging yawp.
I hurried over from the base of the tunnel, the presentation of the platter of food suffering slightly in my haste. Yun must have heard me coming, as they were coming out of the room as I got there. Shaking their head, they hold up a hand to stop me. Small dots of red have appeared on the skin, almost like freckles. Blood freckles. “Don't worry about it, Jonas is dead, Marda is just getting revenge at this point. Although he did give us some information for his trouble. Melfina hit him with some sort of spell to tell the truth. The fact he had to say the truth seemed to hurt him more than anything else we could have done. While we didn't get everything we wanted from him, we still got something.”
Setting the charcuterie board down, I listen to what Yun has to say. When asked who Jonas' leader was, the Jackalwere had simply laughed, saying that Melfina and Jonas shared the same boss 'Yours and mine is the same.' Thoughts swam through my head, none of the hypotheses connecting with anything I knew of her. Yun went on, having already fought these internal battles themselves. The question had been asked if there were more captives here in town, but no helpful answer had been given, so we don't know. Othertoe's plan in davenport was apparently 'So many souls ripe for corruption.' I”m not sure I like how that sounds. Davenport was already going to be tricky, what with the Legion and the Othertoe facing off. I'm sure the Legion wouldn't really want fighting in the streets, but it may come to that. The Legion has a thing about bullies.
Most of the questions had not been very helpful then. Melfina and Geno come out as well now, with Marda behind them. still breathing heavier than expected. Marda was covered in blood. Hands, torso, most of her face and legs were thick with it, and the soles of her boots look like she had stepped in a couple inches of it. The toes and heels were covered more than the middle of her boots, as if she had been kicking and stomping on a bag of blood. She had not yet looked up from her blood covered boots. Geno too has blood flecks all over his face, and I move to get some rags so they could wash off. Masika comes down to help me find linen scraps to use, now that the dishes had been washed. Also getting mops, buckets and additional rags, she moves to the entrance of the store room where the questioning had taken place.
“I”ll help.” Marda states in a flat voice. She had not yet started to clean herself off.
“Marda, when you need to talk, I will be here” I call out. She stops at the doorway, nods once, and goes back in. Melfina moves to help too, not needing to tell or be told. For the same reason I didn't go into the room, I stay out again, instead pushing a half of a grape to Spike, who had been set on the war table. With Yun and Geno both there, we look at each other.
“Melfina said something about Asmodeus.” Yun says. “Does that name mean anything to you”
It tickled the back of my brain, and a few slices of cheese later I caught it. “Yeah,” I respond. “I think Max or his dad mentioned him once. One of the princes of a plane of Hell. Deceitful, a liar through and through, mostly a giant dickhead. Has lots of powerful evil celestials that do his bidding sometimes.” I couldn't remember a whole lot about him, but not really one I would want to know about.
“Melfina asked that jackal guy what Asmodeus wanted with davenport. That's when he talked about all the ripe souls. Clearly someone Melfina knew something about. Just wondering if you knew anything.”
While I had known Melfina longer than Yun and Geno, this is the first I had heard about this. I know Melfina had trouble with remembering some things, maybe she had figured something out? I think back to the laugh I had heard, and a small shiver went up my spine again.
While waiting, Geno tells me what happened. Once that Jonas guy had just started laughing Marda had gone into some sort of rage, jumping up on the table, kicking and pounding the guy to death. Surprisingly it had not taken long. Holding up a couple rings of molten metal, I'm shocked to find the remains of the anti-magic shackles. Geno had noticed the had started to melt, and had tried in vain to keep them intact. Well, Working anyway. They were now always going to be intact, but never usable again, although Geno says he could fix them with time. Marda had apparently kicked in the guys rib cage, then broken of his wrists using the end of the table to stomp them off. And done a few more unspeakable things to other body parts. Overall, I had seen her once the carnage had been complete.
Asking Melfina if she still has energy left, would she be able to send a couple of messages, she agrees around a mouthful of sausage and cheese. After swallowing that load, she nodded her head. Contacting Leona first, She told her that we were all safe, were they and did I need to come over? After a brief pause, clearly hearing a response, she replied that I did not need to go over, and that Leona had discovered a way to keep from getting shocked. Sometimes.
Asking her next to contact Bellia, I wanted to know when they were due to come in, and if they needed help. Almost immediately Melfina reacts, her body taking a posture as if she was being buffeted by a strong force. After the onslaught of the return message was done, she leaned against the large table. “They should be here tomorrow. They seem to have picked up some fucko, but I couldn't really understand how or why.” She took a breath, shaking her head. “Bellia wants to meet at a place called 'Doughnut ask me'”
With baffled looks we turn towards Masika who had finished putting away the cleaning supplies. “It's a little cafe where discretion is part of the menu. The only thing the staff pays attention to is the food. It's good food too. Specializes in breakfast foods mostly doughnut related.” I guess that would be a good place to go, although I feel the guard would have someone on permanent look out there.
Turning from the mops, Masika points skyward. “The last of the fireworks should be happening soon, if you want to watch there are some great spots here in the graveyard.”
With Yun mentioning it would probably be good for mental health, we all follow Masika up, eventually finding ourselves on top of a large mausoleum. A small marble rail around the whole perimeter of the roof kept us from falling, and large stone slabs made an inner perimeter, conveniently at bench height. Finding them still warm, even in this residual light, it was pleasing to sit on them in the fresh air. While waiting for the fireworks to start, we talked, mostly about small insignificant things, setting aside the events of the past few days just to have the break from it.
“Druss, what did you want to be when you grew up?” Melfina had come over to sit next to me, she had asked the question with an odd tone, as if she had wanted to ask something else, and rushed this one out to take up time.
“That's easy.” I respond. “I always wanted to be a blacksmith, I just found myself doing other things first. My dad didn't want me to be a blacksmith, and as a way of 'I do what I want' I joined the Army to show him that he wasn't in charge of me. Of course, I got to be a blacksmith in the Army, so it kinda worked out, right?” I would have asked Melfina what she wanted to be, but then I remembered she wouldn't remember. Looking to other other side of the Cleric, I saw Marda had climbed up beside her. Pulling her into the conversation I ask, “What about you Marda? What did you want to be?”
“I wanted to be an artisan.” She responds, pulling out a knitting project. It seemed to be a very small sweater. “I always knew how to knit or crochet, and it was a great way to mentally escape military life. I couldn't really do it in the open, but it allowed me to use my hands for making something, not destroying it. And look!” She held up the sweater again, absolutely beaming. “It's going to be for Sora!” The sweater in question looked well made, if slightly disheveled. It was nearing completion, and looked very warm.
“I would have liked to get into something more.” She continues. “Making mundane items into works of art. Like fanciful leather working, or jewelry. But I never had time when I was younger. Military life was hard as a woman too. I couldn't show I was remotely soft. I bet you can make just about everything Geno.” She said, looking at the goblin. “What did you want to do?”
“I wanted to be a professional athlete.” He simply stated, looking out into the sky at the fireworks in the distance. “Goblin ball was the thing to do growing up. Played in a large sphere of water, it was vicious, and brutal, and the most fun anyone could have in water.” Geno started going into the rules of the game involving ritual magic and underwater net tending. A good bit went over my head, but luckily the fireworks picked up as the last of them were set off at once. A Cacophonous light show, the reverberating sound being felt in my chest, then the sky was dark once more.
“Well, There you have it” Masika started. “it is about time to call it a night, where are you going to stay? Did you want to stay here?”
Looking at the others I try to think of something quick. This would be a fine enough place to drop the pillow fort tent, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to potentially show it off in front of that many people. “You know, when was the last time you built a pillow fort?” I ask. If we could build a normal pillow fort, we could possibly arrange the opening of the tent to be at the entrance. While it wouldn't fool anyone that actually goes inside it would mask having a strange tent put up inside and underground.
Getting back into the war room, Melfina and Masika started talking divinity again, and I took the time while Masika was distracted to set up the tent. Adding other blankets and a few small tables around it, the pillow fort came out better than I would have hoped. While it wasn't something we could all fit into normally, it didn't matter. We managed to hide the tent well enough and as long as we didn't all leave it at the same time, people would only see a silly looking blanket fort. Inviting Masika in for some hot chocolate, we all gather in the common room, complete with pillowy fire. Sipping our beverages, the Tabaxi is rather impressed with our little set up, but asks us something that catches us off guard.
“So does the turtle talk to everyone, or should I be worried?” She asks.
We all blinked at each other a few times before Melfina told her it was something that was possible, and that Masika should feel blessed by it. We chatted for some time before turning in. Tired as I was, I fought off the normal anxiety of the night, and sleep took me.
Waking in the morning, I could not remember any dreams that had taken place the night before, and I found that slightly disturbing. Getting up, I find Masika still asleep by the pillow fire, curled in a large ball, tail slightly twitching. Leaving the pillow fort, and stretching my back, I find Yun and Marda both up. Marda, working on a different project now, has some bright orange yarn on her needles, while Yun pours over the papers again, seeing if there is any new information. This was perfect. I needed them for something.
Asking them if they could go to the three rivers inn and pick up my family, I wanted to go myself, but I didn't know if my letters had effected our situation at all, and I didn't want to chance the guards arresting me. Without another message from Melfina, Max and Leona would have no idea where to go and I wanted to see them and To'Li. With just a few preparations, and a change of clothing, the two were off, with instructions to meet us at the cafe. From the moment they left, I couldn't sit still with worry and anticipation.
Once everyone else is up, we clean up the pillow fort and pack away everything for travel. With the ship in, we will be leaving this town for a while if we can. Taking the tunnels for a short distance, we come up a few blocks from the cafe. It was early enough in the morning that we could choose where we wanted to have a table. Once getting there, Melfina gets a table in the back garden, which gives us privacy, and keeps us from being seen from the street. While the cafe staff may not ask any questions, that doesn't mean passers by will not spout some tales of Dragonborn in the area, and there were going to be three of us. That thought sent a flutter through my stomach. It will be great to see Bellia again, and this will be the first time meeting To'Li, There hadn't been a whole bunch of communication about the name, and she had been rather put out that she wasn't there for the hatching. And she was sure it was going to be a boy. It will be fine. Totally.
The back door of the cafe opened to allow Marda out into the private area with Max's towering figure right behind her. Leona comes next, holding To'Li in gloved arms. Rushing forward, I grab them both in a tight hug, delighted to see my daughters. My shoulders feel a bit lighter now that I have them both with me. Taking To'Li in my arms, I take a small pleasant jolt from her. She seems to be unable to take all of the outside world in. looking around wildly, chirping and giggling at the plants and objects around us, I notice she has gotten bigger. Probably as tall as Marda now, a small amount of guilt trickles out from not being there with her. But it is hard to feel anything but glee when looking at her. So Happy she is!
Absolutely beaming at Leona, I notice that her Fur is still poofed out, but she has large thick elbow length leather gloves. Noticing the inquisitive look, she explains that they helped with the shocks. Removed most of the pain anyway. The euphoric feeling of having my daughters back, and spending time with them again just brought me such energy, I began tossing To'Li in the air, catching her with her my laughter and hers ringing out in the world around us.
On the third toss, Geno told me to throw her really high up, and I hesitated, looking at him. Giving me a wink, he pulled out a few feathers, and started muttering to himself. I still wasn't sure, but I knew To'Li was enjoying this, and I would do everything I could to catch her anyway, so I gathered my strength and tossed her high into the air, holding my breath as I go to catch her. On the apex of the toss however, her fall slows, and she simply starts floating down towards my arms, like a feather.
“Why is my daughter slowly floating through the air?” The voice was sharp, crisp, and one of the most beautiful sounds I could hear right now. It was a voice that represented mental stability. My mental stability. If Bellia was around, while I was still on guard, I could be more at ease. I simply felt better when certain people were around, and I currently had nearly all of those people here, with me.
“Well my dear,” I answered without looking away from To'Li, who was currently looking around her surroundings with a mixture of fear, confusion and glee, “I'm sure Geno would have a scientific explanation for it, but if you come over here you will be able to catch her yourself.”
To'Li had been laughing mirthfully, when her fall had suddenly slowed. I'm sure she had no idea what was happening, and had looked to me to see if I was worried. When I hadn't reacted with worry, her instincts probably told her nothing was wrong, but with that silly look of confusion on her face I could tell she was forgetting to be scared while she took in the world around her. I held one arm up, ready to catch my daughter and I reach my right arm out for Bellia.
I feel as she takes my hand, the vibration moving my whole arm. I pull her close, then move aside, placing her where I had stood, and wrap my arm around her in a side hug. As To'Li comes down into her arms, confusion once again takes hold, and she looks to me, but Bellia throws her back into the air. Falling at a normal rate this time, Bellia catches her, and gives her a great big hug.
Looking to the others, I notice the strange man Bellia brought with her. Hunched over a cane, with a beard reaching nearly to his belt buckle, and was possibly the oldest, and oddest Elf I had ever met. I think he was an Elf. The Elven features were far too pronounced to be a half elf, but I had never seen an Elf with a beard. He looked as if he was going to call the dirt under his foot a whippersnapper.
“Bellia, Dear, this is Listens to Lightning.” I said it carefully, but in a manner conveying it was too late to change it. “To'Li for short. It seemed an appropriate name with the circumstances of her birth. Who is this that you have brought with you?”
Before Bellia could speak, the old Elf cried out. “Are you responsible for that blasted ship?!” he was waving the cane around his head, no longer leaning on it. It didn't seem like he really needed it. “That ship came down, out of the sky of all places, and crashed into my home! And Broke my Mug! I demand Restitution!” said mug was pulled out of a robe pocket. Or at least the handle was.
Sighing, Bellia set To'Li on her hip, and explained what had happened. A large storm had hit several days ago, probably the night To'Li had been born, and had caused the Garfunkel to crash into a mountain where this hermit had been living. Apparently he hadn't talked to anyone for a hundred years, and blamed Bellia for the damage. Bellia had simply been the first to talk to him. Looking to him now, he was standing taller, fully straight up now, and was nearly as tall as me. Mr. Corbin had never had a beard. Who was this guy?
He was looking at us closer now, and I figured it would be polite to ask his name. “Vern! My name is Vern, are you in charge of that ship!?” He squints an eye over all us, examining the group. “You all seem to have some sort of destiny about you! Are you going to replace my Mug?!”
“Well Master Vern,” I start in a pacifying tone, ”What kind of recompense are you looking to get?” I was not about to say that I was in charge of the ship, since I wasn't. Nor was I going to say I would pay for a new house, or cave, or whatever he had lived in.
“Yes, your fate is definitely tied to something big. I would like to travel with you. That will work as payment.” Nodding to himself, he had decided it.
I didn't know if I wanted to have someone else to look after, so I tried to dissuade him. “We Will be traveling to Davenport, which could be a pretty dangerous place. The travel there could be troublesome too. Will you be able to handle yourself should we get into a fight?”
With that, he reaches into his robe, and pulls out a portable battering ram. “No, No. wrong pocket..” Putting the ram back into wherever he had kept it, He pulled a longbow out and gave it an experimental draw. OK. He had some knowledge of how to use it. I don't want to count him out just because of his age. “Yes, he says, I think I will be fine. I don't want to miss what Destinies await you anyway. It's been a long time since I was in Davenport. It will be nice to see the place again. Yes.”
Well, I wasn't going to fight him, and no one else seemed to want to object. Thinking it would be nice to let Dani know that we were going to leave town, I ask Melfina to send her a message. Rubbing a bloody thumb across her lips she asks Dani to meet us at the docks in an hour, and an angry yowl comes out of the elderly Elf.
“What are you doing?! You can't cast magic! They will find you! Magic is banned for a reason!” More noise came out of the man in sputtering rage and fear. He was looking around wildly, as if the shrubs and flowers were going to spring to life and arrest us.
Melfina naturally took this as an affront to her abilities, as she tried to pacify the now distraught Elf. He clearly knew what magic was, and was obviously old enough to remember the caster wars. Geno got into it as well, and I needed to stop this before Vern found out about Yun. Although, it could solve the problem of Vern. He may not want to come along if he knew the only one in the group that couldn't cast spells was Marda. Either way we needed to get moving. With the suggestion that we should get the mounts before more people are up and about, we eat the last of our breakfasts, grab some scones to go, and head to the Temple of Kusco.
I was relieved to see mittens healthy, and he seemed happy to see us, Although I knew he wasn't going to be thrilled with where we were going. Vern seemed to think it was imperative that he too get a mount. He was a little put off that there wasn't a spare moorbounder for him as he seemed to get along with them really well, but the only thing available was a large goat. It was something that would have done better on a mountain side, and the creature in question had a tendency to scream. With shaggy hair, and spiral horns sticking straight out of the head. Sitting atop of it Vern's beard and the goats hair sorta blended together. As we ride over to the docks with the general caterwauling coming from the both of them, the mount and rider seemed to get along just fine with each other.
Getting to the ship, it is a welcome sight. Sort of. I remember not enjoying a single day of the last time I was on the ship, but it would be better than skulking around town in the tunnels. Loading the mounts took some time, as normal we didn't want to put the moorbounder with the other mounts, especially the new goat. That time should be enough for Dani to get to the docks.
Sure enough, right at the desired time she arrived in her long cloak. Waving her onto the ship, she looked well enough, but her arm was still covered by her cloak. Only when we got into a cabin did she take it off to reveal her new arm. Stark White bone was joined to her shoulder where the injury had happened. As if the flesh had been melted away, only the bones of her arm remained, fully functional. She had gotten it at the same curio shop Marda had gone to with Henry. Yun even put a finger between the bones to make sure it wasn't an optical illusion. Like my own arm, it didn't have any feeling, but the original dexterity of her own arm was present. I was very happy should would have that at least. With Vern overseeing the loading of his goat, Gerry, we are given a little bit of time to talk with Dani.
Revealing that Asmodeus is the true leader of the Othertoe, Melfina also tells us that she remembered more of her past. She used to work for Him. The rage that that took hold of Marda is also something to worry about as it could be some sort of curse. Marda tells of the death of Jonas, and how he turned into a Jackalwere. With the death of the Othertow agents that we know of, and no more leads, we had to move to our next destination of Davenport.
Taking it all in, she nods thoughtfully. “Thank you for killing that bastard for us, I only wish it had been sooner. As for the Othertoe, I don't think you all could take on a Demonic Prince right now either. Hopefully you won't have to. Do you have any friends in Davenport?”
“We have the legion outpost there in town, which is our next stop.” I tell her. “I have some old contact's still with the legion who might be able to aid us.” As long as we don't freak them out with all the magic. Then a thought occurred to me. “The tower in Cherwood. Had a portal in the basement. Do you know of anything like that there in Davenport?”
“There was a tavern called the Dog's Breakfast. The owner's name is Drax. Half Orc with a wild anger streak. He was a friend of the guild master's but he won't know how to use the portal. See if you can touch base with him, and let me know. We might be able to do something about it. Until then, try to be careful.”
“Thanks Dani.” I reply. “Take care of yourself, the new arm looks good.” I want to be supportive, but I still feel bad about the circumstances. She seems to have put it behind her. I really need to learn that myself.
Leaving the Cabin, Dani makes her way off the ship, and I spot Vern talking to Captain Velma. She had seemed to have a problem with him coming back onto the ship, and he had told us he would take care of it. Now the good captain held an expression of utter terror. A look that would normally belong to someone who had just spilled something foul on a superior officer. Abject terror had taken hold of the captain. Just who in the hell is this guy? As he turned to leave, a smile on his face, Captain Velma looked relived that he was no longer talking to her, and went to go busy herself by doing anything else.
The ship sailed from the dock soon after, and we were told we would sail out of sight of the city before taking off. As the ship was preparing to take off, I suddenly remembered exactly Why I hated this ship. We had secured To'Li to a harness always connected to her mother so she couldn't fall over board or get into trouble. Luckily To'Li had taken to the water like a duck, and was enjoying every second of it. I however was not. As the ship gave a great Jump off of the water, Spike took that time to loose control of himself, and ended up under my foot. Slipping on the shell, I fell backwards, flinging my arms out behind me, and propelling the turtle shell across the deck. Sitting up from my fall and rubbing my head, I look up to see spike wedged in the wall just above Vern's head. The old man had been clutching to some secured barrels, Muttering to himself about summoning every mage hunter in the world to our location. Now he was angry at me for nearly assassinating him with a reptile. I'm sure that if he could hear the spectere right now he would go into apoplectic shock. Not that he would be able to hear anything now that both Mittens and Gerry had once again started their cacophonous caterwauling. This was going to be a great voyage.
The next day was in fact better. I was able to spend most of the day with Bellia and To'Li. My daughter was simply doing her best impressions of a bird now that we were up in the sky, and Bellia had given her a crest band that would grow around her horns they grew in. Bellia had explained that it was supposed to gather the natural lightning in the body, and keep it from randomly sparking out. Leona and max discussed it over lunch, talking about modifications that could be done to make it more functional, even going so far as making it part of a helmet. Bellia had overheard unfortunately, and after giving me some deadly looks, I turned the idea down. For now. Who knows what she would like to do later in life.
Bellia had also talked with Geno about work, and of course Geno loved everything about the ship. As they both went around looking at all the functional parts, with To'Li in tow, they were constantly talking about theories of this and that. The metallurgical parts were understood, but just like the train, other parts went over me.
In the evening after dinner, we were all telling stories to each other again. Bellia had just taken a sleeping To'Li to bed, and we were all still on deck when all hell breaks loose. A large creature, scales and head similar to my own flew down onto us form out of the night. Huge wings came out of the torso, and two powerful legs hung underneath. A long tail, ending in a stinger was wipping back and forth as if it had a mind of it's own. Dragons!
Before we could react, they were on us. We only saw the one, but more were approaching faster than we could react. With four off the Port side, we didn't have time to get the ballistas ready. With one landing on the deck between Marda and Melfina, we start defending the ship. Arrows come from the shadows, the only thing I see of Vern is his large bow disappearing back into shadow. Marda lets out her yawp again, unleashing several attacks on the Dragon that landed next to it, and A fireball streaks off the starboard side to explode some sixty feet away. I had heard dragons could cast spells and had abilities like my own fire breath. If that happened that ship would be destroyed. Although they were distant cousins, I wasn't going to let them hurt the ship if I could help it.
With the spectere appearing I can hear Vern's displeasure from wherever he is lurking, attacking with his bow. As I prepare my bow for an attack, a large wall of blades appears, floating on one side of the ship, the blades all grinding and whirring together. Anything touching that would be torn to shreds in an instant. Nocking arrows, I get four shots off on one of the dragons that has landed on the front of the ship, near the spectere. As Geno whizzes past me to hit his own targets, tow dragons come far to close to me than I would have liked. The first one my right actually flies Through the blade wall, coming out of the other side cut and bloody. Flinching away from that one, I ws unprepared for another to grab me from my Left, and carry me bodily off the ship. With a scratch from the stinger, I felt the poison land on my skin, burning there instead of in my blood. I was however off the ship. I had to look down, as the dragon had carried me up and out, over the vast wild lands far far below us. Terror gripped me, and I nearly dropped my bow. Injured, and completely at this things mercy, there wasn't much I could do except hold on and hope this thing didn't drop me.
Completely disregarding the fight, Yun turned and looked at the dragon holding me. With a shout, they commanded the dragon to put me back on the ship, then leave. As chaos reigned supreme on the ship, I had no idea if Yun had cast a spell, or if it had even worked. I was still trying to figure out how to get out of this vice like grip. Wait. That was how. As Melfina's spiritual scythe came down on one dragon, and Another writhed in apparent agony on it's own, I simply did what another dragon born had done to escape me. Disappearing in mist, I appear again nearly 20 feet above the ship. Dropping my bow, trying to keep it on the ship, I call my Tool to my hand. As the axe blade shines in the light, I fall towards the dragon that had come through the blade wall. With a mighty gravity aided swing, I cleave it nearly in twain, kicking it off my blade to tumble into the whirling blades. Turning to find my next target, I find the dragon that had held me, flying as far as it can away. I guess the spell had worked. The dragon that had been writhing in agony was flailing in place, the wicked stinger attacking the deck around it, with no apparent target. The last Dragon still fighting was been pushed against the blades by the spectere, Marda and Melfina flanking it, the Dragon lashed out at the Spectere, which had no effect. As the tail was caught by the blades, it was sucked into the deadly maelstrom, a scream cut short as it died.
The tormented dragon, tired of fighting whatever invisible enemy it had, took to the sky again, and left. As it wasn't carrying anything, and I wanted to keep it that way, we let it go. While I had always disliked this boat, being on it was much more preferable than being next to it. With enough excitement for one day, I turn in.
The morning greets with beautiful skies, and a clean shaven Elf. Vern, for whatever reason, has decided to shave off his impressive beard. More impressive considering he is an Elf. An impressive sleek jawline was hidden behind that beard. Most prominent however was a long, vivid scar that ran from the lower ceek, down across the chin, and back up the other cheek. It was a most peculiar scar. I would have asked, but To'Li had once again wrapped one of the crew members around a mast with her tether. I had to go help Bellia with the apology.
Later that day I caught Vern writing some sort of script on the side of the ship. I couldn't really understand it at first, and I had no idea what language it was. Then it all popped together in my head, and I saw it was a spell to make a small flash appear, or a image of something. A simple sleight of hand type of thing. Street performers called it prestidigitation. Looking at Vern, he was quickly gathering papers and chalks and moving towards his own quarters. Was this guy really trying to work out a simple spell to entertain kids?
My question was blown out of thought by a loud thunder crack coming from the cabins on the front of the ship. Marda and Melfina had taken quarters there and after a quick glance neither of them were on deck. As fast as I could get there, Vern was right behind me. Whatever was happening in there could be really bad, and my family was in the front of the ship. We get tehre in time to find Melfina disheveled and slightly bruised/
It was only moments before Yun and Geno had joined us, and we were all asked to stay. Vern happily Sat down on a sea chest as if we were going to read a book to him. Telling us that they had been trying to figure out more of the rage problem, it seemed to be part of the curse. Vern chimed in, revealing that Asmodeus' followers were known to curse others with a demonic rage, which if allowed to remain, would eventually turn that person into an avatar of the Demonic Prince.
“There are items called soul stones that would capture that essence and Block the Prince from coming over, essentially trapping the curse inside you.” Vern informs us, but then shrugs. “As to where you can get one, I'm not entirely sure where I put mine.” I had one, long ago, but hid it in davenport. I still have the map of where I buried it three hundred years ago.” my eyes started bugging out a bit. Just who was this guy? “I had survived the sinking of Lewisville, and was wandering around for a bit, but needed to drop off the soul stone. I should be able to figure it out once we are there. It couldn't have changed that much.”
Yun reminds us that Lewisville was once part of the continent, where a major military base had been, complete with Shipyards and army contingent. A Magical academy had also been located there. A good part was lost to history, but it was often said by the survivors that the dragons had done it to spite the rest of the world, before the dragons themselves disappeared.
Hopefully we would be able to find that soul stone in Davenport, Meet up with the legion, and maybe even get the portal working in the Dog's breakfast. If we were going to take on the Othertoe and their big bad boss, we would need all the help we could get.
Chapter 40: Congealing Slime.
I look upon the faces of the dead I once again failed to protect, and they glare back. Lifeless eyes stare back at me, accusatory expressions clear on the bloating faces. I can hear their hounding inquiries. “Why didn't you save us?” “What good did you do?” “Will my family ever know what happened?” No matter which way I turned, I could see them surrounding me. I failed them. Water fills up my throat as something drags me away, but my only concern is the dead. As I wake up, To'Li's eyes among the dead's are burned into my memory.
The haunting nightmare flung me into a sitting position, panting. The blankets the make up what could only be called a nest had been scattered to every corner of the room. So awake that I knew I would not sleep anymore this night, even with no knowledge of what time it was . Getting up, I start moving around the inside of the pillow fort. I had no destination, just a requirement to move away. Trying to keep the noise down I fled my room. It was not a long journey, and when I did stop, I was not surprised at where my mind had taken me.
Every time I had put up this magical shelter a single door had appeared. Some times the appearance would change and tonight it sat at the end of a short hallway, plain and solid. A rope hung from a hook on either door post. While the door had not been opened in some time, I know that the contents within had increased. Something had to be done about it. I could not deal with the interior alone. Our group was also facing problems that we could not hope to solve ourselves. Leaving the tent, I started my search for something to write messages with.
I needed to let proper people know why events had happened recently, but I also had to be careful about what I said. While I didn't need to stay in this town forever, I would also wish to be allowed to leave. After a few rough drafts in my head, I finally put down a message in ink.
Dearest Mayor
You have slavers PLAUGING your fair city. While attempting to save some of your citizens they were killed by a caster working for the slavers. Some slavers got away and some city guards were found to be in league with them. A slaver leader will be arriving soon by boat. The temple of Kusco has been infiltrated by the slavers. The goal is to investigate and stop them for operating here. An attempt was made to take one alive, but that one was killed by the same caster. While a city guard was killed in this attack, it was not intended to be the outcome. Be careful who you trust with this information.
Your Visiting Legion Legend.
I made two more copies of the note, one to the Captain of the Guard and one to the leader of the temple of Kusco. I worded it very carefully, trying to not actually admit blame. It all but said that the death of the city guard had been our fault, but I also didn't say anyone was working with me. I could not let the indecent go without explanation and needed to say something. I also hoped that the clue I had put in would allow the recipients to remember me in better light.
While writing out the other two copies, I showed Melfina, Marda and Geno. Yun didn't really seem to care, and I doubted the turtle could read. Those I showed seemed to approve, so now all I had to do was try to get them delivered. Marda and Geno had been talking over one of her swords, and by the time I had finished the third copy, theconversation was done. Announcing she would like to take a walk, I ask Marda to hire some messengers while she is out. We need those messages delivered somehow, but I do worry about her being out alone with everything going on.
Melfina pulls my thoughts away, telling me she would like to contact Dani. She also asks if I would like to talk with Max or Leona. While I do want to talk with them, I don't want to have Melfina use all her energy like yesterday. If we have to get into a fight today, I want to make sure we have whatever spells she would need. “Contact Dani first, and if we have time and energy, we can talk to Max later. He wouldn't be happy about us waking him up now anyway.”
Casting her spell, Melfina talks into the Air like normal. “Are you safe, and do you need our aid. We can come help now.” There was a pause while she waited for the response. There must have been something, as her eyes focused on a far wall for just a few moments. “Dani says she is fine now, but something seems a bit off. She says she will meet us at the Graveyard.”
Opening my mouth to ask When we should meet, explosions started outside. Every single one of us stopped moving and looked at each other. Grabbing packs, weapons and instruments, we were about to rush outside when objects started thudding against the roof. We all paused and looked up at the ceiling like scarred animals for just a few moments, when Marda came back in, angry and covered in mud.
Wiping away some of the mud, we managed to hear “I think there is some sort of festival starting,” over the sound of the explosions outside. While not completely covered in mud, enough had gotten on her to require cleaning. “I managed to get some couriers for your letters Druss, but the rest of my walk is ruined.”
Thanking her for that at least, We look at each other for direction when Yun starts, “it seems there is a Mud festival. Going on today, and mud is launched into the sky every 3 hours in celebration of-”
“This town is stupid” Marda interrupts the rest of whatever Yun was going to say. I may have to agree with her. Festivals are all well and good, but who celebrates Mud? And who in their right mind launches globs of wet dirt into the sky to fall where ever the wind would take it.
Deciding to Head to the graveyard once the raining mud abates, we wait and look around the outpost. Finding some umbrellas, we grab them. Once the explosions stopped, we waited a few more minutes and started out for our meeting. Mud was everywhere outside, some of it been colored to be red, blue and green. The graveyard was not far from the sanctuary outpost s oit was thankfully a short walk. I held an umbrella as close to my head as possible, in an attempt to hide myself, although it would have taken a lot more to hide all of me. All in all I probably would have stood out more. A towering figure hiding under an umbrella with a cloak, giant axe and my tail. With the entrance gate for the graveyard just ahead, I started looking for Dani. With Melfina and Marda leading the way I could keep my head on a swivel for the bard, or trouble.
I saw the trip wire just at the last second, but was unable to say anything before the ladies set it off. No arrows flew from hidden traps, no logs fell or pits opened. I was about to question if it had been a spiderweb stretched across the path when a mausoleum nearby started to open, and Dani's head poked out. There was something different about her, but she quickly beckoned us over and inside. With all of us shuffling over and inside, I didn't look at her again until the mausoleum had closed.
Whatever greeting I had for her was completely lost from shock. A long angry wound, recently healed, ran across her face, and her shoulder was wrapped up in a bandage, tied off in the stump that had been her left arm. The wound was a line from the right ear, down to the left side of her chin. Following the same path, the wound continued across her collar bone, directly in line to where her arm should have been.
Melfina was the first to speak “Bloody Wings Dani, you look terrible! Do you need Healing?” She asked what I was going to anyway. “What happened?!”
She did look a bit pale, but while the trauma was still new to her body, it did appear to have been healed somewhat. Magic had obviously been used at some lower level of skill. I'm not sure what was worse for me. Knowing that I couldn't do anything more for her, or knowing what she was going through right now. My right arm started to itch a little. “We got into a fight with one of the local leaders,” Dani started. “There was a caster present. They looked a little burnt, but they still had some strength left in them. Did this to me before we killed them.” Melfina and I shared a look. “Oh! Were you the reason for the crispy look? Well thank you for the chance to finish the job for you.” She said it in a joking tone, but I was still hurt by the knowledge that I could have spared her this pain. We started going down a flight of stairs into some sort of chamber under ground.
“Either way,” Dani continued, “I am seeing a specialist on this soon, so there isn't really anything you can do. My accordion playing days may be behind me now. That was my favorite.”
I wanted to tell her it was going to be OK, but I knew plenty of people who felt different about it once they suffered an injury like that. I did want to help support her, I just didn't know how right now. A chamber had been placed after the short flight of steps, and a tunnel had been carved from the far wall. She continued to talk as we went through tunnel after tunnel. While they had managed to kill the caster, none of her bards were truly fighters. The Leader had kept a dozen tough bodyguards with him, which had quickly over powered the bards, and caused many injuries, and a few deaths. The location of the fight had been an adult entertainment club, called the Dusty Fox. Tailoring to unusual tastes, it was now a smoldering ruin, and the leader, one Jonas Gillespie, was now in the wind.
After all the winding tunnels, we find ourselves in a large room, occupied by a good amount of injured and resting people. All the health potions they could obtain had been used, and those wounded who could have been saved had been. There were others missing limbs. Eyes. I reminded myself that these people were information brokers. Intelligence gatherers. Vital to any operation. We had been the fighters. And We had failed to save anyone. I could see my daughters eyes again.
No. That style of thinking wasn't going to help anything. I couldn't heal anyone here, I had to do something else. Looking around, a large table occupied the center of the room, papers and notes scattered across it. I tried looking at it, but couldn't make heads or tails of anything. I needed to see something, look across the terrain to understand it. Calling Yun over, I asked them to take a look. It only took a matter of seconds for information to start coming forth.
Jonas Gillespie, seemingly frail, elderly gentleman. Human, an accountant who dealt with societies elite. Also deals with less reputable people, He frequents perverse establishments, that make Dem Falic' look like a child's daycare. His group of body guards all tower above him, with a smattering of muscles for brains. A few Goliaths, Half-Orcs, even a Bugbear. Makes him the smartest by far, so he doesn't have to be tough. He has money for that. He just needs them to do as they are told. Yun's assessment was thorough, but with the destruction of the Dusty Fox, the undertow has temporarily lost track of Jonas. Something else tweaked the back of my mind. Wasn't the Accountant's guild leader a suspect for corruption in Cherwood?
Melfina was looking to find another solution to Jonas' location, asking if anyone had been able to wound Jonas, maybe keeping some of the blood. Directed to find the Grave keeper here, we are pointed towards the back of the chamber where a tall Tabaxi was looking after one of the injured.
“Hello,”Melfina started, “We were told to ask you about blood.” It was one of the best conversation starters I had heard in a while.
“Whose blood would that be? Blood can be pretty powerful you know.” The Tabaxi turned around, shimmering silver-gray fur and emerald eyes. “Although judging from the symbols you are wearing I would say you are very much aware of the significance. I am Masika, the Grave keeper here.”
Now that she had turned around, I could see that Masika also had a holy symbol of Solvene. She had a lighter tunic on, and no armor at this time. The piercing emerald eyes had focused on Melfina as if she were the only object in the room. “There were a few people who didn't make it, and I just finished with the burials. I would prefer to not have to disturb their peace. After all, that is my job. To make sure the dead stay that way. Once someone is taken, that is the end for them.”
“Don't tell that to the big one over there,” Melfina gestures at me, “I have had to save him more and more. No, we are looking for blood of Jonas Gillespie. If there is enough, We may be able to find him and bring him to justice.”
“Well, let me see what I can help you with.” She started towards me, grabbing her holy symbol. Raising her hand, I was about to defend myself when a lightning quick paw came and bopped me on the top of the head. With a strange feeling, like someone had spilled an egg on me, she gave me a quick smile. “There. That should keep you alive for the next eight hours. Should you take a killing blow, Solvene will spare you once, although the wound will still hurt quite a bit. I would recommend you not get hit at all either way.” Walking over to a pile of damaged weapons, she rummaged around for a time, finally pulling out an arrow. “The arrow struck Jonas, and was pulled out before he made a getaway, but I don't know how much good it will do for you. There isn't that much blood on it.”
“As for other things I can do for you, I know what you fight for, and I support it. If you need a body to disappear, this would be the place for it. I had to do it in the past for other organizations, and experience shows that it works well. Perfect place to do it. Also, if you need a place to hide, you can stay here for a short time. Not the best conditions, but it will work in a pinch.”
Hearing this, I had a question. “Are there Tunnels under the city we could use to get here?”
“Yes. There are.” Yun called from the table. “In fact, there are a good amount as long as you know where they are. Some may fill with water though, depending on the time of day, which we would have to be wary of.” He held up a list of names, “We should try the next club Jonas frequents, scout it out and find out if anyone has seen him around. It's called the Creaky Hinges. But we will need to go unnoticed.”
“I can help with that.” Dani called. Reaching up, she too bopped me on the top of the head, although it was followed by a quick gentle caress. I noticed nothing at first, although most of the group had a appreciating look now. Trying to figure out what had been done, I look down and find that my arms had a funny coating on them, see through and weightless. Screwing up my eyes, I could see that some sort of illusion had been placed on me, making me look Human. “Not a bad look there Hun,” Dani said. Fishing around in her pocket, she handed Marda a coin. “This will cast the same spell on him for later should you need it. They will both last eight hours as well.” With a weary look in her eyes, she turned to look after her people as we gathered our things to leave.
Melfina had found time to change into a green tunic, which looked slightly rumpled, probably from the bottom of Marda's pack. Yun had changed too, into an older man, yet one still quite attractive, judging from the looks he was getting from the other bards in the chamber. A large shirt flared open at the neck to reveal half a well built chest. An outer coat made of light material had a wide collar, and loose trousers of the same material stretched down over the tops of his shoes. He had placed his flute within the coat, inside a leather case for it, allowing for easy access. Making sure we have everything, we head out into the tunnels with a general idea of where to find the Creaky Hinges. Luckily, we were able to find our way there with no flooded passages, and no slavers lurking underground. With an access hatch close by, we didn't have to go on a main street once.
Not that this place would have been on a main street. I am not sure I would call it a side street either. A narrow alley, overhung by nearby buildings, had very few people on it. No one made eye contact with anyone else, A sign hung above one of the entrances, with a coat of paint on some of it that must have been applied within the last few years. The wood of the sign must have been almost as old as I was however. Complete with a set of rusting hinges, which creaked in the slight breeze down the corridor. It reminded me slightly of a door that had simply been kicked off of a decrepit building, taking some of the frame with it. We still had to go take a look, and Yun lead the way inside.
A band played somewhere, some sort of brass instrument with low punctuating notes, accompanied mostly by a drum. Some sort of stringed instrument was trying to keep pace, but mostly failing. It was obvious that the music didn't really have any heart in it. The whole establishment had the same feel. The doorman charged us 6 silver each with a bored voice. A long table with a rumpled and dusty tablecloth had a variety of food coated in different stages of congealment. Small stages held performers of various races and genders, mostly all aged, some older than me probably. Even at this early hour some of the patrons were sitting, seemingly enjoying a show. I felt immediately disgusted and out of place.
While I had been a visitor to Dem Falic', I had never wanted much attention in that aspect of life. Most of the time other races had never really peaked my interest either, and while I didn't find them ugly, there were many occasions where certain aspects considered beautiful were completely missed by me. There had been exceptions, like the way Dani had struck me on that first night we met her. And that one summer I had taken ten days of leave from the army...
Currently however, seeing the various performers dancing, mostly, I was trying to find how people found this attractive. I came to realize it was more a case of befuddled discomfort. I had a slimy feeling come over me, as if I had been covered by some of the congealed creamed potatoes I saw on yonder table. Realizing that the others had spread out a little, I join Geno at a nearby table,which happened to be closest to the buffet table. With the odd smells in this establishment, I would rather know what has spoiled already, and if Geno wanted to eat it, that was his prerogative.
Looking to see who else was here, I saw them at the same time Yun did. Twelve large, armed brutes, looking like they were trying to make a wall of meat. Unfortunately for them the way their stage was set up, anyone could see who they were surrounding. In a private seat, clearly made to display the occupant to the rest of the club, was a pudgy older human, with a hooked nose, beady eyes, and hair slicked back by something that had once occupied the buffet table.
Jonas Gillespie was sitting watching a stage that had an older goblin woman on it, doing her best to dance. She was so incredibly pregnant, I was certain by the end of the song there would be two goblins on that stage. Yun must have seen Jonas before I had, for the form of the elderly man started towards the group of bodyguards. Already sitting, the only thing I could do was watch out for Yun, make sure trouble didn't arise in the middle of that pack. Melfina had foreseen such a possibility, as she followed Yun over, stopping in the middle of the pack of muscle.
It was hard to concentrate in that place. With the dancing performers, I was always seeing movement out of the corner of my eye. Without the familiarity, I found myself looking to every corner, like some jumpy rodent. With the distractions, and the bodyguards in the way, it was difficult to keep Yun and Jonas in my vision to see what they were talking about. Yun seemed to be trying to convince Jonas they were some sort of acquaintances from the past.
Whatever was said, Yun's charm was on point, as a seat was granted. A smirk had appeared on Jonas' face, similar to one that would appear on a child right before they smashed an ant under a boot. I could see Yun call for drinks, and offer Jonas one, only for the smarmy bastard's reply that he does not have Vices. I'm not sure what he would call all this around him, but I didn't have much time to ponder on that. Yun was looking directly at me beckoning me over with a waving hand.
“Richard! Come over here darling!” Yun was calling. I guess this was supposed to be my name now. “Jonas, you could spend some time with Richard here! He is willing enough.” I think Yun was trying to offer my 'willing services' to this sleaze ball, and I was allowed to approach. With only a glance at me however, Jonas waved me off.
“No, I don't like Virgins anymore. They don't properly know what to do.” Jonas offhandedly said, his voice oily, and vile. “If this is the best you have-”
“I assure you my good man,” interjected Yun, “I have more back at my place, but I did bring another. She is into all sorts of things. Selene! Come here girl, and hurry! Snap to it!” He beckoned at Marda, who had been lurking nearby, close enough to be there in a pinch. 'Selene' came over, but by not means did she snap to it. More like a cat who was approaching a stranger. “Come now Selene, and show this man what you like to do. Spit in my mouth!” and Yun opened his mouth. His wasn't the only one. Mine opened in astonishment, along with a couple of the guards. Marda missed a step too, as the cat like grace was turned into the movement of a new born puppy. She was obviously hesitant, as she had stopped a few feet away,
Jonas chuckled. “Well, I see what you are offering, but let me show you what I already Have.”
He pointed at the performer on stage, the goblin who had studiously stayed dancing, and Nothing more. She was Definitely not paying attention, or even looking at us. Without looking Jonas commanded “Piss.” The single word from Jonas' mouth was a command to a hound, and the goblin woman simply stopped in place, squatted, and urinated on the stage.
The foul, horrid command uttered from Jonas left a putrid smile on his face, and I could see he was taking pleasure in it. This man only wanted one thing, and now I knew why he had so many bodyguards. Power. He took pleasure in power. Not having any himself, he could exude his power over others. Performers, bodyguards, probably even business contacts.
Marda had stopped between Yun and Jonas, and now the odious man ran a finger up the inside of her legs. When She recoiled, he laughed. “No, you definitely don't have what I am looking for. Maybe if they were younger.” Getting up, Jonas made a move to leave.
If my own rage was any indication, I'm surprised Marda had not simply killed him right there. I had to struggle to keep from drawing my axe. A brief thought of smoke rising from my nostrils floated through my thoughts, but I didn't really care if smoke was rising from thin air a few inches in front of my face. This guy was not leaving the room on his own.
“If you come back to my place I can show you even more,” pleaded Yun. They were clearly trying to not engage this guy in public, but it was past that.
“No, you entertained me for a few minutes, but now you are annoying me. I don't like that.” Jonas looked to his guards. “Get rid of the evidence when you are done.”
Absolute bedlam broke out. Yun and Marda had been enclosed, but Melfina was nearby. Yun and Marda were set upon by multiple brutes, all armed with longswords. The sheer number of them would have overpowered any master swordsman. My two allies took some hits, especially when Yun tried to get away from them, running over to where Geno had been sitting. With Yun's breakout of the group, Marda found the opening she needed, and became the familiar tiny typhoon of death, killing two of the attackers, seriously injuring two more.
Geno had blurred into motion as is his trademark, but as he came face to face with Jonas, their eyes locked for just a split second and Geno simply stopped in place. I could tell something was wrong and Geno fell to the ground, not moving. Completely ignoring me, the guards start moving towards Melfina when she started to slowly emanate a pulsing red energy. Taking her dagger across her throat, the crimson color pulled onto the blade, and with a shout, flings it at Jonas. Necrotic energy swims past me, pulling at every living essence in the room, hitting Jonas in the middle of the shoulder blades.
An Inhuman howl of anguish, cowardly and feral was loosed from Jonas' throat and his form shifted as he turned around. A large bipedal jackal-like being was standing where the portly man had been. Skinny and sickly, it was bleeding from a gruesome gash that wound from the mid back, up over the shoulder, and down the left side of the chest. Nostrils oozing snot and blood, the creature looked grisly, and barely able to stand.
The spectere appeared in the wake of the spell, as if death had chosen to come finish the job. Stretching out a hand, the air crackled with ice from a blast of cold, barreling into Jonas, knocking him back a few steps. The muzzle which had been dripping mucus and blood was now covered in red ice, as was his chest. The spectere then went over to Geno, appearing to bend over him to consume his soul. My goblin friend awoke with a start, and didn't quite realize who had awoken him.
Jonas' bodyguards were dumb stuck for only an instant, then attacked again with a wanton lust for destruction. As they tried to hit her, Melfina simply kicked a sword back into its scabbard as the Goliath in front of her tried to unsheathe it. I had yet to pull the axe from my back, leaving it in the illusion, but I did still have my armor on. I had yet to fix the damaged portion in my armor however, and the wound was opened again as a sword found the opening. I was not about to let that bother me.
This vile slug had my full attention, and I was not about to let his transgressions go. I blew past my assailant with a touch of natural magic, I drew my axe while I charged Jonas. As I got to him, I didn't swing the axe, simply using the haft as a ram, and lodged it squarely in his gut, knocking the wind out of him. I wanted, no needed to kill him, but we required information out of him. As he collapsed on the ground, unconscious, I fully prepared myself to keep him alive, but he didn't need to move. Stepping over the prone body, I turned and called, malice in my voice, “'Fina, Harvest their blood!”
Whipping her knife out, the chain stretched out towards her opponent. As it connected a thunderclap reverberated out from the contact, and the body of the struck guard was flung several feet away, lifeless. With a shrill shout from Yun, they pointed at an approaching enemy, who staggered to a stop. Their form began to get fuzzy, and I thought at first Yun had cast something to change their shape or form, but then dust began to fall from the now still, standing form. The body began to fall, but nothing hit the ground other than the cape the guard had been wearing. There was simply a fine pile of dust where they had stood.
Geno got into the fray and death danced in the club. Marda was injured badly, and Yun was not in good shape either, with several deep wounds. I had pulled the bow out, standing over the unmoving form of Jonas while trying to help out. The spectere had simply ripped two of the guards in half, one on each side of Melfina. We healed up the worse of the wounds we had sustained, and looked over Jonas, to make sure he was still able to give us information. Placing the magical shackles on our captive and binding his feet, I picked him up off the floor and threw him over my shoulder. Needing to leave the club, Yun turned my prisoner and I invisible, and we all made our way outside.
Mud was falling from the sky again, which may have slowed any reaction from the city guard. With all the celebrating, and yelling, only a few people seemed to have realized something was wrong in the club. Putting up on of the umbrellas to keep the mud off, we made our way back to the tunnel entrance. The red mud seemed to help a bit, as Melfina was once again in here natural color, blood red. It looked like she had simply swam in red mud. No one seemed to notice the mud slowly collecting on my invisible umbrella, and Marda was smart enough to jump on my footprints, acting like a child playing in the mud puddles.
Getting back to the tunnel entrance, we come to the problem of needing to climb down a ladder into the dark bellow, but I can't fit with my passenger. With Melfina and Geno waiting below, I am forced to drop him down. Feet hitting the ladder, the limp body turns head first, and cracks into the ground. Melfina makes sure he will live, and as we all get down, we find our route blocked by rising water. Not wanting to chance discovery by the city guards, Geno declares he can help us breathe underwater. Waiting long enough for a short ritual, the air suddenly feels thinner as I breathe it in, but otherwise there is no difficulty. Wading into the cold water once again, we take our captive back to get some proper answers.
Chapter 39. The No Good Very Bad Rescue
Injured from the fight, with more opponents possibly mere moments away, we needed to do something. I had stopped the flow of blood, but I could still feel the damage that had been done from that large brute. Turning to the chained captives, I call out to Yun and Geno to help me. As they pull out lock picks, I examine how the captives are bound. I single long chain goes trough all the shackles they are bound by, then each individual are cuffed. With no time for finesse, and not caring what they may think of me, I simply raise my axe, bringing it down onto the chain. The magically glowing blade cuts through the chain like butter. Just as Yun releases on set of wrists, the whole chain falls, and the captives are longer restrained to the wall. Hoping that would allow them a better chance at life, I turn around to find the new arrivals starting their attack.
A large man leads them, bald. Brutish and hefting a large Greataxe. An overgrown lumber axe, the blade is simply massive, and it looks like it wouldn't be balanced very well, but as we start our dance he proves able enough to use it. I hear the familiar high pitched sizzle whiz through the air, and feel the concussive blast in the hallway beyond where the incoming combatants are bunched up, waiting to get through.
A chaotic melee breaks out as Marda and I flank the entrance. I try to interpose myself between the axe wielding slaver, and the captives trying to meld into the wall behind me. Pulling from the energy within, I try to quicken my movement and strikes, but it still isn't enough to always get through my opponents defenses. From the corner of my eye I see a small blue ball similar to what Yun had just produced spear into the center of the room.
An explosion of lightning lit up the chamber, and horrible shocking pain wracked through my body. I could hear screaming come from behind and around me. MY vision filled with stars for a split second, and my hands cramped up, clenching down my the haft of my axe. Jaw forcefully clamped closed, I was finally allowed to breathe again as it had seemed like it was days since I could. I had only the time for a glance to look to see if any one was down before I had to concentrate on fighting for my life again,
Mikey charging in helped, goring and rending with his horns, Geno right behind him with the flail. The two of them stood at the front of the enemy group, holding the flood from getting through Steam streaming from Mikey's nostrils, light dancing and gleaming for grease stains. The four of us against the four slavers in the front. Melfina's prayers were heard behind us, then a horrible screeching buzz came from the hallway, where more screams were quickly drowned out. Flickers dots, tiny a quick would sometimes dart from around the corner behind my foe. The feel of a surgeons needle appears on my side where I had taken a blow. Melfina must have thrown some magic my way, my skin knitting back together, stretching under the scales uncomfortably.
Blocking a blow from the blade of the axe, I riposted, leaving a slice in the half plate armor in the slavers armor, but it left me open as the back end of the axe, a solid square of metal came and landed at the base of my neck, removing feeling from the area. Pushing past me, the armored hulk made a move to leave, but Geno's flail came down on the bald head from behind, caving it in, and the body simply dropped, coloring the water red.
I could see a short way into the hallway now that there wasn't someone trying to actively kill me, and I could see slavers, men, being bitten and eaten by insects as they stand or fall. The small bugs were either all white, or all black, and had long sharp legs, long pincers like a mantis, and were hacking away at any exposed surface. Skin and clothing alike. Needing to look away, I glanced back to see how the captives were faring. Faces of terror and pain met my gaze. Eyes open and accusatory they were all dead, killed by the explosion of lightning that had hit everyone else. Wrenching my head back, I turned just in time to see the thug that had somehow survived slip up and stab between the plates of my armor in my side. Falling, I started to feel numb. Feeling like I had been up for days on end, I just wanted to close my eyes. The water under me was easing the weight on my body, and I let my axe go. I let my head down, resting on my chest. I think a little nap right now would be fine. That way I can play with To'Li when she wakes up in the morning.
My body hurts. I can feel the water moving around me and my body is trying to move against gravity again, opening my eyes, I find that combat has just ended. The captives were all dead, still against the wall. No longer can I hear the buzzing of the insects summoned by Melfina. Geno and Mikey were no longer next to me, but I can hear Metal rubbing against Metal, which should be Mikey. We have lost all our leads here. Lost the people we were supposed to save, lost the prisoners we were going to question. Scrambling to find something, I start looking at the first body I can find, it's the man in Half plate armor that I had been fighting. I knew that the others were leaving, and I hurt, oh gods did I hurt, but I needed something to make any of this worth it. Going through the pockets and belongings, I find a pouch with naught but platinum coins, and a set of keys.
A cold blast hit all around the chamber, ice leaving a fine glaze across everything. As the water started to break, I couldn't feel my limbs again, but I knew I was still alive. A cold burning feeling was still there, and the Need to find something made me keep going. I saw Melfina run into the hallway, presumably after the rest of the group, and I knew I couldn't stay that much longer. Too late, I was aware of someone behind me, and I suddenly felt so very tired, only wanting to sleep. Closing my eyes, I fell face first into the water.
Water filling my mouth, a sharp pain in the back of my head. and someone pulling my ankle, I wake once again. Flailing around a bit, I look up to find Melfina looking worriedly at me. Shooting glances at the corner, I notice we are in the hallway now, with dozens of horrid bugs, dead, floating on the top, slowly disintegrating. Standing up, Angered at the outcome of this excursion, I poke my head around the corner and see a horned humanoid figure in robes standing in the corner. Knowing that figure had not been there before, and knowing the others would be here were they a friend, I opened my mouth and let a roaring torrent of fire loose. Turning, I then used the last of my energy, and speed up my movement like I had before, simply to leave. Thanking Melfina on the way out, she started moving too, her whole image blurring like it had several times before. I knew she would be able to catch up, so I kept moving, quickly out of breath. Hearing shouting up ahead, Marda was calling us, telling us that she had caught the other two idiots up here.
Trying to keep moving, Melfina ran past me, to fast to make out much, but for the fact that she had what looked to be Geno under her arm. I paused for a pace, not quite sure what to make of that, but I knew I had to keep up. She had come back for me, and I needed to prove still worthy of her companionship. With the last of my energy, I Stepped forward, magically moving sixty feet forward to the turn in the hallway, to find Marda engaged with the guard that had been at the entrance of the tunnel. Two other men, slaver thugs, lay in the water, bleeding out. With all the moment, and energy my tired body could muster, I swung my axe into that last man, knowing him to be a conspirator in slavery. Blood already seeping from his eyes, nose and ears, the blade hits him in the chest, sinking in, and I quickly hit him again. My arms leaden, I would have hit him again if I could have, but the body curls upon itself, gurgling noise coming from the hole in his chest and his mouth. With the urgent need to leave, we head out into the streets.
A this late hour there were not many people out, but still more than I would have liked. Mikey was with us, and we were covered in blood. Geno solved the problem of Mikey by making him invisible again. Melfina relayed the message from the spectere that the caster had gotten away and that caused quite a bit of problems. Apologizing for staying behind, I explained that I had simply wanted something to clue us in on our next step, My voice weary and hopeless. I knew it would do no good now if I gave up, and morale would be important. With my head on a swivel, I finally noticed that Yun wasn't with us. With a bit of alarm, I asked where they were, to find Yun had left the tunnels altogether, and we were not really sure where they were. Gathering her strength, Melfina cast her spell to talk with others.
“Where the hell are you, we killed what we could, Heading to Madam Curie's.” after a short pause, she tells us he went to find Max for Help. I was upset at first, as I didn't want to take anything away from protecting To'Li, But I knew it was a good call. In the shape we were in, another fight would be a big problem. We needed a fresh fighter.
The series of cottages that was Madam Curie's was in view when Max and Yun came caught up with us. He was looking around, paying better attention than I was. Approaching us looking concerned, I simply looked at him. “We couldn't save any of them. Not a one.” He didn't say anything, just handed Melfina his giant Mace, and engulfed me In a great big hug. Hanging onto my arm, he put it over his massive shoulders and supported me, grabbing his Mace back, and simply walked me to our cabin.
“What do we know anymore?” I ask no one in particular. More thinking out loud, but I'm nearly too tired to do that. “The slavers no longer have their 'Shipment', so they have nothing to guard anymore. The caster got away, so they know what we look like and it will be easier to find us. We don't know where anymore of their network is hiding, so we can't follow them. And we have no idea who their boss is, and it could be anyone.” So much for staying quiet for morale.
Forced to leave Mikey outside, we all gather in the room together, now rather cramped as everyone is here. Asking Max to set up the tent, he takes it with a remembering smile. He sets it up and we head inside.
The interior of Max's pillow fort is very similar to His fathers. A large pillowed trunk spires up to the ceiling in the middle, with seating set into the floor around it, like a meeting pool. Hot chocolate sits on the flat but pillowed Various branching rooms lead away from the center, but each one had a different architecture style. Great sweeping pillow arches in one room, with a vaulted ceiling. Fancy embroidery and curved pillow windows for another room. One was simple 4 quilted walls, spartan and minimal in construction. Sitting in the middle, I tell everyone that all I could find was a very well made axe, which I left behind, a bag of platinum, and some keys. Remembering that we also still had nails from the mysterious engineer stand in, we could follow up on that, but we had a dead guard and were covered in blood. Not needing to be here anymore, Max lets us know that if we need them too, he and Leona could maybe come up with something to let us slip out of the city, but otherwise, he would get back and watch over my Daughters. Giving him another hug, and thanking him, I see him out. With us all tired, we decide on who is taking what watch, and head to get some rest. Stripping out of my sodden gear, and leaving it where it lay, I crawl into a bed, head touching the pillow as I fall asleep. On purpose thank you.
Once again I wake up to Melfina hovering over me. Telling me that some guards are looking around the other huts, I should get ready. My body ached, which told me it could have been between 5 minutes and 5 days. Deciding together that we should stay in here, we move to get closer to the entrance. Finding the best place to be is at the sitting area in the center, I am tempted to grab a mug of hot chocolate. After a few minutes of waiting, the temptation grew to great. Grabbing on of the ever steaming mugs, I move to take a sip when suddenly the whole pillow fort shakes While most of the liquid had stayed in the cup, a large wet stain was now spreading across my chest, and a couple star shaped marshmallows, courtesy of Max's whimsy, where sticking to my already dirty vest.
With a frown on my face, I look up to see Melfina grinning slightly. “Yes. Ha ha, that was funny. You think we should check on that?” I ask. We decide to wait for just a few moments more, and as we get up to check, someone comes in. an old woman in a black dress comes in with a consternated look on her face.
“It's OK,” she says. But it isn't the voice of an old woman, but Yun. “I got them to go away, but I think they saw Mikey, and I had to throw a spell at one to suggest he left. I need to make sure I keep a connection on that spell, meaning I can't sleep. We also need to move sooner than we had hoped. If the other guards decide to come back we will have trouble.”
Geno had slipped out invisibly and secreted Mikey away, and Marda had stayed in the room outside the tent, and once we had everyone back together, we tried figuring out what to do. Melfina had dedicated some of her blood to her goddess, which had given her just a bit more power to cast spells, but it have cost her blood. Now she used some of that energy to message Dani, seeing if she could help.
“Help. Guards are looking for us, we need a place to stay.” A frown appears on Melfina's face as she gets the response. Dani is busy for now, she needs a few hours before she can do anything. Resigning ourselves to wait, we settle down until we can move. Grabbing my gear, I decide to clean it as best as I can, see what needs to be done.
Tears and cuts have damaged the cloth of my vest, and I sew shut what I can. Pulling the plates out, I find more dents than I would have liked, and a long slice that would have cut open my belly have the blade been just a bit more forceful. Most of the dents would need to be done in a shop, and may even warrant replacement. The plates were still going to offer adequate protection, but it was no longer pristine. The clothing was in need of a good wash, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. A Really good wash.
We waited for a few hours, but as more time went on, we never head anything from Dani. I was able to rest a little, but didn't get any sleep. I could feel my energy come back a little, but that was more my battle energy. I could cast spells and heal, and I was even able to check on my wounds a bit, but I was still physically tired. Once six hours past, we decided we couldn't stay here anymore. With a suggestion of going to see Lenny pots at the Sanctum outpost, we gathered our things, checked to make sure it was clear, and took the side streets.
It was very early in the morning when we left. Taking two hours to get across town, we made it there in time for Yun, now back in their usual form, to collapse on the door step of the outposts shack. A small sign on the door informed us that Lenny was not here. With a little investigating, Marda found that she could open the door using the badge she had revived, showing her rank with the sanctum. A rune appeared, then vanished with a click of a lock, and the door was open for us. Getting inside, we half carry Yun with us, and have to twist Mikey's head to get the horns through. As Tired as I am, I tell everyone I'm not sure if I can set the tent up, but I will try anyway. It takes a couple of tries, but thoughts of To'Li let me get the tent up. I really hope they didn't follow Max back. I can't let her get involved in this.
Worried about Dani, Melfina send another message to her. “We found another safe house are you OK, we have not heard from you.” after only a slight pause she turns to us. “Dani is dealing with more slavers.” turning away again, she casts. “We are not in a condition to help at this time, is it an emergency?” Turning to us again, she fills us in. The Slavers are still coming into town, the boss is still going to come. They think they will be OK for now.”
I don't really like the sound of it, and ask if I should go look for them, but as I say it I know it's ludicrous. I can't go by myself, and the shape I';m in would be more of a detriment. The others agree, and we decide not to even take watches in here. With the magical lock on the door, we all go to our rooms, the normal ones I had imagined for them. I find the now familiar nest in my room as take great comfort in it. Covering up in blankets and pillows, I drift back to sleep, body aching, and try to figure out who we could talk to in town to clear our names. We did save the town from the infection. Maybe we could send a message to the mayor, or the captain of the guard. They might remember us. Otherwise we may be in trouble.
Chapter 38 New faces and Old Friends
I ended up following the third slaver for more time than I had wanted. He led me through the city a few times, circling back and riding through the same places. I didn't know the city very well, and each time I thought I would be able to take a shortcut I ended up in a dead end alley. Each time I thought I was getting the hang of the city I found a place that didn't look quite right. I was trying to avoid alleys all together, knowing that I was alone, possibly on the run. If I got cornered I should be able to get out of it, either by running or fighting, but that could cause more problems. I had noticed that people were starting to follow me. Types of people who had no problem cutting a purse or person. I am guessing the fact that I was armed and could handle myself was keeping them at bay.
After a couple hours I got a message from Melfina. “Druss, the man is awake, and we need to question him, when do you think you will be here?”
It was still a bit weird to just randomly hear her voice so casually in my head. It tripped me up just a bit. Responding back to her I said “Still tracking last man. I'll be back as soon I this guy looses me.” That wasn't going to be long either. I hadn't lost him yet, but as he was on horseback, I didn't think I could keep up much longer. In the brief time that I had been distracted, he had somehow managed to get around a corner, past where I could see him, onto a street that didn't have too many people on it. It was only a few more turns before I needed to try another route to keep up. Turning down a wider alley, I find it not only empty, but also blocked off, another dead end. Now, I had no possibility of catching up, and I turned to find my way to Madam Curie's Inn.
I found a hooded figure blocking my path. The hood covered the face, and with the light behind them I couldn't see a face. I kept my eyes moving, I could see rooftops I could teleport to if I needed. Without the axe on my back, I may be under estimated, but I could simply summon it. As long as I wasn't instantly incapacitated, I could get by whoever this was. I didn't move at all. I didn't want to be aggressive, but I needed to be able to spring into motion if needed.
We spent some time looking at each other, seconds that seemed like hours. With no movement from the figure I opened my mouth. “Can I help you?” I ask.
“Hello lover.” A red tail pokes out from under the hooded cloak as the hood comes down, revealing the face of Danarei Milos, wanted criminal, Bard extraordinaire, and old flame. What was she doing here? Last I heard she was heading to the other continent and Terrytown.
I'm shocked, and rooted in place. “What are you doing here? I thought you were heading across the Ocean!”
“I'm Here looking into some slavers. We are going to call them The Clan by the way. Calling them the Bad undertow was clumsy and awkward. Making a new name for them made taking about them easier. They seemed to have taken a Gorgon from the temple of Kusco. I believe your friend was keeping that Gorgon? Anyway, I'm back here because they needed me, and there are more interesting people here. My associates told me there were some interesting people here in town, like a one armed Dragonborn. I need to make it down to Davenport soon, to figure out what is going on there. Besides, aren't you happy to see me?”
The emotions that I had felt all those months ago when she had left were coming back, but in a duller sense. I now loved another woman, and more deeply than I had felt for Dani. “Of course I am. But my Girlfriend means a great deal to me, and My egg makes things a bit complicated.” I knew Bellia loved me back, but she had always made it clear that her work was just as important, and I supported her with that.
“An egg! MY! You have been busy!” She exclaimed. “Where is everyone else? I would love to see them?”
A thought popped into my head. I have seen people change into other things, turn invisible, and all manner of other magics that I wouldn't have seen had I stayed at home. In a strange town, where I know I am being watched, possibly wanted by the guard. While this could be Dani, and I really want it to be, it could be someone else and I need to be careful. “Well, we were at the Three Rivers Inn, but there are some special circumstances that we have had to move. I'm not sure where they are right now. I was following a third 'Clan' Member after the fight. But you can communicate with Melfina right?”
“Sure Honey, I can do that” I hear in my head. “Melfina's voice can be really creepy when she sends messages though.” She finishes out loud.
“Where are you located?” I ask Maybe they would have a better location than an Inn.
“We are downtown, at a tailors shop.” She replies after a short pause. “I saw the new paint job at the Three Rivers. What happened there?”
“Oh that was the turtle.” I reply, as if that explained everything, which it did.
“Can I help you find them? I can't be too hard right?”
A thought occurred to me. If I could ask her questions that Dani would know it would alleviate my doubts of her identity. “Well I know they were headed to Madam Curie's. We can head there, maybe find a clue as to where they went.”
“Sounds like fun.” She offers me her arm, and after a short pause, I take it. As we walk out of the alley, arm in arm, I see her appearance change just a bit. Her demeanor changes. A glow comes to her face. She becomes more composed. Regal. It is nice to see her again.
As we walk I ask her if she has heard anything of The airship coming back into town. The ship was supposed to be following the train, and should have been able to beat us here. When Dani said she had not heard anything of the Garfunkel, I grew more worried. Bellia was on the ship. I had convinced to her to come, and I'm not sure what I would do if something happened to her. I also needed the ship to get to Davenport faster, but that wasn't nearly as important. As I ponder over what could have happened, we exchange pleasantries, and act as if we are simply out on a leisurely stroll through the markets and streets.
Reaching the Inn, we find out where the rest of the group is, and head over. Not a typical inn, more of a conglomerate of ramshackle cabins sitting next to, and in some cases, in a bog. Heading to the two story cabin where my friends are, we find that the first story of the cabin is closed off, the windows covered in slime and fungus. Moss had grown on the door and plants had started to take over the outer walls. I knew some druids that would have loved this place.
Climbing the rickety stairs, they moan and creak under my feet. Getting closer to the door, the floor suddenly stops making noise. Something is wrong. I summon my axe, and knock on the door. No sound comes from my knuckles rapping on the door. I have encountered this effect before. It may be a magical silence, but whatever it is, there may be some trouble. I back away, until I can hear the wood complain under me again. I tell my companion that I will count to five hundred, and if the effect is still there I would brake the door down. I could also use this to my advantage. I begin to ask my questions to Dani.
“Where were you after you were rescued from execution?”
A puzzled look comes over her face, like I had lost my mind. “I was with you, in Aurane's office on the second floor.” She says, slightly annoyed. I wasn't trying to remind her of that troubling time, but I needed to make sure. Didn't mean I was happy about it.
“Who is Max's dad” I ask. I remember He and Dani had a longer conversation, and was not the type of character you would quickly forget.
“Charles Korbin. Ancient Elf, retired Adventurer, and a total catch. Very knowledgeable about the moons.” Her tone had changed to a rote tone. She may have have figured out why I was asking questions.” I could have left it at that, but there was one more I wanted to ask.
“How did I loose my arm?” I said it quietly. It was not something I liked, but it was also something Dani would not have willingly given to anyone.
She paused, her eyes darting to my shoulder and back to my own. Her voice is soft when she responds. “You lost it to a clawed Demon. Your company had been hired to tack down a caster, but before you could capture him he summoned the demon, and promptly lost control of it. When it grabbed you-”
“Thank you Dani.” I said, stopping her. I didn't need to hear anymore. I had figured it was her anyway, but I had to be sure. “Well. Now we just have to get into the room.” Whispering something, and snapping her fingers, she holds up a finger, telling me to wait a second. After a few seconds, she tells me we can go in now.
Steeling myself, I stride towards the door, hefting my axe tying not to envision my friends all in trouble. I open the door, finding the small spectral hand Dani had used the open the lock. Beyond the hand were my friends, all gathered around the small man who had become such a tiny snail. Melfina had crouched over the man, with her knife slowly cutting away the inseam of his pants. And in the manacles behind the chair, he was struggling to keep as far from her as he could. Striding silently up to her, I grabbed her should and pulled her away. With a snarl, she nearly stabbed me before realizing who it was. This guy must have really pissed them off if they were going to let Melfina at him.
Why shouldn't we be mad at him? His whole organization was trying to steal people away from loved ones, and sell them into a terrible life. One where hope and happiness were taken away from them. The first time we had found these guys, they had taken my own family. I should have let Melfina at them.
I looked at the small human, with a smarmy look on his face now that no one was offering immediate injury. Even past the gag, he still thought he could control the situation. In a sudden rage, I step towards the man, his suit crumpled, crotch wet from urine, and raise my axe. The hammer head plummets down into the man's foot, crushing it into a leather and flesh pulp. The nails from the shoe's heel poking out of the mess of meat. A muffled howl started coming out of the pathetic being sitting before me. The silence that had negated all noise was gone now.
Turning away from the whimpering creature before me, the others see the Dani is with me, Melfina telling her that she looks well. I can see her looking to Marda to make sure that was an appropriate greeting. Yun and Geno introduce themselves to Dani to my relief. This way I don't have to do it myself. The bards were quite interested in each other's professional abilities. Yun was apparently known as an information broker. With introductions and greetings out of the way Dani proceeded to tell the group that these slaving scumbags were going to be referred to as the Clan from now on as using the undertow for both groups was simply too confusing to some. I agreed, although the clan was not the best either.
“Why not call them the Othertoe” Melfina said. We all simply looked at each other, and we all burst out laughing. Of course. It was the obvious name. Dani was flabbergasted that no one else had thought of it. Immediately deciding that was the new name, and all hoping that we wouldn't need to use it that long anyway, I filled Geno in that they had taken Mikey. I had not wanted to change the subject so drastically, but he had to know. While he was turning a loathing eye to the captive I gesture Melfina outside. Asking if she could contact Bellia, I waited anxiously to see if there was a response.
“Where are you? Are you safe, can we help?” She asked into the air. There was a pause as she got a response, then she was sending another message, casting it again. “No” was all she said with the second message. Turning to me, she explained. “She wanted to know if the egg has hatched yet. There were some bad storms that delayed them. They should be a week out or so.” Wow. I'm glad that they haven't crashed or anything, but it must have been a rough time on the ship. I'm glad I wasn't on it this time. Glad that they were still alive, but still worried about them we head back inside.
The captives knees had been destroyed. The damage was extensive enough I could see the bones of the legs sticking out both the thighs and the shins. Probably going into shock, he was dead. Sighing Melfina decided to prepare some spells, and I filled everyone in on how the Airship was doing. Apparently, The others had been able to get some information out of the thug before Geno cut him off at the knees. Revealing that the entrance to the Othertoe's lair was somewhere out under the Levies. When the tide comes in they sometimes have to move, but always go back in. We stood, Melfina asking what other answers we might need before going out to look for people. Discussing it, for a few minutes she turned to get ready.
Taking her holy knife out, she vertically cuts her lips. Putting her fingers up to the welling blood, she smears some on her own lips as a Lady would do with lipstick. Fingers still wet, she then smeared some across the dead man's lips. Lighting some incense, she infused some of it with blood and went around the whole room murmuring a prayer the whole time. As she completed the circle, I felt a little snap in the air, and a small compulsion on myself. It was something in the back of my mind. Like knowing that if you tried to lie to your mother it wouldn't turn out well. Sitting in front of the body, Melfina finished her prayer, and the corpse suddenly sat bolt upright, the meat of his knees shifting in a most unpleasant way. The chest expanded as one great breathe was taken, and the eyes moved to look directly at Melfina, who was sitting before the chair.
Opening her mouth, she started to ask the questions we had decided on. “How many of your compatriots are at the base?”
“We are legion.” The response came fro the corpses mouth in a rasping gurgle, as if a pair of bellows had gotten water into them. The answer was obviously deceitful, as they couldn't have nearly that many. My guess would be no more than ten, but they had also grabbed Mikey quickly, so there could be people informing the Othertoe when there was a new target. Thinking about that, do we include them as well? An Othertow agent could be someone posing as someone who is Helping runaways, or magic users, or just interested as magical creatures. Someone passing information off could be thinking they were helping people, when in reality they were unwittingly marking someone to be taken. Something to think about later.
“Is there a password, and if so what is it?” She asked
“Suck My dick.” Yes. There was probably a password, but it also probably wasn't that.
Moving right along, she asked the third question. “How many entrances are there?”
“One.” That probably wasn't right, as scum like these would want a way to get away, but it's hard to say.
“How many prisoners are at your base?” Melfina was showing much more patience than I would have thought was possible. Although, unless I was mistaken, she had been about to cut off something near and dear to the individual when I came in.
The body starred rocking back and forth slightly, and a odd moan began to emit from the corpse. “We have no prisoners, just livestock to sell.” He was laughing.
The faces around me all soured at the answer, and Melfina asked her last question. “Are there any traps in your lair?”
The moaning and shaking stopped with the answer, “Hundreeedssss.” and with that the body expelled the remaining air, falling still.
“Hm!” Dani snorted. “That wasn't overly helpful. Now that he isn't much use to us, the bog should prove a useful place to throw a body.” Turning to me, the rest of the room murmured acknowledgment. “Where are Max and Leona?” she asked.
“Oh, they are over at the Three Rivers Inn.” I responded casually. I was watching Marda get the manacles off the body.
“They are here in town?!” Dani exclaimed. “Why did you bring them here? You know they have been targeted before!”
“Leona killed a guy on the way here.” It wasn't necessarily pride that I had in my voice. It was close. Was it right of me to bring them? I had been worried that they would have been bothered at the shop, but did I deliver them to my own enemies? I had not wanted to leave Leona alone for such a long time, and Max deserves to be at whatever is happening at Davenport. I should have found out how dangerous it was going to be here first, before bringing them. Then again, they deserve to fight if they want. These slavers need to learn that they have no place here, or anywhere.
“Fatherhood is changing you Druss.” Dani said. I'm not sure if it was a good statement, or a remorseful one. “I need to get back.” she continued. “Inns like these aren't a nice place to stay the night, I would recommend blocking the door with something heavy. Like a bed. I will keep in touch, and we will be on the lookout for the Airship. Good night everyone.” With a rounding chorus of goodnight, she takes her leave.
As the other ones feed the body to the bog, definitely not it's first, I ask Melfina to once again send a message, this time to Max. She is happy to oblige, and soon tells Max that we are safe, the slavers are more active here than we thought, and to be careful. She gets the response that they have been out seeing the sights, saw the blood at the inn, and that the egg is much more active than it has been.
I'm not sure how active the egg will be, as I don't normally hang around egg that could hatch until now. I didn't think it was supposed to hatch for a couple more weeks yet. I would still have to be ready very soon I think. Realizing I hadn't eaten anything since that cake, and doubting I would be able to find something that wouldn't kill me nearby, I scrounged around in my pack and found some old biscuits. Studiously not thinking about how long they had been there, I sat and pondered my decisions about this trip so far until the others got back. Setting up the blanket fort, we determined watches, and I went to my room. Summoning my axe, the blade glowed a bit in the otherwise darkened room. I didn't have to clean it anymore, as every time it appeared in my hands it was in pristine condition. Deciding to keep my axe with my for the rest of the journey, I set it down leaning against my nest of pillows. At least I could maintain my armor during watches.
I awoke in time to start my watch. Taking third watch, it was easier for me to see than it would have been for the others, had we been out in the woods. It had just become routine for me now. Crawling out of the tent, I find Geno has laid out some clean canvas on the bed and stayed there, making sure no one tried to get in. I know I didn't really want to sit on these beds.
“It started raining a bit ago,” the goblin reported. “I think I have been hearing thunder off and on again. I'm going to get some more sleep.” As he crawls into the tent, I ponder his words.
More memories come into my head as the sleep fog wears off. Bellia had said that when she was born there was a great thunderstorm. The egg has been more active today. As I look out the window, the rain starts to pick up. Oh Crap.
Diving into the tent, I find Melfina's room, and wake her up. Always a dangerous task waking someone up who can kill you with a thought, but I needed her fast.
“Melfina!” I was not been as quiet as I could have been, but any sound that leaked to the others rooms would have been muffled by the pillows. “I need to get to the Three Rivers Inn now! I need you to take my watch, and I need to borrow Spike.” I didn't want to go alone through a town I didn't really know, and I knew exactly what spike was capable of.
Sensing the urgency in my voice, she immediately got up, handing me spike. Grabbing her pack she let me out of the room, and closed the door behind me. “I'll be back when the storm ends.” I told her. Running down the stairs and out to the street, I started a brisk walk in the general direction of the Three Rivers. Even walking around the city multiple times today, I had been watching the person I was following, not the landmarks. The distant whispers of thunder was getting slowly closer, and more frequent.
The rain was coming down hard when I found a guard taking shelter under an awning, watching the empty streets. The lamps had mostly blown out as the wind had picked up. I had to take the chance that I wouldn't be wanted for connections to the fight earlier. I was also a very obvious person considering who I am and the time of night. I nearly had to shout in his face to ask directions to a reputable inn named the Three Rivers. Giving me quick directions, I turned away from him just as resounding rumble of thunder rolled through the city, loud and defiant. I broke into a run through the pummeling rain. By the time I got outside the inn, I was soaked through, and I couldn't tell if the pounding in my body was my heart or the thunder. Running up the spiral staircase outside, I went to the Room Max and Leona had rented. Running to the door, I gasped for air as I knocked on the door. I knew better than to try to open it. They were both armed and on edge.
I felt more than heard Max coming to the door. “Who is it?” He asked through the closed door.
“It's Me Max” It was a simple statement, and one I has used often enough.
I heard a lock click open, followed by multiple additional clicks. I'm not sure how many locks he had out on the door, but it probably wasn't the standard room number. When the door opened, it was only a sliver. The Side of Max's snout and a single eye showed out to check it was in fact me. Only then did it open enough for me to get in. In a rush, I nearly got hung up on my axe getting through the door frame, a bright flash of lighting temporarily blinding me, the thunder deafening,
Max and Leona were both armed and armored up, But I didn't study them long, my eyes seeking the egg. Leona gestured to the fireplace where it sat, wiggling vigorously. Several small cracks had appeared on it. I had some point handed Spike off to someone, and I found that I had sunk to my knees close to the hearth. A Brilliant flash lit up the room, obscuring everything with white light for the smallest instant with a cacophonous crash of thunderous noise. By the time I could see again, a large crack had appeared. More flashes in quick succession more large cracks appeared. Finally, with a floor shaking reverberation the shell split, and my daughter came out.
Slick with mucous, she spilled out of the egg struggling to rise. Scales a dull yellow, except for patches on her snout, feet and tail that were a muddy brown color. I wanted to pick her up and wipe her off, to get her dry, and I looked around for a blanket. I only then noticed that Leona had been there right beside me on the floor, and had even wrapped linens around me in an effort to dry me off. Small puddles had formed under me. Handing me some sheets, we cleaned the little hatchling off and I picked her up. A small surge of energy ran from her, and sparked against my right arm, sending a shock through me. So tiny in my hands, she made no noise, simply moved her head from side to side as if trying to get her bearings. Moving her head forward slightly, she opened her mouth and I expected a wail to come out.
A brilliant flash of light once again lit the room for more lightning outside, followed by the inevitable thunder. Once I could see again, a small smile had appeared on my little girl's face. A smiled had appeared on my other daughter's face I discovered when I looked up. For the short time, I didn't have to sorry about anything, and I sat for a short time in bliss. Climbing onto one of the beds, I sat and watched her wiggle in my arms. Once again, she opened her mouth, just in time for lightning to flash across the sky. The three of us started laughing a the idea, but I started to notice the little one tilting her head every time, just before opening her mouth. As if she could feel the energy of the storm.
My family members had a tradition of grant a newly hatched Dragonborn a Formal name, which the familiar name was then derived. And Since Bellia wasn't here to name our child, I figured I would have to do it. I couldn't just keep calling her the little one. That was already taken. “Leona, I would like you to meet your sister, Listens To Lightning.”
“Kinda a mouthful isn't it dad?” She asked, a slight mocking tone in her voice.
“Yes, it is, but that I why we will call her To'Li.” I thought it was a good name, but I guess we will have to see what Bellia thinks. We have a week to wait anyway. Maybe I can get her answering to To'Li before she gets into town....
Looking down, I see To'Li has fallen asleep against my chest, wrapped in a snug blanket. Leaning back against the head of the bed, I listen to the storm, rain still pounding against the roof above. Maybe it will get rid of some of that blood off. Those slavers trying to convince Henry of some deal.. The whole lot of them will get what's coming to them. Stealing Mikey from under us. Trying to take Leona before. They are right here now, we just have to find them. The thunder is getting more distant...
Close rumbling sounds wake me from my sleep, and at first I think it's just another storm. To'Li will enjoy it. I clutch the blanket closer but it is empty! Where is she! Quickly sitting up I look over the edge of the bed and meet eye with a small being peeking over. A small squeal comes out of my daughter, and she toddles over to Max, her tiny feet making a small thudding sound on the floorboards, and Max catches her just before she falls. Rain still comes down from the sky above, and every few minutes thunder rolls out of the clouds, as if someone were rolling boulders down distant mountains. Only a couple times did he mouth open, emitting no noise. Once closed, she looked extremely pleased with herself again, and ran around the room again, wobbling slightly. I heard Leona chuckling, and only just realized she had been gone. Apparently fetching a platter of food for everyone, she had come in to see her sister spinning around the room. I should have noticed she was gone too. I need to be extra attentive now that I have another daughter to watch out for. True, Leona can take care of herself, but a dad is allowed to worry.
The platter was full of meats, cheeses, and light fluffy twists of bread. Several jams and fruit sauces were in the middle and add to the mix. Taking a slice of meat off the platter, I tore it into little strips and dipped one into what appeared to be raspberry sauce. Holding it out for To'Li, she more guided into her mouth than grabbed it from me, but after that first slice, I very nearly lost a couple fingers. Her tiny mouth was full of razor sharp teeth, which made quick work of anything going in, and I learned to be careful.
Making sure she had eaten enough, and cleaning all the fruit sauce of her fingers and mouth, I left to take the platter back down to the dinning room. Getting one of the Inn keepers kids, I ask them to go fetch a messenger. I need to let the others know that I will not be coming back immediately, but I should be able to make it there later this evening. Taking pen to paper, I write: “My daughter has hatched, Scout out the locations, I will be there at seven thirty this evening.” Paying the messenger, and tipping her well, I send her off.
Getting back up to the room, I see that To'Li has found spike, and is apparently trying to touch noses with the turtle for some reason. While Spike is slowly withdrawing into his shell, I am just worried that Spike will get aggressive and bite her. As I go to stop her a nearly imperceptible hand appears behind her, pulling back on her shoulder. Looking around, To'Li already forgetting about the turtle when she sees me, and toddles over to me. Picking her up again, I get yet another small shock of energy, more than worth the feeling of having her in my arms.
By the time seven O'clock came around, all four of us had been tuckered out, and every one of us has been hit by a small bolt of lighting at least once. Poor Leona's fur was all standing out, and while she had been perturbed to find it that way, it didn't bother her much. It pained me to leave my girls again, but I had made up my mind. I would destroy this rot in our society if it meant my daughters would be safe. If I had to kill more slavers to do it I would. No more Lives would be torn apart from their dealings. Hugging my daughters, setting my axe on my back and throwing my cloak on, I headed over to my friends with Spike in hand.
I was a couple minutes late getting back to my annoyance. Knocking on the door, Marda let me in, closing the door behind me. Updating me, they have found the entrance to the slavers den, and found that there is in fact a series of pass codes. The entrance seemed to be in some maintenance tunnels, dug to support the network of pipes that kept the ocean water from flooding the delta the city was built around. While watching the entrance, both slavers and actual workers had come into the same entrance. The guard then is part of it, and a laborer of the city. Everyone, slavers and laborer has a badge to help them get in, so we were looking for some way to get a badge. They had communicated it with Dani, and she had people on it.
With Melfina asking what happened last night, I proudly told everyone that my daughter had hatched, and was named Listens to Lightning, To'Li for short. Pointing at my vest, Marda asked what happened to me, and I informed them that To'Li had developed hiccups this afternoon, and things had gotten interesting for a short time. The little soot marks would have to be mended. Figuring it would be another night before we attacked this lair, I asked Melfina to send another message. If we were attacking tonight, I wouldn't want to use her energy, but it should be fine. Sending a message to Bellia she informed her that To'Li had born born yesterday.
The response must have been instant and explosive, as Melfina's head was rocked back as if it had been struck bodily. Concerned, I asked her if she was ok, and after a short pause, Melfina informed me that the mother was not pleased. Well, while I wished she had been here for it, there is nothing I could do about it now.
A messenger arrived while we were planning, with a letter that appeared to be just nonsense. Looking at it more clearly, We found it to be a message from Dani informing us that Badges were in the works, and the Garfunkel had been spotted, but it was still a few days out as we had found out. Figuring that was we got entry, we would probably only have one badge, so how would we get everyone in like that? Yun suggested that if as many of us as possible were invisible, we wouldn't needs to do much else, just the one badge would be plenty. Yun would act as Mr Big, and after asking who that was, it turns out to be the smarmy guy we killed. He then decided to shift.
Like a stone thrown into a still pond, a ripple moved out from the chest and out to the extremities. It was instantaneous, one moment, it was Yun standing there, looking like a moon elf, then that smug bastard, appeared in Yun clothes. With a hairy chest and broken nose, the new body didn't quite fit in the old clothing. Muttering about a black eye, they grabbed their pack. Searching around in their pack, they pull out the small jewelry case and open it up. Looking up with triumph, it was just in time to receive a punch in the face from Geno. Blood starting to drip from the nose, and redness around the eyes, Yun got excited about it, saying the blood would look great for the performance. Looking into the small case, they pulled a linen suit, very much like the one Mr. Big had been wearing. While not quite the same, Yun said it would be good enough with some blood and dirt rubbed into it. The skin of the wrists turned into a bruised color to make it appear that manacles had been on them.
Melfina said that she wanted to try if she could scry over Mikey, see what the conditions were. While Yun got changed, she cast her spell, narrating what she was seeing and hearing. Finding Mikey standing in water over his legs, about halfway up. Mikey clearly didn't care about the water, but the ten people nearby did. The fact they had so many in a terrible place. Some burly asshole was there, apparently someone they had seen earlier. A group of people there were talking, and she could only catch snippets. Their boss was coming into town on a ship, and once the boss got there they were going to load everyone onto the ship and go to Davenport, then on to Terrytown. Then she relayed something that struck me.
“What do you mean a Dragonborn?!” That was it. Just that part. I began to get very worried. Of the possible Dragonborn in town, I was pretty sure I knew all three. There was me, who would have been a valid cause for alarm. There Was Bellia, who probably wasn't the one they were talking about, but if Dani knew the Garfunkel was coming, it was a good chance others knew too. The third Option was my daughter, and right at that moment, it didn't matter. I was ready to show them that I was the only Dragonborn that this group of thugs would have to worry. The last thing they would have to worry about.
Yun was overly enthused about the new look, and was ready to go. I was too, although part of me still thought we should wait. Melfina was still coming out of her trance while Yun was convincing us all that we should go now. Maybe we could get everyone free and get it done before the boss arrived. As Melfina came out of her trance, Yun Excitedly told her we were going to do this now, and strode out the door. Looking at each other, we were forced to run after them.
As we head over to the entrance the others found, the Glow in the sky wanes. Beautiful colors fill the sky after the storms had come through, and the passing clouds are still illuminated by the setting sun. With the hour growing later, the food carts that stay out contain the scraps and remains of the days choices. Breads are being sold at discounts to get rid of them before they grow stale. Dried meats and cheeses replace the cooked street meats and hot buns the crowd would have gobbled up. The crowds themselves were not as thick, but groups still wandered about, as if to thumb the nose at the weather, denying it's power to keep people inside forever.
Finding an alley away from unwanted attention, Invisibility was cast on everyone but Yun. IT was a very odd sensation, one that nearly merited a panic attack from me. I looked down to see my arm, but nothing was there. Panicking for just the slightest moment, I had to grab myself with both hands to make sure I still had them. Knowing I had to keep up with Yun, I collided with a few solid, but unknown objects which all gasped slightly. After a couple moments, and someone stepping on my foot a few times, we managed to figure out how to properly walk, and how to get where we needed to go. We all grabbed onto someone, and did a sort of shuffle across the ground, picking up our feet just far enough to keep from making trails in the dust. An awkward walk, we still had to do it fast enough to keep up with Yun. If we had been visible it would have looked like a group of grown people had suddenly forgotten how to walk, and were scared of being off the ground more than a few inches.
Making our way to the entrance, Yun opened the door, stepping through and holding it behind him, a most dramatic entrance as could be managed. Of course, holding the door open also allowed for us to all creep in while invisible. We came into a junction, with one entrance, and several exits. While planning, we had discussed that the various tunnels should go off to parts of the Delta, but first we had to get past the guard. Yun and the guard in question were talking and while I was trying to listen, I also had to make sure not to fun into anyone, or trip over something that could cause a commotion. Laughing internally at myself, I tried to see the others, straining every sense I could. Looking down at my hands again, I could just barely make out the outline of my right hand. I had once woken up without the hand, and that was not a pleasant time in my life.
Yun had convinced the guard that he was in fact Mr. Big, siting the attack at the inn. Saying he had no idea where Smalls was, the hapless man who had been torn in half, the guard pointed out where we should go, and the fact the Mr. Big had been missed. With the evident injuries, Yun still had to play the part correctly. So when the door was opened, Yun stood there with it wide open, and stretched their back, twisting at the waist. Complaining about sore muscles, it allowed us to get through the door once again with Yun's superb acting ability.
The tunnel beyond sloped down slightly, and we found ourselves in darkness with water starting to slowly cover the ground. After just a few minutes, the water was up over my knees, and Marda was practically swimming. With absolutely no light, it would have been impossible for me to see my hands had I been visible. Simply following Yun by sound, we continued to walk. Melfina, with excellent forethought, quietly told us that we were probably making too much noise, and we paused to figure out how best to avoid detection. Being as large as I was, it would be difficult for me to walk through the water without splashing everywhere, so I did the opposite. Hunkering down into the water, fully submerging my body, I did my best to be a crocodile. Concentrating on keeping my body temperature above that of the water, and studiously ignoring what this water will be doing to all my gear, I swam as carefully as possible behind Yun.
After just over twenty minutes total in the tunnel, light appeared, and I could make out Melfina telling us that this was the same light she saw while looking for Mikey. Slowing our approach, “Mr. Big” made a grand entrance. Splashing up to the group, Yun tried to use the same bluster that Mr. Big had displayed while he had been tied to the chair. A big burly man, a Tabaxi, a Tiefling, and two other humans, one of which stepped up to challenge Yun. Asking where Mr. Big had been, Yun gave mostly the same answers that had been given to the guard at the entrance. Looking over, I can see ten people, sodden and miserable, chained to the wall near Mikey. Yun did ask why they had taken Mikey, getting the answer that the metal creature was to be taken to “the academy”. The Boss was due to arrive soon on a boat, and the group was going to load up the next shipment. Threatening to set Fire to everyone for being insubordinate, the group laughed at Yun, knowing Mr' Big didn't know any fire magic.
Yun questioned the Human as to why he was being so demanding of answers, getting the response that apparently the man and his Husband had been trying to adopt, and life was stressful. Slightly agog, Yun then convinced the slaver to go home, be with his husband, and take the rest of the day off. The exchange ended with a bit of crying, a hug, and the leader leaving, bringing the number down to four slavers.
I truly did not know what to think. Utterly flabbergasted, I stood there, invisible, behind Yun. I had been ready to kill all five, knew they were all despicable people. But this seemingly horrible person was just trying to have a family. Was I wrong? No. Slavery, is a terrible thing to do to others, nothing will change that. How can I even think about letting them go free when they so willingly enslave others and rip away lives like they do. Slowly standing up behind Yun, I want to be close to defend them should it come to blows. With all the acting bluster of Mr Big, Yun tells the remaining four to gather around Mikey to try to start moving him.
Having no idea where the others are, I lost track of them with the mind boggling hug out. With the slight movement of the water in here, and all the water being moved around by the slaves and slavers, I had to hope that none of my friends were too close. I also had to hope that Mikey wasn't overly susceptible to fire. Leaning in, I told Yun to start bragging about some newly acquired Fire magic.
All four had been at each leg of Mikey when I summoned a large ball of fire directly above the metal bull. As the fire popped into being, I did as well. Appearing just behind Yun, glowing Greataxe in hand, it was quite the surprise, and it worked nearly perfectly. Burning all four of the slavers, it did appear to hurt Mikey, which I immediately regretted. It did start of the fight just right though. Splashing coming from the direction of the captives, a small wake appears, then Melfina pops into sight, hand flat against the back of the Tabaxi. The chest of the slaver explodes outward, covering Geno's face. Crap, he had been close enough, he probably took damage from my fire. Yun, once again not going to be outdone by my flaming sphere, threw his own small bead of fire, only for it to explode into a grand inferno, killing the smaller Human.
“We need some alive” I call out. Dani would be upset if we killed everyone without getting more information out of them. Dropping the effort top hold the fire in place, it consumes itself and dissipates as I run up to the fight. Hitting the Tiefling with the knob of my axe. Spitting a curse at my, Hellfire flashed the exploded in my face. While it stung, I'm sure it would have hit someone else harder. Jamming the head of the axe at my opponent's, I tried to subdue them without killing them, but they didn't seem to want to return the favor. Drawing two swords, one ignited in fire before I was counter attacked. Blocking the normal blade, I lost my footing on something in the water taking a deep slice into my leg. The burning blade bit deep into the muscle, and instead of pressing the advantage, they tried running. Mikey and Geno were hitting the big oaf, who didn't really seem to be bothered much by the damage.
The Tiefling runner was still running when they met an unfortunate wall. Marda had caught up to them, and she had still been invisible. Catching the ankles with her hooked swords, the Tiefling suddenly found their feet were above their head, which was careening into the water. Face impacting the water, and then quickly the floor, the body started going limp, as as she became visible again, Marda quickly grabbed the unconscious form, and flipped it over to make sure the slaver didn't drown. Seeing the tide turn quickly against him, the large man runs from Geno, who hit him as he left. Barreling down on Yun, the Oaf, bellowing, slams hard into the bard, hitting him three times before continuing on. The Spectere, appearing in front of the running form, tears into the man, who simply appears intent on getting away.
Melfina however has different plans. Putting some blood into her palm, she grinds her other fist into the blood, and spits harshly into the water. The the wounds from Mikey's horns start to expand and blacken. The body around the holes start to give way, and black blood starts to drip out in globs. The man then falls forward, dead before his face hit the water.
Expending some effort, I heal myself and Yun While Marda puts the manacles on the Tiefling and makes sure they can't drown. As Melfina makes sure they can't die, we can hear splashing coming from the tunnel. It seems more people are coming to visit.
Chapter 37: Actions
I am not sure who was more flabbergasted. The Tiefling who delivered various teas, confectioneries and sandwiches to a room of 6 adults all dressed in sleeping attire, or myself. It was, after all, my cabin that everyone was in. I thanked the woman, gave her a small tip and briefly wondered where she was from. I feel like I would have remembered a blue Tiefling living in Cherwood.
I turned back to the group to continue what had been a awkward pause. Everyone had arrived in various bed attire, and Melfina had just started to say something when the knock had come to the door for the tea. Looking around to see if anyone had anything Melfina once again opened her mouth.
“That is a very nice robe.” It would have been a mundane compliment if normally spoken. Melfina had emphasized every word however, as if saying a code phrase to someone. Otherwise it had been completely normal, and complimentary. Henry seemed to like the compliment, as he simply beamed, trying to stand up to show it off better. As the compartment wasn't quite big enough for all of us to stand, or sit all at once, the disorder caused by the Tabaxi's movement was quickly stopped.
Trying to change the subject, and move on from the robe, I ask “What was the most interesting artifact you have found?”
His eyes lit up and he answered immediately, “A monkey beheader! There was an ancient civilization that would cut the heads off of monkeys in a ritual to cleanse their crops and protect them from pests. They made a special device used it once a year for the whole empire. Brutal business, but a very neat artifact.” Melfina nodded in acceptance, probably thinking about how the blood would make everything better.
“Where do you find all of your artifacts” Marda asks, sitting atop a pile of pillows. She had said it was more comfortable like that, but I couldn't agree with her with her. Nesting under the pillows would have been way more comfortable.
Mr Hotfeet looked into his hands as he answered the question. “I bought them all. I want to go find them myself on an adventure, but I've never gone out like that before. I think it would be fun.”
“Have you heard of us?” Yun asks.
“Not really,” Henry replies. “There aren't any books that I have found on any of you, and the only thing I know is what I have heard from rumors in the city.” So, he had heard of us, and gone looking for some books, only to come up empty handed. Ha. Like anyone would write a book about Us. I wonder what he was able to find out. “I know that there was a fight last night. I thought you guys were the ones coming to kill me.” Henry explained.
“What? There was no fight last night!” Melfina sputtered. “and if there was, we certainly didn't kill anyone on the train.” If she had claimed to be Vandrin it would have been more believable. Her denial did spark a new thought. What all did Henry see during the fight? Was it just me, Max and Leona, or was Melfina and her wings in there as well? OR did he somehow see even more than I did.
“Someone was after something in your room” Geno admits. I was about to say the same, but I was frankly unsure how much I wanted to admit yet, and looking at everyone, we were all thinking the same. “They may have even been the ones that went through your room.” Good for him to try to fly that one past, but I”m not sure why he bothered. Henry knew the fight was over way before anyone went through his room. Maybe Geno was trying to convince him otherwise simply slipping it in while the Tabaxi was thinking of something else.
“Do you know what I have that they were looking for?” He asks, ignoring Geno's persuasion attempt.
Sighing, Melfina looks to me and holds out her hand. “Druss, may I have the note you found?”
Saying nothing, I simply give it to her, with the decoded meaning written under the cipher.
“We are not after what you have, it is more who you are going to talk to.” I admit. We might as well put all of our cards down. We are all sitting around in our drawers anyway.
“But I don't know you. Most of you are complete unknowns to me, and I don't even know what to think of the turtle.” Henry says. What is it about the turtle that people take so much notice about? Spike is sitting quite contently chewing on some of the berries that came in the pastries. There wasn't really any menacing look on his little face was there? Have I been around it too long? Maybe some people can sense the spirit inside the turtle, and they get some sort of unknown case of the Heebie Jebbiees. How can we explain the spirit to them and not sound like raving lunatics anyway?
“The turtle is simply a pet for me.” Melfina states, gesturing to the harness for it. “It may have picked up some of my temperament on the travels we have had, but it isn't really anything to be feared.”
“What is the item you are trying to get at your meeting in Laketown anyway?” I ask, trying to get away from the mysterious turtle.
Looking dubiously at said turtle, I can see the Tabaxi wrestle internally with the idea of telling us. Handing me back the note, he opens his mouth. “Well, since you already know about the key, I am meeting some people about a way to get into the lost Elven city. I'm not sure if they key I have opens the way or not, but they should have something that will show me the way.”
“I understand that the city may now be located in the Shadowfell.” Melfina says. With a nod of agreement from Henry, she continues, “We may have business going there at some point to help you out.”
“We have a trip to Davenport to complete before we can go, but you wouldn't be ready to go immediately anyway would you? How much of the fight did you see anyway?” I ask.
He pours himself another cup of tea before answering, setting the Tea pot down very carefully. “All of it. I saw the whole thing.”
Oh. Crap.
“That is why I thought you were here to kill me, because of what I saw.” Yeah, If I had seen a bunch of people slinging spells and probably making meat salsa out of people I would be worried too. I'm not even sure what magics they had thrown around last night, but remembering what Yun had done to a flock of birds I wouldn't be surprised if it had been something big. Not that I could say much, I had made a giant fireball with those birds too.
“If we wanted to kill you, you would die.” Melfina said. I know it wasn't a threat from her, just a fact of life. Trees are made of wood. Fish live underwater. Things we need to kill get killed. That, while mostly true, was a dangerous way of thinking. It might lead to not looking for other solutions to problems. It may bear some further thinking while on this trip.
Asking Marda to pull out the magic carpet, I want to share it with Henry. There may be a few things he can help with, and he knows we already have magic. I can use his knowledge of old artifacts to our advantage, and this would get his mind into something he can focus on. Besides possible impending doom. Pulling the haversack into her lap, she reaches in and pulls out the large carpet, which had been gently folded to fit. Henry's eyes had grown large at the bag, when Marda was clearly reaching in further than she should have, and bugged out when the whole carpet had come out. Now that he was able to see the vibrant colors of the carpet, his jaw started to succumb to gravity, and fell open.
After asking us if we wanted to sell either item, we politely refused, and got down to talking. As I didn't know how to use the carpet, I was hoping that he would be able to help me with it. He seemed to be more at ease talking about artifacts, and said that he would be happy to come look at it, and we could work through it together. Seeing that as an excellent way to get to know each other better, I agree.
Once the tea and the confectioneries were gone, we got back to work. Geno and Melfina went to her cabin to extract the mysterious blood Marda found. Henry and I continue looking at the carpet, trying to discern how to use it. Marda had seemingly fallen asleep on her throne of cushions, but I was pretty sure she just didn't want to move. The gentle rock of the train and the calming effect of the tea would have had that effect on me anyway. We had not got far with the carpet when Melfina came back in. With the look on her face, Henry decided it would be best to return to the carpet at a later time, and went across to his own cabin.
She was excited to find that she had enough to connect with the owner of the blood through her holy magic. Deciding to wait until we are farther out on the trip, she wants to see if the perpetrator will reveal themselves or make another move. We would have the whole ride to keep a lookout for suspicious activity, and while we know of one raider, there may be more. It was going to be a long trip.
We arrived at the Smallville station that night, but due to it being at night, we didn't stop. Shortly after we passed Smallville, Max came to get me;. As it was late at night, I expected him to look tired, but not nearly as weary as he was. He explained that Leona had shut herself away, and had hardly said anything at all today. If I thought we had been cramped inside my cabin, I didn't think about sharing a room with a Minotaur. We headed back to their cabin and once he and I were in, I closed the door.
“Hey Little One.” It was a silly thing to say. Leona was no longer the little cub I had taken as an apprentice. She was now larger than most Tabaxi I knew, although not as big as Max was. As broad as I am, she could get just a bit bigger when she wanted to. But the moniker had stuck. Now, she was curled in the back of the cabin, looking out into the night. I could see that she wasn't asleep, and wasn't even pretending to be. Just lost in thought, and judging from how she was, it was a vicious loop of thoughts she was in. I knew what it was, as I had been there before. Not saying anything, I simply sat next to her and reached for her hand. With no resistance, I pulled it into my two hands and gave it a small squeeze. Her thumb twitched at the pressure, a small acknowledgment at my presence. Settling my self into a comfortable position, I waited for her.
“I killed someone.” It had come out over an hour later, in a diminutive voice. I still had her hand in mine. She hadn't moved.
“Yes.” I agreed.
“He didn't have to be here, he should have been somewhere else.” Ah. I had been a part of this argument before mostly with myself.
“He could have. He could have been a candlestick maker somewhere, living his best life. You are right. Instead, he came onto this train, with the intent to cause pain and maybe kill someone. You could have been somewhere too.” I've never really known what to say for this, even after the times I have had to face it. There was always something different to say.
“I could have been home.” She says. “You would have killed him just fine without me, you are used to it.”
It hurt to hear it. I knew she was still trying to process everything about the situation and I let it pass. “That is the thing. I have never been used to it. I never want to be used to it. I don't look forward it it. If I could help it, I wouldn't kill anything ever again. I would sit aside and let others do it. People who are more suited for it.”
“Then why do you still fight? How can you?” she asks quietly.
I take a deep breath, try to gather my thoughts. “I fight because if I don't, people I care about could suffer. I fight because I have seen others simply turn a blind eye to the wrongs in the world, and those problems still need to be fixed. I fight because bad groups are out there that will use innocent people as slaves or puppets, and that is wrong. If I have to fight so that others may live a better life then I will. Would I prefer that we all just live happy lives? Yes. With all my fiber and being yes.”
She finally moves to look me in the eyes. “Will I always have trouble sleeping like you two?”
“You might.” Max replies. “But your father and I have our own demons we struggle with, just like everyone else. We will be there to help you just like you help us.”
She was quiet for a moment, her thumb rubbing against the scales of my hand. Her fur was starting itch on my hands a bit. “What will we do when we get to Davenport?” She asks.
Letting out another sigh, I look to Max. “Well, we don't really know what waits for us there. We know many of the Legion's retired are heading there, and we know that the Crimson Dragons are trying to setup in the area, maybe taking it over. It may be hard to stay out of fights there. If you want, you can stay on the ship and watch over the crew there.”
She seemed hesitant to say more, and was able to speak again after a few minutes. “What happens if I turn. You know, get bigger.”
“My dear sweet Leona Panathalax. One of our comrades stayed in her Werewolf form for nearly the entire time we knew her, and we were proud to fight by her side the entire time. She was unstoppable. Fought Trolls by herself for fun.” I wrap my arm around her “We will always love you, and if need be, proudly fight by your side. And damn those who think otherwise, because they don't matter. Now come on. Lets go to my cabin, and I can tell you stories about how we found the Werewolf named Quiet Sleeping in a tree, wearing the captain's dress uniform. It was quite a feat, considering the captain wasn't even with the troop at the time.” Patting Max on the shoulder, and grabbing a couple extra pillows for Leona, we went back to my cabin, already telling her a story of booze, bad bets, and two mischievous druids.
Leona had fallen asleep at some point during my story, and I wasn't sure when. I had told her that there was no shame in talking about any problems she had, we were all here for her, even Marda and Melfina. Both of them had been there I am sure.. She said she would let us know if we were needed.
It started raining the next evening. We could hear the rain hit the train car up to the point where we entered the tunnel the next day. It had become a constant, rhythmic tapping in the background, and with the gentle sway of the train it had left a lethargic feeling in everyone. Suddenly the tapping had stopped, and light could be seen passing the windows of the train. The water droplets on the windows were briefly illuminated by torchlight inside the tunnel before the wall of smoke from the engine blotted it out.
My world was briefly in black and white. I could see just about everything about me, and stuck my head out of the cabin, to see the posted guards light their lamps. As the small amounts of light came through, the rest of the car was lit now that others could see the means to light candles. Without enough light to read properly, I felt kinda silly telling my own stories to the egg by my self. Inviting Melfina over, I asked her to tell me of the monsters she had hunted while she and Marda had been away. I can learn from her battles too, so if we meet more of the beasts she has met we would be at more of an advantage. It was stuffy inside the cabin while we talked, but I dared not open my window, should I choke everyone out of the train car.
Soon after Melfina had come over, the smoke did dissipate outside the cabin window. Looking out, we saw that we had come to the massive natural cavern where we killed the Hydra. The massive carcass was nowhere to be seen, although that wasn't surprising. If the tunnel crew hadn't removed the body, any other living creatures in this cave would have removed it for us.
I remember the plan we had set down, and how Rorin had almost died during the fight. The first fight with the hydra had been bad enough, if you could call it that. Not so much of a fight as meal time according to everyone else. Melfina and I look at each other, and I can see her thoughts had been pretty close to mine judging from her expression. She glances at my shoulder, and I only then realize I had been rubbing the spot where the diamond had brought me back to life, leaving a brand on my scales. As fast as the cavern had appeared, it was gone again, the train going into what had been solid rock. Smoke once again took it's watch outside the window, and stayed there for several hours.
Sunlight suddenly took over from the smoke, the train bursting out from the side of the mountain, greeting us with a spectacular view. A Large valley stretched out beside the train with a river below us. The train was curving around to run along the mountain range for a while, and I could see our next stop coming up from a ways off.
A town, built right into the foot of the mountain range was slowly growing out into the valley, and up the side of the rock. I had heard of this place in my younger days, and we had even passed by it while I was in the Legion, but I had never been to the mining town of Fallton. As the train pulled into the stop, I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Built mostly of wood, it looked like a dusty place. A strip of wood was built onto the front of every building, to allow people to walk. The roads, if you could call them that, had a crude rail system down the middle to pull ore or metal in large carts by beasts of burden. Goats, yaks and horses could all been seen pulling metal carts full of rock. The rest of the road would be dirt, where the beasts would leave droppings, and after a rain, everything would mix together into what I could only assume to be an absolute quagmire. That is, if anyone were to walk in them. Most of the livestock seemed to know exactly where to go, and all the people of the town stayed on the boardwalks, which were pristine.
The few buildings that were made of stone seemed to be at regular intervals, and were seemingly sculpted directly from the rock. Obviously important structures, they all had stairs that led to a second floor balcony that would cross over to the other side of the road. It would allow for people walking through the city to cross over the road safely, not get in the way of the industrial traffic, and never get boots dirty.
It was difficult to figure out the locals from the outsiders until something became very apparent. Every single one of the locals had a helmet. A simple leather cap, with several iron plates bound to it, I would imagine it would keep someone from being killed by a falling rock, should the rock not be big enough to simply squash them into a fine paste. The helmets were all carried, or worn by each local seemingly at all times. Another big hint was that every single helmet carrier was a dwarf. Some were in dresses, others in large protective leather suits, some in eyeliner. All had beards. Whatever it was, it was now easy to tell the locals apart from those who may come to buy the products mined here.
Since we were stopping long enough to refill all the trains fuel, I decided to get off for a few minutes. The train station had been positioned just outside of town, near the main road similar to Smallville's stop. Walking the short way into town, I find that a craftsman has set up a barrow selling small metal knickknacks.
“Well, Aren't you a Tall drink of spicy water!” The dwarf said, looking me up and down. They were sitting next to the barrow on a small chair and the way they were looking at me reminded me of nights at the Temple to Dem Falic'. I was about to politely leave when something caught my eye. A medallion, half the size of my palm had been cut from a strange metal. Waves of dark and light metal pulsed around each other in a way very pleasing to the eye, and into the metal had been carved a dragon, wrapping around the outside. Symbols for ice, fire, and acid were carved into a triangle, all around a bolt of lightning in the middle. Seeing my interest in it the dwarf spoke again. “Mmmm I saw you and thought you might like this immediately. Of course, I thought other things too, If you are interested in just that, I'll say ten gold. If you are looking for something else I could lower it to three.” I fish ten gold out of my purse, and hand it over, asking what type of metal it is. “Oh, that vein of iron had traces of nickle in it, but it wasn't found until after it was smelted. Left a nice wavy pattern in it. Sometimes it's nice to mix things that don't normally go together.” I thank them for the purchase, and take my leave, heading back to the train ignoring the advances. That's enough of that town for a bit I think.
Two weeks into the journey Melfina decided to use the blood she had collected, trying to determine if there was still an intruder on the train. Yun and I watch over her as she works her magic. Geno is off visiting the engineers again, as he had thought of multiple additional questions. After a matter of seconds she opens her eyes. “He is still here on the train, acting as an engineer. Geno was even talking to him. After Geno left, he was looking at the plans for the train, and trying to copy them. Let's wait for him to get back and we can check with him.”
When Geno got back, we find that he was talking with Bobby, his least favorite engineer. Over all of Geno's visits, Bobby has been least forthcoming with information, but he has been there the entire time. Geno hadn't noticed anything in the time since we started, like Bobby acting completely different, so maybe we should take a look at him more closely. Yun and Melfina decide to get a closer look while Geno is going for another tour. They went forward, Melfina muttering to Geno about a Pissing Engine.
Not really sure what they are planning on doing, I wait in my cabin while they are ahead on the train. There really shouldn't be anything that could happen, Geno will be there to talk to the engineers and with his knowledge, he could probably keep them occupied for sometimes, which would allow for Melfina and Yun to find something that would help us keep any eye on the probable impostor. I mean the worst that could happen would be Geno would be barred from the engine. No. Wait. Then he'd talk to Us about it. Hmm That may in fact be-\
WHUUOOMM!
The sound of a heavy object falling on the cabin floor removed my thoughts from my head. What in the outer planes had-
WHUUOOMM!
The lunatic juggling anvils had dropped another.. By the time I situated the egg and poked my head out the door, the cacophonous sound had happened three more times. I had just enough time to jerk my head back inside before one of the suits of armor thudded past. It was heading up front. Gods above, what had they done up there. I had an image of the walls red with substances similar to spaghetti sauce when Melfina and Yun came back, thankfully not covered in crimson.
Apparently, they had angered Bobby, and annoyed him enough that the armor had been summoned, and the three of them had been banned from coming forward. Geno was talking like it was just Melfina and Yun, and I wasn't really sure if that would matter anyway. If Yun wanted to get up front, they could just be another person in a snap, and even if Geno was banned, they would have to grab him first. With all that grease on him that would be hard to do.
The trip up front had not been for naught. Melfina produced a jar of what appeared to be Human nails. From toes and fingers. I have seen Humans, and some of the other races ripping nails from their fingers while concentrating on something else, or while fretting over difficult matters. It was an odd practice, and keeping those trimmings is simply mind boggling to me. But it provided a link for Melfina to use some spell of another, so it was worth it.
Henry also kept working on the carpet. He would come over to my cabin, and we would stretch it out between us, and examine it, as if looking for some lost clue that would reveal everything to us. He was able to provide a bit of information we didn't know. From the color pattern on the carpet, it was probably made by acolytes to the dragons, probably the blues. Most of the times he came over would end with us talking. My contribution were the stories of the legion and after, his were the items he found. Most of my stories didn't have the darker sides that still haunted me. I left them out, almost to leave his innocence intact.
Either in the mornings, or after l=Lunch he would come over for some time. One Morning, he had put the carpet on the floor, and had lay down on top to see if he could get a closer look. “Maybe the inks had left an impression on the rest of the fibers” he had said. Time quickly passed and it had gotten later in the day than we had thought, and we had once again devolved into talking. His grasp of draconic had impressed me, and we had continued talking in it, mostly of how backward the language was compared to the others. Hearing people passing in the hall outside, Henry looked down at his ancient time keeper, a piece he had obtained for someone who had never shown up to collect it. With a small gasp, he exclaimed “Ope, I gotta go! It's my time for luaaAAA-”
I assumed he had meant lunch, but at the moment the carpet had suddenly risen three feet off the ground and was staying in place. The Tabaxi was struck silent by either fear and excitement, and for his benefit I will say excitement. Mostly. I was dumbstruck myself, and was desperately trying to remember what he had just said. Forgetting lunch entirely, we toyed with the carpet for a little while longer, Finally finding that the words, “ope, I gotta go” had to be said clearly in draconic. That would activate the carpet for use. Henry also found the words, “The Crashless Wonder. Were hidden in the scroll work across the bottom of the carpet, so the lettering had been fancifully woven in. With the mysteries of the carpet obtained, we stayed and ordered lunch to be delivered, and talked more, basking in the job well done.
Leona had a few more nights of troubled sleep, but Marda and Melfina had taken notice a few weeks into the trip. As they ate meals with her and Max, they recognized the problem, and helped with advice of their own. Both had been through more than enough battles, and I'm sure they have both had problems in their time. With all the support she had, she wasn't afraid to let us know if she was having difficulties.
One thing that was troubling was the fact I couldn't locate the Airship. I never really wanted to get on top of the train to look, but when moving from car to car I would look into the sky. I couldn't find it in the sky for the whole month, and it was starting to bother me. I kept meaning to have Melfina message them but as she was using other spells, I didn't want to take all her spells in case we were attacked.
While I had been worried about another attack, I suppose it was all for not. No attack ever came, which was just fine with me. I didn't need to fight more people on a train full of innocent people. I also didn't need more magic being flung about with the guards that didn't trust us already.
The nails Melfina had obtained had been sufficient enough for her use, and she had used a spell to look into the engineer several times, and had at one point found that the original Bobby the engineer was in fact dead, his body left by the side of the tracks, probably thrown out a window on some night. I decide to leave watching over Bobby to Geno and Melfina. If I tried, I would probably botch it like I did with Henry. I can just imagine walking up to him and screaming, “Who do you work for!” Being a giant Dragonborn it can be hard to be subtle sometimes.
By the time we had reached Laketown, we knew that Henry was supposed to meet his contact at the Three Rivers Inn at tea time the next day. They would be wearing clear markings and would approach him. He didn't really know much more about who he was dealing with, or how many there would be. Just that they had something that he wanted that would help him find his lost city.
Getting off the train, we find some of the guard had been waiting for the train to arrive, and had arrested some of the occupants, the daughter in the Harriet family. I didn't know much about them, except that I always found spike following the matriarch of the family around the dinning car. A family of well to do humans, the elder woman had appeared a doddering almost Senile thing. Until you looked her in the eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing at all times. I overheard the daughter being told she was wanted for attempted murder, and I wonder what had really happened. It had been clear she was always pushing the mother to eat specially prepared meals made by the daughter. They had both been nice enough.
We got situated at the inn, some of the kids remembering me from the last time we had been through. I had after all used my fire breathe to ignite a giant wooden statue. I don't remember much else, as I was really tired during that visit. Once we had our rooms, Marda and Henry head out to do some shopping at a local store. A place where he could get a good deal, he often visited when coming to Laketown. Marda had wanted to see what could be found there, and wanting to blend in, left her swords with us at the inn, borrowing a hand axe from me. While she was gone I took the time to clean her weapons and think about what we should do for the meeting.
Once we were all back, Marda buying some surprises for later, we decided on a plan for the meeting. Henry was worried that he may come to physical harm, so Yun was going to play on the stage in the sitting room. I was going to be across the main entrance hall, in the dinning area facing the meeting. Melfina and Geno were going to be invisible, While Marda was going to be a body guard. Not wanting to be overly recognizable, Yun is going to disguise her, and I lend her a couple of my hand axes again. I also emphasized we did not want a blood bath here. A public place, and an Inn that knows us, we would rather follow whoever shows up back to a hideout and deal with them there if we have to. All in agreement, we turn in. yeah. What could go wrong.
The inn had three main areas. Entering the building, there was a long hallway, lined with arches on both sides that led to the sitting room on the left, and the dinning on the right. An interior balcony overlooked the main entrance, allowing patrons to look down to the main desk below. The sitting room would have be a place to smoke a pipe, or read a book while enjoying tea or strong drink. The bookshelves lining two of the walls allow for patrons to find any information on a multitude of subjects to pass time. There were tables, and a small stage, but not a place to have a banquet. A couple windows allowed for more light, with shutters to keep weather out. The stage would have been for ambiance music, or to address a small gathering. The dinning room had the larger tables, and the large buffet table. The tables were efficiently placed to allow for maximum occupancy with the allowance for people to get food and drink without trouble. The brick exterior left a rustic look to the building, and spiral staircases outside could allow patrons to get in and out of the rooms while enjoying the city air.
Sitting in the dinning area, I could see Henry and Marda sitting at the table across the main hall in the sitting room. We had sent Leona and Max with the egg to look for the Airship, to see if it had made it. We still had not heard anything, and we were getting worried. Yun was playing quietly on the stage, enjoying themselves more than performing. If Yun were to be performing, they would have drawn too much attention. Melfina and Geno were of course not visible, and I had lost track of where they had gone. I had a wonderful slice of carrot cake in front of me waiting for the meeting to start. The house specialty, it was spiced perfectly, and nearly half gone when two Human males came in.
One was smaller, yet obviously in charge. He wore a linen business suit, with a yellow pocket square. With a smarmy smile on his face, he locked eyes on Henry and spotting Marda, the smile twitched for just an instant. Turning away from me to say something to his associate, gesturing to the table where my friends sat. The larger of the two I knew to be human, but he may have been at least part troll. Wearing enough fabric to cover a small shed, the leisure suit may have been dark brown at one point, but light, time, and probably fierce scrubbing had faded the color. It now looked like something you may pull out of a latrine. The sleeves were rumpled too, as if they were constantly being shoved up past the elbow.
As the new comers got up to the table, I saw Marda size them both up. She came up to the upper knee of the big brutish one, but I didn't have to worry about her. Henry looked nervous, but determined. If this could get him closer to his goal, he would get through it. Unfortunately the smaller of the two sat with his back to me, and the larger one didn't seem to have anything to say. They were obviously asking Henry for a lot, as his expression grew dour. He was asking something about what he was getting in exchange for the deal. His lips were hard to read with all the fur around them. The leader then pulled something out of his jacket, maybe a contract or map. Asking for better light, Henry and the brute head over to the window and open the shutters.
Not wanting to be staring at the meeting, I glance down to cut off another bite of the cake. Fork hovering over the cake, a shout is heard across the hallway, and the only part of Henry I can see as I look up is the tip of his tail as it swishes out the window, and up. “Oh Shit.” Shoulders dropping, my hand falls to the table, fork clattering to the plate pointlessly. This is going sideways real fast.
Chaos erupted in the sitting room. The Big guy vaulted out the window, earning him a slash from Yun's rapier. Marda started hacking at the smaller man, but some of the blows stopped short of him as if invisible armor were stopping the axes. Wrapping herself around his legs, Marda was trying desperately to stop him, only for his form to turn into a mist. With the cloud moving towards the window to follow the other two Yun stepped off the stage.
“Overcompensating are we?” Bellowed Yun, finishing a crescendo on the violin, and the cloud comes back into the shape of a man, before shrinking smaller, to a large snail, still sailing out the window.
With the ruckus attracting attention, people started running out of the inn in a panic. Trying to blend in with the crowd, I run out with them. I'm not really sure how I can blend in that well, but it is worth a shot. Once outside I can see that the carnage has started. Melfina's Spiritual scythe floats behind her as she runs up a set of spiral stairs. Geno's Blurred Form runs past the big man, swiftly laying into his kneecaps with a large wrench. Henry must have gotten onto the roof somehow, as Melfina, Geno and the brute are all trying to get up there first. Taking my eyes from the battle, I run across the street. There could be more of the slavers and I take a quick look for them before looking back at the inn. A group of people were starting to gather on this side of the road, far enough away to be able to flee, but close enough to watch the spectacle, and I could see over the crowd. Yun had come out of the window now too, stepping around the nice plants that had been planted there. Marda was rooting around the ground looking for something in the small patch of mulch. She had pulled the magical manacles out of her bag. Melfina had beaten the large man up to the top of the building, and was standing over him. Blood was running down his shins from where Geno had beaten him. Ice materialized from Melfina's outstretched knife, battering the thug hanging onto the roof.
Looking around, I can see some people are agog at the sight of the magic. One person seems to be less stunned than the rest of the crowd. A younger man in appearance, he holds the reins of three horses, one of which was nearly large enough for me to ride. The jaw of the horse handler was clenched tight, with a solemn look. Looking back at the carnage, the Brute has finally made his way up to the roof, bound and determined to get there. Yun appears next to him, as if they had simply decided to be there instead of the ground below. But before Melfina or Yun could grab the thug, another being does. The Specter fades into being, and grabs the big man by the shoulders, one in each ghostly appendage.
As the ruffian looks up, the visage holding him flickers briefly, into the form of a young woman, before death once again solidifies as much as the spectere ever does. A scream can be heard from the lout as he is ripped in half, spraying blood over Melfina and Geno. Yun was able to pull the parasol out and cover behind it. I had seen Yun use the parasol to conceal their rapier, and I thought it was just for decoration. As the blood starts running over the edge of the roof, the spectators below chose that time to scatter. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. The dispersing crowd did make it a little harder to follow the man with the three horses, so I cast a little spell of my own.
Drawing some magic from the world around me, I cast a mark on my target, and a brief scent of bad cologne and horse hit me before I faded away. The spell would help me track my target, but couldn't point out where he was exactly. This way, if I lost track of him, I would have a better chance of finding him again. Following him at a greater distance, I saw the town guard was heading towards the scene of the chaos. While I am concerned about my friends, I didn't have to worry long.
Melfina's voice rang in my head. “Henry is fine, we have a map now. Heading to Madame Curie's Inn. Captured Mr. Big. Stay safe. Henry will sort this all out.”
Knowing I could answer, I responded once her message was done. “Following third slaver. I promise I won't kill them all without you guys. See you soon.” Well, time to see if I can be a giant, one armed shiny Dragonborn that can't be seen.
Chapter 36 Curiosity
The trees whizzed past the window of my cabin. Sitting with my left arm around my unhatched child I sat enjoying some time alone. Or trying to. The whole train was rocking gently on the tracks, and while it wasn't unpleasant like an airship, it was still something hard to ignore. I was doing my best to do just that while I told stories to the egg. Max had been urging me to do that for some time now, so figuring on the long trip ahead of us I should take some time for just that. I lay in my breeches with my right arm off. I felt a little exposed, but the guards were on edge now.
There had been quite a bit of explaining to do about the bodies and blood that had remained on the train. During the morning coffee rain from a storm had caused the blood on top of the train to seep down the windows. It had caused a bit of a consternation from the other passengers, and had to be explained away by the train staff. There was also a missing shield guardian, which must be what those fancy bits of armor are. I have no idea what happened to it, and it seemed to trouble the guards that anything at all Could have happened to it. I had wanted to try to get the guards on our side, and work with them, but the rest of the group had been against it. Wanting to share the credit with the guards, I figured that would get us on their good side, the others simply didn't want to get chummy with them, so if they screwed something up we wouldn't be a part of it.
Yun and I had stayed up and broke the cipher, decoding the message. I had thought it was going to be a message to someone on the train. It read:
He's on the train heading to the meeting
We need him Alive to assist with business
This is a test for defenses and to see if they are on board.
If you can lift the key and schematics, do so.
That had of course solved the question as to what they had wanted. That team had been after someone on the train, probably Henry. If they had wanted to test out the defenses, I guess we gave them an answer. As to what the key was, none of us currently knew. While it hadn't taken a long time to figure out the message, it had caused us to be up later than usual, leading to a rather lethargic morning. After breakfast and the eventful coffee time, I found myself back in my cabin. Marda had wanted to go visit Mittens so I had lent her my all access pass to do so. Which allowed me to stare out the window and day dream. The last time I had been through these woods we had chased down a murderer, and encountered the hydra. That disaster was behind me now, and my shoulder tingled where they used the diamond on me. Then on the next trip we had all nearly been infected and turned by an undead plague. Now I have brought all of my loved ones with me, and left my beloved shop practically abandoned. What-
The door to my cabin opened and Melfina walked in, and closed it behind her. Saying only “ I need to cast a spell”, she sat down looking directly at the door and closed her eyes. She held the dagger that Max had made for her, closed her eyes and quietly prayed. With the completion of the prayer, she sat unmoving. Well, now that I have two things to protect in here, and myself I suppose, I summoned my axe. Leaning it up against the couch-bed, I went back to looking out the window, thoughts traveling as fast as the trees outside once more.
Some time had passed, and I may have dozed off more than once, before Melfina moved again. With a involuntary groan, Melfina stretched from the sitting position she has been in, and tells me she has figured a few things out about Henry. The meeting he is supposed to be having will be at tea time, although we don't know where yet. I suppose we could just follow him if it comes to that. Saying that she saw a book, she wants to try writing the title down, maybe one of us can read it. Before she can get up, Marda knocks on my door and enters followed by Yun and Geno. While closing the door Marda quietly tells us that someone got into the livestock cart from outside, and Mittens had managed to get a swipe in. piping up, Yun fills us in with a conversation he had with one of the medics one the train. Someone had taken some bandages and ointment from the cart while no one was looking. So, there may be another team, or individual at least, who wasn't supposed to be on the train. How did anyone get on while the train was moving in the first place, and how would they get off? Questions to think about. Melfina has finished her book title, saying it was the book that Henry was reading avidly. After we all take a look, Yun tells us it is elvish, but something is off. Nothing but gibberish. The script meant nothing to me at first glance, but a meaning came to me, as if I could always read this. Translated to common, I read out to the others, “Talls of Fairbong Truvel: the each for the fall smity” While it may have been fun to try to make guess of the actual title, none of us knew what it could have been.
While we all had been trying to read the book title, Marda had brought her haversack into her lap. Smiling, she started pulling straw out of the pack. At first the straw had looked to be covered in muck, and indeed some of it was, but it also had blood on it. With a wickedly gleeful look in her eyes, she started crudely collecting the blood from the straw, as if trying to milk it. Holding up a hand, Geno told her to wait, and if she could be patient, he could go get some alchemy tools. Where he was going to get them on the train, I had no idea, but he told us he would have them in an hour.
With time to kill, Melfina tells us she wants to cast something else, and pulls out a massive amount of incense from her pouches. Thinking she was simply going to pick the proper amount to use, she instead lit nearly all of it. The cabin quickly filled with the stench, and I was forced to open the window as much as I could. Now with the loud noise coming so easily through, it was harder to hear Melfina as she started to mutter about what she was seeing.
“The Tales of Fairlong's Travels:The search for the fallen city. Elvish. Shadowfell. Dragons. A green key.” She had said a few other things, but I couldn't make them out. She started bleeding from the eyes and nose before coming out of the trance. “I saw the book.” she starts. “ Henry must be looking for the ancient city, but it may have fallen into the realm of Shadowfell. There were odd creatures, maybe fae, but I couldn't tell. And there was something about green dragons. That group must be after the Key, which is attached to the book, but I don't know why.” Geno had come back by the time Melfina had finished her trance, and he filled us in about the dragons. If a green dragon spent enough time in one place, the Faewild could sometimes leak into this plane, influencing the area. I wonder if Max would know anything about the Faewild, considering who his dad is. Telling the others I will be right back, I leave the Egg in Marda's care. She watches over Melfina to some extent, I would rather keep it surrounded by allies than carry it everywhere.
Opening the door to my compartment, I come face to face with Henry. Realizing that I was just in my breeches, I balk and try to figure out the best course of action. Awkwardly saying nothing, I jump into the hall and practically trot down to Max and Leona's cabin. I turns out, they too were coming out to head for lunch. Completely forgetting about the meal schedule, I find that Yun, Geno and I have missed our scheduled lunch time, and it was now time for Max, Leona, Melfina and Marda to eat. Apparently, Henry was also scheduled to eat at this time, and Melfina and Marda run to try to sit with him. After they had all left the train car, which was now practically empty, I go back to my own cabin. Geno and Yun were talking with their heads together, poking heads out the door. With a simple, “Right, let's do it” from Geno, I watch as they quickly cast something, and both disappear.
Sitting with the Egg once again in my arm, I watch as my door once again opens, and stays that way. After a short moment, I hear a click, and the opening of a door across the hall, but I don't see it move. Odd. I think they may have gone to break into Henry's room, and I know the goblin at least can be invisible, like he was when we first met him. They could have at least closed My door. It's letting in a breeze, and since the window is still open, there is a good draft. Getting up to close it, I come face to face with one of the car guards. “Just wanted some fresh air in here. It can be a bit stuffy.” With a grunted response, the guard goes back to his post at the back of the car. Well. I guess I will leave everything open now. I had wanted to get dressed anyway, since I made a fool of my self in front of the guy we are not supposed to be noticed by. Decent folk don't go around in sleeping attire.
Grabbing a vest, I put it on, but I don't slot the protective plates in the layers of fabric. Easy enough to do if I need be, they can be uncomfortable if I wanted to keep laying next to the Egg. Seeing Leona in the hall had led to another thought. She seemed to be doing well enough after her first kill, but I would have to ask Max about it. He would know if there had been any problems. I hope she hadn't had enough time to focus on it, but doing something like killing another being, even in self defense could really change someone. She had seen the problems Max and I both had, and I didn't want her to have to live with them herself.
I don't know how long I sat there thinking about it, but I head another click, like a lock of a door, and I felt someone enter the room. I can hear the Goblin trip on something, maybe his own feet. I wonder if that is something and invisible person would be prone to. I wonder if I will ever be able to figure that out. Do I really Want to find that out?
The time to figure that out would come later, and I hear people outside in the hall. A slight giggle emanates from my left, and is stifled right before Marda opens the door, and comes in, Melfina and Leona behind her.
“It's my turn” my daughter says. I arch my brow questioningly, but smile and hand over the Egg.
“Thank you” I reply, and when she grabs the Egg she places a half of a cold roast beef sandwich in my hands. I give her a grateful hug, and she heads back to her cabin. Scarfing the sandwich in two bites, I savor it. While I could have heated it, that wasn't needed. Or safe probably.
With the cabin door shut, Yun and Geno come out of hiding, right in Marda's face with a loud “Hi!” attempting a quick slap, Marda's hand whiffs through the air directly in front of Yun's face. A grin on their face, Yun starts filling us in as to what was found in Henry's cabin. While the book hadn't been out on the table anymore, they had found it in a chest and Yun had been able to read it. The key had been attached to the book by a ribbon, acting as a bookmark. A special magnifying glass had been enclosed in a fountain pen, allowing the user to see special ink, which had been liberally used in the margins of the book. As it turned out, Henry had been writing down daydreams of meeting and befriending these Fae creatures the book would describe. Notes and Hypotheses in the book guessed at Oberon, the King of the Fae, being trapped in the city when some event had sent it into the Shadowfell. A War between the Fae courts had led to imbalance and disaster, trapping everyone involved. The Key itself had caused Geno's Skin to tingle, sparking memories from Marrda of the strange Rock we Had found in Mr. Corbin's Haversack. As He had taken that rock back, we could only guess they were the same material.
Another note had sparked interest of another sort. While Henry had wanted to befriend the Fae creatures, and be some sort of adventurer, he also didn't seem to have quiet the nerve for it yet. The main problem was that he knew the type of people he was heading to meet, and he clearly didn't want to have anything to do with them. They must have something he wants of course, so maybe that is an angle we can cover.
Standing, Yun opens their mouth. “Well,” they say, “Only one thing to do really. Geno, would you get us some Tea please? A few varieties.”
Nodding, Geno leaves the cabin, with Yun right behind. But instead of heading down the train, Yun simply knocks on the door across the hall. As it cracks open I see the furry face of Henry peering cautiously out.
“Would you like to join us for some tea?” Yun asks in a perfectly chipper tone.
I don't think any of us expected that, and I know I blinked a couple times in confusion. Melfina looked up from the blood she had been examining, some of the fluid still caked on her like war paint. No reason to wipe it off while eating, it had stayed on there.
“Are you here to kill me?” Henry asks? While a strong voice, I could tell he was trying his best to keep from fainting.
It was Yun's turn to blink, and the answer of “No way, shape or form” came from the musician.
“Oh.” It came from the Tabaxi in an odd tone, slow, matter-of-factly. “Well, I have this perfect evening robe I would love to get in, would that be ok?”
“It sure would” Yun replied cheerfully. “It will just be over in my friend's cabin here across the way.”
“OK, I will be right over,” Henry promised, and closed the door, presumably to get ready.
Coming back across the narrow Hall, Yun gestured at Melfina's face, and the caked on blood peels up and away, dissolving into nothing. “We need to get ready, we are going to have a tea party I our pajamas.” Changing into evening wear before our eyes, they shoo their hands at the rest of us, as if to get us ready faster. The Ladies leave to get ready, and I look down at myself. I just got dressed less than an hour ago. It feels kinda silly. Starting to undo my vest, Geno comes back, letting us know that Tea has been ordered. Upon hearing the information that we are having a tea party in our sleeping attire, he exclaims “Jim Jam Slam!” and rips his shirt off. Great. Now we all have to be in our nightwear, in a small cabin. This isn't going to be awkward.
The JournalChapter 35 The B team
“That's a Gorgon.”
We were all standing around Mikey, Geno's new creation that was going to be the housing for the egg on the trip. Marda had of course pointed out a flaw with Geno's creation. I had heard about a Gorgon, A ferocious metal bull that somehow turned things to stone. I had never faced one before, nor did I want to. Thankfully Marda knew about it. Consulting her Guide,”The Helpful handbook of Heinous creatures” she read a description that was very much like the creature before us.
Geno had come through, making this magnificent creature in just one night somehow. Looking like a large metal Bull, it was missing a large ovoid portion in the chest. Presumably where the egg would stay. I didn't want to ask how he had done it so fast. But this new metal creature of his did pose a new problem. How were we going to get it on the train without people throwing a fit? Luckily Marda and Melfina were able to come up with an idea. The Sanctum had been known from time to time to aid in the transport of dangerous animals. So we simply acquired a pass for Michelangelo obtained a special muzzle for him making it look like he may be dangerous, and got him onto the train. Wasn't too much of a fuss anyway. Mikey was loaded in with the mounts including Mittens near the back of the train. What I wasn't thinking about was that our cabins may be quite a distance from the mounts.
The train was much longer than I had thought it would be, although since we were going to be spending a good amount of time on it I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It had one large complicated machine of some sort on one end, and the livestock car on the other. Behind the front machine were a couple of large wagon-like cars holding combustible materials to fuel whatever fire may power this massive thing. Behind that was the living quarters for the many people keeping the train working. Several sleeper cars followed that for the higher class ticket holders with five small cabins per car, plus a single lavatory. then a lounge car for them. Leona, Max and I all had tickets for those cars, as did Marda and Melfina. We were able to choose what cars we wanted, and as it turns out, Henry, the Tabaxi we were supposed to be watching chose the same car. Even worse, I had locked eyes with him, and was trying to figure out what approach to take when he fled into the cabin across from mine and slammed the door shut. Something tells me that would be a memorable meeting. I would either have to make up with him, or leave the rest of the mission to the others. Either way, not a great start.
The rest of the train was made up of a single dinning car, sleeper cars for the lower classes sleeping eight per car, and seating cars for them. Then the livestock. With all access I was able to go from one end of the train to the other, but I had to wait for it to get moving. We were otherwise asked to stay put while everyone and everything was loaded. Leona and Max decided to stay in one cabin together, as the other option was to be separated on different cars, which they didn't want.
Once the Train starts moving, we are allowed to wander about. Geno and Yun were the only ones in the second class cars, but Yun has a pass that allowed them to go anywhere. Marda and Melfina were stuck up front, but that seemed OK with them for the most part. Eager to check on the egg, I immediately went to go get it from Mikey. Passing into the lounge, I was greeted by a Bar in one corner of the long car, and seating enough for most of the first class passengers. Two large suits of armor were standing next to the door leading to the dinning car. The armor was made of mixed styles, but both were incredibly old. While styles sometimes come back into fashion, these seemed to be from when they First came into being. Before the Caster wars. Why these were here I could only guess, but they had recently been cleaned. Complete with weapons, these should be in a collection somewhere, not here. Maybe they were here to impress the important folks on this first “voyage”.
The dining car was impressively well thought out. Stairs led up to the tables which had bench style seating. Groups of people would eat together. A dip in the middle of the car had stairs leading to the kitchen portions which were under the tables. Kitchen and waitstaff would work under the diners, then bring it up. That way the kitchen and dinning were all in the same car. It would be hard enough moving the food with the constant jostling the train provided, trying to bring it to a whole separate car would have been impossible.
Getting through the remaining passenger cars I find another pair of the old armor standing guard. Continuing on,I find Geno heading for the same destination as I and we find ourselves in with the livestock. Various animals to eat during the journey, and the mounts took a good amount of room. Mittens had be put in with Mikey, as both were technically dangerous animals. I was in a dilemma. I wanted to be close to the egg, but I also didn't want to seem like Geno wasted his efforts making Mikey. I didn't think I would be so far away from the animals. I decided to take the egg back to the passenger car so I could watch over it. Apologizing to Geno, I explain the situation. I guess Mikey was a contingency plan. If we couldn't stay with the egg, there would be a safe place for it. Heading back, I passed Marda in the lounge car with everyone else, but I went back to my cabin. It was a more defensible position, and I simply wanted to read some. Max had been reading to the egg, and I wanted to try.
With all of the passengers on the car, we all had different times to eat in the dinning car. So when our time came, we had a delicious meal. Artisanal Mushroom soup, followed by Lamb with mint chutney with potato and broccoli and banana pudding for dessert. As I was heading back to my cabin, I had an Idea. Knowing that at least one guard had been placed in each car, I asked if I could be introduced to the Captain of the trains guard. Simply wanting to be helpful and offer any cooperation I could offer, I was met by something else entirely.
While The captain knew exactly who I was, I had no idea who they were. Being a political rival of Vlad, the captain seemed to be someone who mistrusted me and seemed somewhat offended that I didn't know who they were. As a person who was “under investigation” they made it clear they would keep any eye on me, I didn't even bother asking what security protocols were. As it would have just made me more suspicious if there was an attack, I simply turned heel and walked away from him. While it would make defending the train a bit more difficult, I would do what I could. Maybe I could salvage this somehow, but I wasn't sure what to say yet.
Geno had of course wanted to see the engine and as he came back, Marda and Melfina came to visit as well. Mentioning the Armor, They mention that Spike had received a nasty shock of energy when attempting to crawl inside it. So they are magical somehow. Melfina also took some time to magically spy on Henry, who as far as we could tell had stayed in his cabin. Seeming rather anxious, he stayed alone the enitre time she was watching him. She was able to sense some sort of magic on him, illusions of some sort, but she wasn't able to determine anything else.
Yun had come forward using their pass, and came to visit as well, and I filled everyone in on the train's captain of the guard. Since we couldn't count on the guards for a fight, we seemed to be on our own until we could gain their trust. Without any more information, we were about to part ways when Melfina suddenly tensed, looking to Spike. We all got quiet.
Thudding comes from above, where no sane person would go. Locking eyes with Geno and grabbing his hand Yun lets off a quick Whistle and they both vanish. With a couple extra thuds above, I start to hear faint yelling. Not to be out done, Melfina starts chanting as she gets up, drawing her knife. By the time she was out of the cabin, her speed had doubled, making her almost blur in movement. With a glance at me, Marda jumped out and started after her. While I would never call Marda slow , she certainly wasn't going to be as fast as Melfina right now. Grabbing the egg, I walked out of my cabin and went directly to Max and Leona's. Looking at the guard who stood at the door to the next car, I told him to warn the other guards that we had visitors. Knocking on the door before opening it, I open my mouth to let Max and Leona know, but they are ready for it, brandishing weapons. By the time I set the egg down on Leona's bed, I start to hear the screams above. I will let my companions venture out to fight, there are things to guard here.
As I summoned my axe, Max went to the front of the car, to guard the door between my cabin and Henry's. Leona and I posted up between their cabin and Marda's. She held her spear in one hand, and her round shield in the other, short sword sheathed in the back of the shield. She kept adjusting her grip on the spear, and I could tell she was nervous. ”Defensive fighting little one. We can hold here just fine, no need to push them out. Our friends are behind them, and Aunt Melfina is out for blood. I mean, she's always out for blood.” A small smile came out, and she relaxed a bit. I recognized her stance, as she readied to strike. As the screams grew fainter above, our door opened and a large hulking figure came through. Wielding an axe, I took only a second to notice it was a Goliath. Dark clothing and obviously not here to help us, we lay into him. When he blocks my blows Leona strikes with her quick speed. Using her shield as as weapon as well, we overwhelm our opponent and with a feinted attack, Leona gets an opening to thrust her spear just below the neck.
Pulling her spear out of her opponent, the body goes limp and falls to the ground. If he wasn't dead, he soon will be. Looking to Leona I know that I need to keep her mind in the present. Not wanting her to dwell on the kill, I sent her looking for additional threats in the next car. If she fixates on her first kill, it may not go well. Let the adrenaline get out of her system a bit first. I know that the screaming meant Melfina was still alive, and I simply had to hope for the rest of the group. Concentrate on what I can currently do. Max's opponent was still up, and I could see that blood was flowing from both combatants on that side of the car. Max's giant metal mace, nearly as long as a glaive barely had room to swing in the train car, but that didn't stop the Minotaur. Noticing his opponent favoring his right side, I call out to let Max know. But before he can act, a Ray of sickening green light comes from behind the mysterious combatant. Taking the opportunity to hit the combatant, Max jabs him in the stomach with the counterweight, twirls the giant mace once, and brings the momentum down on the back of the head, crumpling bone and flesh and spraying the near vicinity in blood.
The remains of the fighter sat in front of the door when Melfina appeared complete with Bone wings. That would explain the screaming. With a quick gesture, she uses a bit of her divine magic to heal Max, and his own blood begins to pull the wound closed, forming a needle to stitch it shut. Just looking at it was uncomfortable, I don't want to be reminded how it felt. Looking at Max, Melfina pauses and touches his chest with a confused expression on her face. It may be all the blood. It is a bit hard to tell with her.
The few seconds it took for the whole thing to happen, Leona comes back to report that no other fights had broken out on the cars behind us. With no more threats, I start to examine the body Leona killed. The Goliath had tattoos from some known fighter clans, but they were also not the best warriors. It seems like we had the second class fighters being sent after us, and the second rate guards to protect the train. As I was examining the body, Marda came back, dejectedly dragging her swords. Going to her cabin, muttering to herself about stupid quick casters showing off. With a quick glance at the others, I go back to searching the body.
Finding a pouch of 20 gold, and an encoded letter, I don't find much else. To my surprise, Yun comes in announcing that they are stuck on this side of the Dinning car. Apparently the suits of armor had animated, and during the fight had obliterated one of the attackers. They also had informed Yun that the lounge was closed for the night, and they weren't allowed past. I guess we were going to have something to explain to security. We also need to check on Henry, but first I think I should figure out what this letter says, to see if these guys were coming for him, or to him. Better start working on it.
Chapter 34 A Talk on the wild side
It took us a month to finally talk with Vandrin after we learned who they were. The first few days we simply tried to figure out what to Do with the information we had been given. If we said the wrong thing, asked the wrong question, or pretended to know too much we could all be killed, or worse. I spent a good amount of time wondering if the questions were even worth it. Finally deciding that we should contact the Head Witch Hunter, we settled down on what to say. Yun also wanted to make absolutely sure of Vandrin's Schedule, and told us we had a month before it would be as close to a sure thing as possible.
We didn't spend the whole time huddled together arguing about what to do either. We all spent time together, when we could. Marda and Melfina spent a good amount of time with the Myconids, training them, and visiting Rorin and Aurane. Yun of course was out investigating Vandrin, so Geno and I spent some time together. He found my shop quaint, if not effective. Liking the double sided forge Max and I had set up, we were able to make some improvements with Suggestions from the Goblin. We were able to go out to Visit Bellia a couple times as well, meaning that Geno could see Ricky at those times.
When we finally decided to send a message to Vandrin, it was put in code, and dropped off by an unused persona of Yun. After the code the message would read “If you are Vandrin, can we meet and talk about the War with Terrytown, the bad undertow, and the crimson dragons. Ziggurat, under the temple of Pudge, three days, midnight.” Deciding that Marda, Yun and I should be the ones talking, we choose questions to ask, then waited. We didn't want to lie, or conceal anything we didn't have to. An inquisitive mind would be able to extract things from us if we didn't watch what we were saying, but we also didn't want to just give everything out for free.
I fully expected to be either arrested or dead before the time for the meeting, and was quite happy that I wasn't. I spent the days working as normal. Melfina and I did go down to the Ziggurat to make sure we remembered the way, and we surprised to find that it was in good shape. The Myconids had actually cleaned it a bit, so it wasn't As dank as the last time we had been here. Being underground the floor was still damp, but nothing could really help that long term.
The Afternoon of the meet found us all heading to the Bath house. Figuring we had all been stressed, and we should try to smell nice tonight, we paid for the group and went in. We had planned to get out and be at the meeting place forty five min before hand, but a few things slowed us down for that. Geno got lost down the corridor of pipes leading from the pools and heaters. When Melfina went to look for him, she went missing for a bit as well. It didn't help that While trying to figure out what the sent of the day was I smelled too many herbs and got dizzy to the point I had to sit down for a bit.
Getting the the Ziggurat at twenty five minutes to spare, I knew that if we had been here for three hours, someone else would have already been here. Lighting the place up, I walked to the middle of the room, and told the others to stand back. Using my fire breath, I dried the floor as best as I could, beckoned the group closer, and sat down in the middle of the floor. If even half the stories of Vandrin were true, the leader of the witch hunters would know everything about me down to how many scales I had on my tail. I had worn the moon bladed great axe from the shop, and I carefully took it off my back, and set it as far as I could in front of me. Short of literally removing my appendage, this was as close to Disarmed as I was going to get. Now we just had to wait to see if we were going to talk, die, or both. It was at that point I saw the figure in a doorway across the room. They had stood in the shadow, still as a statue.
I made no movement but told the others that Vandrin had arrived. I wasn't sure if anyone had seen our guest before I said anything but it didn't change much. Yun had pulled out a flute and had played while I set myself up, and continued to do so. The figure had obviously heard me as the half elf clerk stepped out of the shadows. The clerk carried themselves differently, but I couldn't pin it. There was no body language at all. As if everything about the person was neutral. Vandrin stopped far enough away to give time to run if it was an ambush, but they were close enough to talk without shouting. Would have made an odd clandestine meet if we had been shouting at each other.
The eyes dance over all of us, the head still. “How did you find me?” Vandrin asks. Calm. Predatory. Nonchalant. A voice of someone who was used to knowing all the information, and could supply that information instantly.
“Luck. We found you with simple dumb luck” I reply before anyone can say anything. No need to rat people out.
“So. What do you want?” While it was a demand, it was... something else. As if asking an alley cat why the price of eggs had gone up.
“We want to know what you think of the possibility of war with Terrytown.” Marda replies.
A sigh escapes from the figure before us, and a hand is put on a hip. “Not my business. The guild doesn't need to be a part of that, so I am not part of that. I worry more about people who come In to the City” The eyes land an Yun, and bounce to Geno. Neither of them had said anything In fact, Yun was still quietly playing the flute.
I don't want aggression coming out, so I move the conversation to what we want. “You mean like the Crimson dragons?”
An annoyed sound comes out, the kind that requires lips. “My job is to keep old wars old.” that statement would have to take some thinking.
“What would you say if we were to share some info about the Crimson Dragons corruption going on politically high up”
“Those are some valid threats, but I choose to simply let the system decide. What I want to know really, What is that?” Vandrin points at spike.
I think we were all taken by surprise. In all my preparation, I had forgotten about the turtle, and what came out of it. I didn't really know what it was now that I thought about it. Melfina had told me some things, but what the actual being was remained a bit of a mystery.
Melfina answers with a bit of innocence in her voice, “Well that is just my pet turtle.”
“Don't play dumb with me” Vandrin retorts. “That” jabbing a finger again in emphasis “has left reports of some spectere appearing wherever it goes. So I want to know. What. Is IT?”
The fact of the matter is I have no idea what it is, and I”m not sure anyone else does either. Melfina may have some idea, but she hasn't shared that information with us. Not really sure what to say, I let the silence stretch.
“It is an ally”. Melfina states. She almost says more, but leaves it at that.
“Hm.. maybe your companions at the shops would know more information.”
Anger rises up from me, and a trickle of smoke wafts out of my mouth as I speak.”Do not bring them up” from the reaction, Vandrin knew that would touch a nerve. I needed to get this back on track before it gets more out of hand. “The bad undertow found out the hard way about that. What do you know of them?”
“Oh the undertow. Either side of the undertow is bad if you ask me. That of course includes all the new friends you have made,” they purr. “I know that they are collecting in Davenport, something about them taking the city from the Black legion. The Legion of course is just a peace keeping force, but if they were expelled, or destroyed, then anything would go. If they were stopped, it may change a few things here in town. Hard to say.”
I got it. If we left we wouldn't be the Witch hunters problem, as we wouldn't be here. Either the slavers are taken care of, or we are. One way or another it helps Vandrin. Hmph.
“Oh, and the first running of the new Train will be leaving soon. In three days to be precise. There will be a particular person of importance on the train. A merchant. They are going to meet with someone from the 'Bad undertow'. You should go to Laketown and find out what that meeting is about. It may help with Davenport.”
“How long until Davenport falls?” I ask, worried about the remnants of the legion there.
“Reports say something is to happen in three months.”
“What of this merchant? What do they look like?” Marda asks
Vandrin starts to describe the merchant as a Tabaxi, with mostly black fur, but whit on his chest. The name is Henry Hotfeet. We should be able to get tickets from people we know, like Rorin and Aurane. I bet that Holden has some tickets, and that he would do anything to Not be on that train. If we need to get in touch with Vandrin we can talk with agents Moulby or Skullcrusher. I'm not super happy to just be doing what Vandrin says, but both agendas happen to align, for now. Worried about people bothering Max or Leona while I am gone I considered writing to Max's father but then I had a better Idea.
“Can you promise that my shop won't be bothered while I am gone.” I ask.
“The witch hunters have been stretched pretty thin, I can't promise that no one will ask questions about Leona.” came the reply.
“What do you know of the name Charles Corbin?” I ask.
A puzzled look comes over Vandrin, piecing together a puzzle. “Corbin, which would make him the father of Max Corbin. Recently here in town, thankfully gone now. What about him?
“Mr. Corbin would be very unhappy if something were to happen to his Grandchildren.” I say simply.
“Oh? oh. OH!” for the first time, emotion cracked through. It wasn't enough to see if it was fear or agitation, but it was immensely satisfactory. “Please don't bring him back. I don't have enough people to arrest him safely, and a lot of people would die if we tried. Oh that would be bad.” It may have been possible that one of the most feared people in town was talking to themselves. Neat.
“Well I wouldn't want to bother him by making him come all the way back here. Of course, it doesn't take him that long...” I honestly have no idea where he currently was, or how long it would take, but Vandrin didn't have to know that.
They made no promises, and with that, Vandrin simply vanished. Picking up the great axe I had set aside, I put it on my back, and we went back above ground. The moving air felt better than the stale air below, but I still felt like I was being watched. Honestly, if the Witch hunters weren't watching me right now, they weren't doing their job. Deciding that Marda and Melfina would talk to Aurane and Rorin, Yun would talk to the Marquis, and Geno and I would talk to Holden, we walked each other home. Yun and Geno dropped me off at the shop on the way to an Inn, and walking in I find Max sitting up, reading a book to the Egg. He looked up when I came in, but still finished the page at least.
What was I going to do about the Egg. I wanted to be here when it was time to hatch. Should I just leave my comrades to this job? But that would mean leaving the Legion to whatever may happen to them. I had a few days to think about it. Could I stay here until it hatched, then leave for davenport? That wouldn't work at all. I would be leaving my own child, and I may not have enough time to do anything for the Legion. Thanking Max for staying up to wait for me, I tucked the egg into the blankets for the night, and went to sleep.
Heading out in the morning, Geno and I ride out to Holden's compound together. Geno is a bit excited as he hasn't seen Ricky in a few days and we talk about how Geno made Ricky. Made mostly of steel, Ricky isn't really something with the sentience but does have something akin to a dog. I guess it is more like some of the animal companions that the Rangers of the Legion sometimes had. I asked Geno if Ricky could take on another shape, and the reply was that it simply took a night to make a new one. An image of something was forming in my head, but I couldn't quite tell what it was when we found ourselves at the compound.
Always a place of activity, there were projects of all types going on at all times of day and night. Most of the time a large group would work on one of the main projects, but when you get enough crafters together in one place, something new is bound to be made. We set off to find a few people and soon enough came to Ricky.
Signs had been attached to him since we had last been here. His nose has also taken a sheen to it, as if a multitude of people had been touching it. On closer inspection the signs were not those of warning, saying, “He is doing his best” and “Keep out of kitchen”. I can only imagine that Ricky had found his way into a bit of trouble, and people liked him well enough to not be angry, but understanding. After all, Ricky doesn't eat anything, he was probably just curious. And Big. He may have bumped into some things and caused some damage on accident. Hopefully he wasn't damaged, but I will let Geno figure that out himself, and the goblin greets his companion with a gentle headbutt.
After a few minutes with Ricky, we head to Holden's office, but find a sign saying that compound's master is busy. We wanted to find either Holden or Oliver and ask them if we can get tickets for the train, or take the Skyship for a little trip. While we were able to find Oliver, he informed us that the tickets for the train had been left in the staff room, and we were free to take anything that remained, but he doubted anything would still be there. Oliver also told us the Skyship was under orders to sail over the train. If anything were to happen, the trains passengers could be removed to safety by the ship. That may work out as the skyship would be in the place we needed it to be, now we just need to figure out how to use it.
Heading down to the staff room, we find two all access passes were left and we scoop them up. These passes would let us visit our mounts, so I could take mittens with no trouble, or less trouble, and Geno could see Ricky. Wait. That may be the solution to me being with the Egg. “Hey Geno,” I start. “Would it be possible for Ricky to carry something inside of him? Maybe change shape to accommodate something?”
“Ricky? no. I would have to make something else.” Geno responds, looking at the skyship. But carry what? You don't seem the type to have to carry much you don't normally carry already.”
“An Egg for one.” I say. “Would What ever you make be able to contain and protect the egg while we travel. Keep it proper temperature and everything?”
“I should be able to do that. It May require some tinkering, but it should be a problem. I think.”
Well, that would solve that problem. While I wouldn't really want to take the Egg into harm's way, but it is a possibility. I'll have to ask some other people what they think. Leaving the dock, we bump into Captain Gale who was also leaving. Asking if we could talk, she nods eagerly. Asking if she would like to go on adventure. As it turns out, the captain has been extraordinarily bored, and is ready for something besides boring test voyages, but has to follow the orders given to her. If orders from Holden could be put into the schedule, she would be happy to take us where ever we wanted. Of course, she would only be free if the Train's journey went smoothly, and the ship wasn't needed. Pulling a tin out of her bag, she handed it to us, with the instructions to give it to Holden. Asking what it is, she replies that Holden will loose track of whatever he may be thinking about if presented with licorice. The captain apparently has been saving this tin for a purpose much like this one.
Bellia was easier to find than I had hoped. Finding her laying under the shade of the orchard's trees taking a break, we greet each other. “ I was thinking, we have to go to Laketown on the train, would you like to come on the skyship to watch over us” I ask, sitting next to her.
“Well if you are going to Laketown what about the Egg? You said you would take care of it. Not very responsible of you.” she responds, sitting up.
“Well, as to that, Geno here may be able to make something very similar to Ricky that would be able to carry and protect the Egg, keeping it safe until it hatches.” I explain “Since he will be coming with me, I would still be able to watch over it, and I would like you to come as we may still be out of town when it happens. I would not want to take that from you.”
“Well, everyone from the compound is supposed to go on at least one trip with the ship, so we can learn from it, maybe make suggestions to improvements and the like. I would like to be there when it hatches yes.” she admits. I never doubted she would.
“Well, prepare yourself, for we leave in a few days. I look forward to it.” and I genuinely do, I will get to spend more time with her if this trip goes well enough. “We need to go talk with Holden, do you think he will be free soon?”
Oh yes, he should be free by now.” she says, laying back down on the ground. Closing her eyes she finishes, “you and I both know he can't stand long meetings.”
Chuckling, I head back to Holden's office with Geno next to me. Stopping by the staff room, we find some scrap paper and quickly write out orders for the ship to be used by us after reaching Laketown. Getting to his office, we do indeed fine him free. After knocking, he gestures us in without looking up from his papers. I have learned that he can pretend we aren't here that way. Pulling the tin of licorice out, I spin it slowly end over end in my hands, making a particular noise. He looks up to see us, and of course the tin, and I can see all his thoughts grind to a halt. Telling him we just wanted to deliver the tin to him, we needed a signature to make sure we gave it to the right person. Just like the good captain said, he didn't even look at it, just put his signature on it, and took the tin. Wishing him a good day, we took the newly approved orders and went to see Oliver again.
With a somewhat dubious expression Oliver asked us what the ship was going to be used for, and I simply responded, “licorice.” with an annoyed muttering, he marked it off on the schedule, and just like that, we had our ship. Granted of course, we could keep the train safe for it's trip. Well, one thing at a time.
Leaving Oliver's office, Bellia stops us. “Hey, just so you know, most of my family have all been born during a violent thunderstorm, so I would count on one happening around the time the Egg is to hatch.” Oh, that would be interesting to watch from, say, the deck of a skyship. I will have to keep that in mind.
Once getting back to the city, we meet up with the rest at the Inn that Yun and Geno are staying. As it turns out, Aurane and Rorin both had tickets to give, and Somehow Yun had scrounged another all access ticket from the Marquis of all places, and we came out with four extra tickets. As the others wanted to sell the extras, I asked them to sell only two of the extras, as I may have a use for the others.
Getting back to the shop, I was happy to find both Max and Leona still awake. Sitting down, I fill them in on what we have learned about Davenport and the Legion being in trouble. I also tell them that we plan on taking the Egg with us, and the plan to protect it. Telling them that the group was planning on going to help the Legion out after Laketown, I ask them if they wanted to come with us. With tickets for the train, they could stay with us, or stay on the ship, where they would probably have to work. Leona agrees to come, and Max agrees knowing that the Legion may be in trouble. This way, I won't have to worry about people bothering Leona while I am gone, and as far as I know, Max hasn't taken a vacation in a couple decades.
Turning to Leona I tell her something very important. “You know all those stories we told you when you first came to us?”
“Yeah” she says, “You mean all those about how the hero's fought honorably and saved all the lives they could?”
“Yes. Just those. There is something you need to know about fighting. You have learned so very much from the two of us over the years, but if you are to get into a real fight, you need to Bite, Claw, kick, and do anything you Need to do to win. Cause the other guy is going to be doing the same thing. Understand? I know you are aware of what I did when you were taken. It may not be something you are proud of later, but if you survive, it's worth it. Hopefully, we won't have to worry about that, but it's better to be safe than sorry right? Now come here.” I finish and spread my arms. Hugging her, I kiss her forehead like I always do, “We will always be proud of you. Remember that.”
Chapter 33
After greeting Jerkytin, I look over to see Leona holding the Egg protectively, Sora perched atop the egg, contentedly purring. They seem to be doing what I can't right now. Melfina greets Jerkytin as well, but informs him with a glance at Yun that we do not have the information yet. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Jerkytin embraces his old friend, and asks him where he has been hiding. Smiling, Yun quickly replies, “Jail.”
“Oh. Well. Yes of course.” Jerkytin concedes. “Listen. These folks here are fighting the good fight.” nodding over at the three of us. “Standing up against the war, helping out the Bards guild. They are good people. Listen Yun. The Witch hunters are back, and it's getting bad out there.”
Yun introduces The goblins to each other, and they immediately launch into complaints into the seasonings of the city. I tune them out, checking in on Leona and Max, seeing if anything happened while I was gone. Hearing that everything was running as normal, I get to work cleaning everything off as I normally do when getting back to the shop. Field cleaning is normally good enough, but nothing beats good shop maintenance. I tune back into the conversation while I clean the remains of the muck off my gear.
“With the Bards guild not being able to operate in public much anymore, we are working more with other organizations, like the undertow and sometimes the sanctum.” Jerkytin was finishing. If they want to have a place to go, they have to gain favor with one or the other. With both Big Geno and Yun being involved with the Bards, if they got into trouble there wouldn't be many people who would be able to help them. Ideally they would be able to get in well with both organizations. As Yun was never part of the Undertow, Jerkytin advises that we approach the Sanctum, and get Yun building some credit in town so he has someplace to stay.
Dropping the hint about Vandrin, Jerkytin tries to get Yun to spill the beans, but Yun clearly isn't ready yet. Asking about what all he can find here in town, Jerkytin informs the newcomers that they can stay at a few of the inns here in town, and the Hunter's guild will sometimes put people up who have taken on contracts. Standing to take his leave, I see the fire happy Goblin drop his hand into his pocket before shaking hands with Yun. A small white pearl transfers from one Bard to the other. Probably just something to pawn if he gets in trouble, I put it out of my mind.
Deciding to stay here at the shop, I let everyone else go off to the Sanctum to figure out plans for the two new comers. Something tells me that I am going to be leaving for more trips in the near future, and I want to spend what time I can here at the shop. I know that things will change. People move on, and have their own plans. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy this, and I don't see why I would have to go to the Sanctum. Melfina and Marda will pick a worthy quest for us all to undertake.
After a few hours, I receive a message from Melfina. We are going to hunt creatures that have been bothering the new train station at Smallville. Those large beaked birds we encountered before have banded together apparently into a large flock. Large enough that someone needs to go out and take care of them. We would leave in the morning. Letting Max and Leona know, we kept working through the day. I had responsibilities to them too, being part of this shop. I half expected to see part off the group come back to talk with us, but no one showed, and it was a quiet night.
The morning came all too early. I was up and ready to go when they came to collect me. Gathering our mounts we start heading out in the direction of Holden's compound to collect Ricky. With Bellia already out working for the day, and the knowledge that she would be more unhappy if I was to distract her in the middle of work, we head to Smallville. Asking about the contract, a small flock of these birds have been bothering the people trying to set up for the new train route between Cherwood and Laketown. With the name of a contact to find, we settle in for a long ride.
And a long ride it was. While friendly enough, I could tell the the bond between the two new members and the three of us still wasn't strong enough to feel trust. While talk was open enough, it was not personal talk as one would with a close friend. We were still feeling each other out. Night watch was tough too. Marda and Yun took first, while Melfina and Big G took second. I could overhear Geno saying that telling jokes to Melfina was like talking to a sentient tree. Marda grumbled to Melfina that Yun was looking for a clean rock to sit on, not wanting to take watch sitting in the filth. I was lucky enough to take watch with the turtle. While the turtle did suddenly appear on the opposite side of camp, I figured it had seen a pebble that resembled a berry or the like, and had charged over to investigate. Not like it could have flown over. Whoever heard of that.
Finally arriving late afternoon, we ride up top the train station to find it abandoned. With no one in sight, we are about to dismount when I hear a rustling behind us. Turning to look, I see the flock has come up behind us. Nearly a Dozen of vicious, man sized birds with sharp beaks run toward us spread out in a V. Without thinking, I turn Mittens and call forth a large sphere of fire in the middle of the flock, trying to separate them, so we can tackle them in smaller groups. Plus the fire may make some of them flee. I start to reach back to draw my battle axe.
Before my hand ever touches it, a flute comes in with a sharp crescendo. Quick, piercing notes ending in a high trill, and something pierces my flaming sphere. As if someone has pushed a needle through a ball of linen, I see a small dimple in the large ball, before an explosion comes from behind the sphere, directly in the middle of the flock. Intense heat spreads from the center of the eruption at a rapid pace, engulfing the birds, and nearly spreading to me. Some of mittens longer hairs curl away from the heat, and if I had been caught in it, I know it would have burned me.
When the dust settled, a small crater was left over and bodies were spread out from the crater. Some of them were just parts of bodies. My own fireball was obviously not needed, and I let the connection go, effectively removing the fuel from the fire. With nothing left, we all just sit in the sudden silence. The blast had stopped all creatures in the area from making noise, and that was the only reason we heard the small gasp from inside the train station. Turning, we all see as someone's head ducks down from a window. Crap. Towards the town, some distance off, a Pack of raptor riders also starts heading in our direction, obviously attracted by the blast. Double crap. How much did they see?
Yun and Melfina head to the train station to see who that was, and the rest of us make sure all the birds are taken care of, and wait for the raptor patrol. After only a few minutes, with the raptor pack still several hundred yards off, Yun comes back out. Telling us that Terri, our contact was in there, they tell us that Melfina is handling it. Marda and I share alarmed looks, and I tell her I will take care of it. Smallville is a mostly Halfling village, she may get along with the incoming patrol better. Entering the station, I find a hysterical Terri trying to find an explanation as to what she just saw. A human woman, plain dirty brown blonde hair, and the normal attire of someone from Cherwood.
“How did you get that mine to go off so quickly?! I mean I didn't even see you put it down, there was just an explosion! That was a mine right? Or was it some other type of weapon? There was so much Fire!”
“Yes” I respond. There was an improved mine, that I lit with my fire breath. I'm a dragonborn, see? I can breathe Fire.” Sure whatever lady, if she wants to think it was an improvised explosive, that means it couldn't have been magic.
“All those birds are dead now right?” she breathed, “They were causing so many problems, nearly everyone had quit.”
“Yes. They have all been destroyed.” Melfina says, trying to sound reassuring. I knew she was trying anyway.
With a few calming breaths, and the knowledge that the danger was gone, Terri begins to calm down and we are able to go out to see who the Raptor riders are. Knowing full well they are going to be guards of the town, I am pleasantly surprised to see Elana, captain of the guard. Happily waving to her, we join the rest of the group and I ask her how her brother is doing. While he was a lycanthrope now, it doesn't mean he wasn't still her family. After a short, polite conversation, and finding no one hurt, and aggressive birds dispatched, we are invited back to the town to spend the night in the protection of the barn. Warning both Yun and Geno to stay inside during the night, we have a quiet night with our mounts and the hay.
Not much happened on the way back to town the next couple of days. With the normal amount of foot traffic we would pass several groups a day heading away from the city, and we timed it so we were not traveling with a group. While it would have been safer, should brigands have been out, there would have been questions about Ricky. A goblin riding a bear would have been distinctive enough. A goblin riding a metal bear would have had even the most timid traveler asking questions
Without any major event, we find ourselves back at Holden's compound after a day and a half of leaving Smallville. As everyone here in the compound is willing to overlook whatever Ricky runs off, as long as they can look at the creation closer, and He doesn't make a mess, we can leave him here. Easier than trying to take him into the city for now. Getting the rest of us into the city however, was a bit more difficult this time.
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, I didn't notice whatever Yun did to one of the gate guards, but a ruckus came about, ending with the guard leaving his post in tears, shouting something about quitting the job. Looking over at Yun, I see them simply rocking on their heels, whistling while waiting to pass through the gate. Deciding I would rather not know, I simply go through when told to. We decide to drop the mounts off, then go to the sanctum to turn in the quest. Without any trouble getting there, we collect the reward, and divvy up the gold. With a bounty of 50 gold, we get 10 each. Not bad for a week of work, most of it being travel. Turning to leave, we stop when there comes from behind us a quiet, but deliberate throat clearing.
Yun stands apart from us, their hands crossed. The fingers of one hand seem to be tapping impatiently, but I notice there is a rhythm. As if fingering an instrument. “I am almost ready to give you the information you seek, but I need something first. I want you to hand over one of your most important possessions.”
Looking at Marda and Melfina, we stand there flabbergasted. None of us really have anything. Neither of the ladies have much of anything but what they brought with them to live. Clothing and weapons. I don't really have anything either. My meager possessions were all back at the shop. Nothing there I would call prized either. No Thing I had owned for that long besides various tools... Oh. I did have something. Something I had cared for most of my life. An object that had changed my life dramatically in so many ways. Destroyed so many lives, and ruined so many relationships.
I reach behind me and pull my battle axe into my hands. Widening my stance to steady myself I squarely face Yun. I could feel the tension rise as the rest of the group saw me, and even passerby in the Sanctum. A bit of apprehension appeared in Yun's face, but this is what they asked for with this ridiculous requirement. I stretch out my arms, and offer them the axe.
“I believe this will meet your requirements.” I hear myself say. I had to force myself to let go of it. Max had made me that axe before he left the Black Legion. Before I had “earned my title”. I had carried that axe the last time I would ever see my father. The symbol of my brothers of the Legion and my only companion for a time after I left them.
Pushing away the odd numbing sense that had suddenly overcome me, Yun still stands before me, closing the curious little jewelry box they carry, my battle axe gone. “Very well” they say, “I will be ready to give you the information in the morning. We will meet at your shop. Geno, I have heard of a few inns I would like to visit. Let's get out of here.”
Knowing the ladies would be staying here at the sanctum tonight, I bid them a good sleep, and also took my leave. Heading home, I felt off balance. I could still summon the moon-blade axe, but there seemed something special about that. I didn't want to be showing it off. I could feel something more from it. Almost like a Trust, or Promise when I held it. A Pact. The fact that it glowed would give it away as something special, and I now lacked a regular weapon.
When I got back to the shop, I knew what I needed. Finding Max reading a book, I ask what he had done with that glaive. “Oh, Uhh yeah. It's ready to use. It's over in the corner with the rest of the finished products.” he responds rather absently. “Why? Does someone need it?”
“I do” I respond. “My axe is no longer available.”
Max immediately looked up from his book alarmed. Leona looked over from the kitchen where she had been making something for herself. Working late again, I would have to talk to her about pushing herself too hard. A worried look on her face, I answered the unspoken question. “It was required for important information.” I go over to find it behind the barrel of blades. The long blade now polished, it resembled black glass on the end of the six foot handle. Longer than I was tall, I would have to carry it in a free hand, more like a walking stick for an old man. Maybe it would suit me more than I thought, since I suddenly felt very weary. Deciding I would make a sheath of my liking tomorrow, I set it aside with the rest of my gear, grabbed a stale roll and some jerky from the store-box, and retire for the night.
Sleep didn't come easy, and when it finally did, it wasn't restful. Waking up early and unable to fall asleep again, I got up to make a sheath for the glaive. Max had made a temporary one, but I needed something that could stay on the blade snug enough that it wouldn't flop about when I walked or ran, but came off when I needed it too. Melfina and Marda showed up shortly after the sun had come up. They both settled down to see what Yun was going to do today.
We didn't have long to wait. I had only started to start the sheath when there can a knock at the door. Only one. Bracing myself, I opened it to find Geno standing in front of the shop door. Yun I didn't notice at first as they were unmoving. What I did see as soon as Geno stepped aside was a large crucible full of molten liquid sitting on the street with Yun standing next to it. Very briefly trying to figure out where Wither of them would have got a trough full of molten liquid, those thoughts were interrupted by a flourish from Yun, as they pulled out my battle axe.
“As the secret you so desire could cost me greatly, I will take this treasured item and melt it to nothingness to see if you are a mortal to be trusted.” the bard announces, and with that, I watch as part of my life is dropped into the liquid inferno.
A myriad of emotions quickly pass through me. Rage. Sorrow. Loss. Helplessness. A feeling of a time to move on, that it was meant to be like this, but after each other emotion, Rage came back stronger than the previous time. The sound of metal grating together, and wood splintering as my right hand tightened on the door frame. I see the brass inlay, made to look like flame, dance from the intense heat. The sorrow starts to build, and spiral with the rage. Smoke begins to seep out of my nostrils, my snout burning from the heat. I release the door frame with my right hand to summon the great axe, only to steady myself with the left hand from the sudden vertigo. As the moon-blade axe comes into my hand, I hold it in front of me. “Don't you know anything about blacksmith's! We can make our own tools” I snarl out. The last of my axe burned as it fell beneath the yellow glow.
I can feel my limbs shaking from adrenal overload. My legs started to sag, shoulders slump. Just as I was about to ask what all that proved, when that very question was answered. “I know I can trust you with my life, as you had trusted me with that treasure.” They pull the small jewelry box out from behind them while talking. “I also have spent the last two night traveling to a few inns and asking around about your group.” Reaching into the impossibly small box, the slender hand pulls out my battleaxe, still intact. Offering it to me, Yun addresses us, “I will now tell you what you would like to know.”
I stand in the door holding both of my my axes, my whole life in one hand, and potential for more in the other. My own influence had influenced the shape to nearly mirror the battleaxe, the brass inlay almost identical. The moon-blade was simply bigger, with a giant hammer head opposite the blade. A better weapon for me. Why had I not taken it up then? Hefting the battle axe, I set it on the hooks I had installed on the wall countless years ago, near the door. Below it is Max's giant mace. Both weapons that had seen more fights than anyone should. And they would both probably see more. Dismissing the Greataxe, and leaving the battle axe on the wall, I walk over to the others unarmed. Yun and Geno had come in while I had been reflecting.
With full attention, Yun launches into What they know about Vandrin. As it turns out, that knowledge is both a good amount, and very little. Yun isn't the only one we know who can change the way they look. Catching on that Someone at the docks was tipping the guards off, and after several months of investigating, Yun had an ID on who this person was. Or at least who they were at another job. AS they started to describe the person, I came to realize that Yun was describing one of the clerks at the temple of Daja, specifically the one who had handed me materials to give Holden a message at the council meeting, Cold spread through my body as I frantically tried to remember what I had done in front of that person. No wonder that no one knew who Vandrin is, they could change appearance at will.
Upon realizing that we had the information we had been working on, Melfina and Marda looked at me, and I simply looked back, not knowing what to do now. We had the information, but how would we talk to them. We didn't want to blow their cover, as that would pit them against us. We didn't want to do anything to attract attention, as that would bring the entire Witch hunting force down on us. The tales say that those who know Vandrin Either disappear, or end up in the Witch hunters. I for one didn't really want to do either of those. So. Now that we have caught the cart, what are we going to do with it?
Chapter 32 New faces
When Marda and Melfina arrived at the shop Leona and I were putting together an arm guard similar in style to mine. A customer had been in picking up an order from Max and had seen my new addition, and had wanted their own. Not having the dragon scales to do another one, we agreed upon layered plates, with leather in between the plates. It was going to be heavier, but still flexible enough. The leather would give it more of a modern look, while still giving the protection of classic armor. Once complete, it would look like stripes of metal down a leather coat sleeve.
Marda lead Melfina into the shop with a cheerful greeting for everyone. Exchanging hugs, they both spy the Egg at nearly the same time. Sora, her pseudodragon, pops out from under the cloak to spy it as well. Taking flight, the diminutive companion went into the air only to land on the Egg, purring and chirping in delight. While I wasn't expecting a reaction like that, I figured Sora would be happy. Melfina had another reaction that surprised me. Locking her eyes on it, she quickly moved to the Egg. I was almost alarmed until she turned to me declaring that new life has much value, vowing to protect the egg if I so wished. Delighted to have her help, I told her so.
Not being able to hold in the surprise any longer, I gave Marda her gift. All those trips to Holden's had also produced something for her. Knowing that Marda was quick and agile, as we had discovered, sometimes one just needs a bit of range. I handed her small wrist mounted crossbow made just for her. The arms of the bow bent back to be in line with her arm, and could safely stay there loaded until she needed to use it. While it was awkward to load, it could be done quick enough with deft hands. As it wouldn't fit on my arm at all, I had to let one of the gnomes at the compound wear it and test it. Or rather, Holden had told him to hold still while we molded it to his arm. Either way, Marda seemed to like it, and as it uses the same bolts as a hand crossbow, it would be easy to replenish them should they be lost or broken while she tried it out.
Getting to the business at hand, it turns out that they had been called back from Dawnsreach because a member of the bards guild had be captured by a group of bounty hunters. While this group did catch some legitimate bounties, they also acted as slavers. The guild member they had captured, a bard by the name of Yun also had some valuable information, knowing the identity of Vandrin, leader of the Witch hunters. That little bit of information would be rather valuable, keeping me out of trouble, and figuring out where the witch hunters were sitting on issues like the undertow slavers and the coup here in town.
Marda also fills us in on what she has been up to. Not wanting to chance it, we didn't send any messages but for the limited messages from Melfina. With the revelation that she was able to infiltrate the Crimson Dragons, she was tasked with hunting down casters for the group. Following a total of four people, she was able to tip off the innocent casters who would have otherwise been killed, or taken as slaves.
With the task of saving the Bard in question, the Ladies have been told that the slavers are just under a week away, and there were between six and twelve of them, plus some magic hunting creatures, similar to the ones that attacked us in the middle of the night all those months ago. With just the three of us, it would be a tough fight, one that we could probably pull off by ambushing the group. After discussing possible tactics, we decide to head over to Rorin's Estate, picking up Aurane on the way.
We had a good evening with the whole group together again, and talked about supplies
we may need to get to the ambush. But at the end of the night, it was still going to be the three of us going out. We decided that we would need to attack the beasts first, and disable them as soon as possible. Melfina remembers her spells not being very useful against them, so she would concentrate on everyone else. The only thing we knew for certain was that the leader wore a skull mask on his face, so she would watch out for him. We would have to Kill all the slavers too, and not let any of them get away. I'm not looking forward to that aspect, but these are slavers that treat others as just currency, property. We plan to find a place that is just about a half days ride from the city, that way we won't have to ride far once we rescue the bard. Not knowing what condition they may be in, a long ride may be a problem.
Which is how we found ourselves a few days later riding out late in the afternoon to find a proper place to camp. Trying to get out to an ambush point early in the morning would have been difficult, so the plan was made to camp nearby the night before, leave the mounts, and lay the trap. I could feel a storm coming, and I hoped that it was just the energy before the fight. Finding a clearing a decent way from the road, we set up the tent, and hobble the mounts nearby. Mittens isn't too terribly happy with the situation, hunkering down at the base of the tree he is tethered to. Agreeing to take the third shift, I settle down inside to rest.
When I start my shift, the early morning sky is blotted out by clouds. I hoped that it was just going to be clouds all day, and it may even pass us over. It wasn't far into my watch when I noticed Mittens was missing from where he had crouched under the tree. Going over to see if he had gotten free somehow, I stood where he had been. I was looking at the ground when a large glob of slobber landed on my shoulder. The large cat-like beast had taken to a large lower branch, and was drooling in his sleep. I made it to the very end of my watch, right before I was going to wake the others when I heard it. It was nearly non existent, a breath of thunder. Looking into the sky, I could see the rain coming at us, about to hit. I guess we will be cleaning up the camp in the storm.
It was an absolute tempest. A prolonged “gully-washer” as my father would have said. We wouldn't have to worry to hard about hiding, as visibility was low, but we also didn't want our targets to sneak up on us either. Marda was going to take the right side of the road, and I the left. The Spectere would come in at the rear of the fight, stopping them from retreating, and Melfina would be at the front, stopping them. She was supposed to stop them at about sixty feet, giving us time to pick a few off before they could engage with any hand to hand. As they outnumbered us, this would be important. The underbrush at the side of the road as more than adequate to hide me. New growth as of this spring, it would come up first, and much faster than any other plant life around. The road crews, who would have kept it clear to detract bandits, hadn't come out yet. Melfina planted herself in the middle of the road, and looked like some sort of divine creature, ready to spring into a battle against demons and the like. I guess that's what she is really. Her armor was visually enhanced by the rain and lightning. Never designed to be intimidating or fanciful, it was functional. But now, something was different. She held herself as if reveling in the weather, relishing the battle to come. She stood like that for some time, basking in the rain, and I'm glad she was happy. I was miserable myself. Unable to make a shelter, lest it give away my position, I was soaked, and despite my inner heat, I was a bit cold. No one else traveled the roads on this terrible morning, and when I finally heard our quarry coming, I was relieved. I signaled the other two, and waited. The bow had been strung, and was ready to fire. The magic in the bow should keep everything safe from the elements. I hope.
Melfina may have been enjoying the rain a bit too much, for she forgot to stop the group until they were less than forty feet from her. The magic hunting beasts we were warned about were not in sight, so I took aim at the wagon driver. The wagon was a tall thing. A cage, open to the elements stood atop a platform, the wooden sides of the platform chained in place, to protect cargo, valuables maybe. With any luck, they had lost the beasts. When Melfina did call for them to stop, she simply held up her hand and told the driver to stop the wagon and dismount. I helped them along with the task, by putting an arrow through his chest and throat. Gurgling a last breath, he tumbled down off the drivers bench, into the muck of the road. I couldn't hear Marda's response to that signal, as I quickly had my own problems to deal with. There had been four on my side, and probably the same on the other, with a few in the back. Three of the fighters rushed me, while the farthest ran to the wagon. I drop my bow, swinging my battle axe up to block a sword strike. Having to fight three on one was difficult, and one was able to get a few slices across my ribs. Blood fountains from the two guards behind the wagon as the spectere completes their own dance. I can see the leader of the group now, wearing a skull over their face. Dashing up to the spectere, he simply punches at it. Not expecting any contact, I'm surprised when the Spectere reals back from a powerful blow, only to take another one. And a third. Not good. This guy can punch ghosts. Shouting comes from the direction of the cage, and a couple flashes of light blaze from the cage atop the wagon. Runes glow softly from the top of it, clearly trying to keep the occupant from casting.
Quickly dispatching the (un)lucky vagabond that was able to hit me, I can now see that the last guard on this side had rushed to the base of the wagon and was trying to frantically unlock it. They all clearly had weapons, why would they need to- Oh. Crap. The beasts must be inside the wagon, under the cage. I had been hesitant to use magic, but I needed to stop that if I could, so I quickly Stepped from one place to another, arriving in a shower of sparks to viciously cut down the one at the wagon. As he fell though, I saw the lock in his hand, very much open, and the chains began to fall. Without the time to lament the fact, I push myself back to the group I had just left, trying to kill another before they notice where I went. With another audible impact from the skull clad leader, I can here quick steps coming at me from behind, and I try to position myself to fight both, one on each side. Then the horror starts.
I could hear Melfina casting something, channeling here divine powers, and when the prayer came to a climax, It appeared. While the Spectere had always had a mostly transparent visage, this new entity was very much solid, and I almost wish it hadn't been. Tall, bearing a black veil, it had something similar to a horse's skull protruding from under the veil, or perhaps a buck, as there were antlers coming out as well. Terrifying humanoid skeletal hands came from underneath, clasping a bone bow. Hot breath was coming out of its mouth, emanating fog even in this warm temperature. The body was thankfully covered, and only boot tips were revealed from underneath. It lifted the skeletal head, and a blood congealing shriek came from it, sending chills up my cold back. I looked to Melfina who had a rapturous look on her face.
That look was dampened slightly, when a creature sprang out from under the cage. Like the ones we had seen before, it resembled a large cat, save for the large eye stalk on the end of the tail. Another came from the other side of the wagon from me, straight to Melfina, the one on my side heading for the rear.
Barely dodging a blow from the skull faced leader of the group, I see a large bright bear galloping down the road, towards the ugly beast. The gait of the bear seems off. It was a fluid run, but not quite natural. When it finally got close enough, I see the whole thing is made of metal, except for the green goblin riding on top of it with piercing bright yellow eyes. Grease covering every surface of the goblin, including some in the triple braided hair on top of the squat being's figure, I was flabbergasted at the sight. Which was a mistake.
The leader took advantage of the distraction, delivering a tremendous hook to my chest. Even through the breastplate, It hurt, like the force of the punch had ignored the armor, and instead spread through it. My whole chest ached all at once, and I felt tired as the pain faded, knocking the wind from me and seemingly my energy level with it. Straightening back up, the bear and goblin were gone, and another fist was coming in. Trying to block it, I twirl my axe around, only to get the haft of my axe caught with the guards weapon behind me. A vicious blow to my left shoulder, right at the top delivers additional pain, again seemingly sapping me of energy. Able to dispatch another guard, I land a blow on my pugilist opponent, but a last minute twist of his body keeps it from being fatal, instead leaving a gash across his stomach. I can hear Marda call that we have a runner, but with three quick jabs, and a sudden explosion of light to the side of my head, the stars in my vision turn to darkness, and I feel myself fall.
An unpleasant itching sensation woke me from the darkness. Feeling as if my very hide was trying to wriggle back in place, the rain was the next thing to come back. Cold muck was seeping into my back. I had felt that odd sensation before when Melfina had healed wounds. The cuts that I had received were no longer stinging, although I could still feel the punches. I was glad that I had not been conscious for the healing however. While effective, it was still somewhat unpleasant.
Feeling movement above me, I felt for my axe and quickly lashed out with it once it came to my hand and I opened my eyes. Seeing a set of legs, I sink the blade into the meat of a calf. A howl of pain emanates from the being above me. Leaving my battle axe embedded in the leg, I rolled to my knees and summoned the great axe into my hands. Ruthlessly swinging upward, I slice the hapless guard from hip to tit, killing him. He may have been trying to run, but we can't have that happen. Looking at the back of the wagon, I can see the leader of the group holding what must be our bard. The person in question seemed to have fallen out of the cage, somehow getting themselves out. Now covered in muck, they were being held by the throat by the skull faced slaver. A large alabaster arrow shaft is sticking out of his side, but doesn't seem to bother him. I prepare to charge back into the fight when the Metal creature appears again. Opening into gleaming fangs, it bites into the leaders torso, crushing it. Then it does it again.
Yun fell to the ground, still mostly tied. Feet bound, they were unable to get up, and the remains of the slaver leader fell to the ground next to them. With so much new things to figure out, I can't help but glance at the being Melfina summoned. I had thought that it was just wet from the rain coming down, but being closer I could see the veil dripped blood. The skull however, white, bone dry and clear of any blood. Still not the weirdest thing about it. I'm not even going to think about where it gets the arrows.
I turn around, looking to see if there are any more hostiles, and I see the horrible cat creature. But Marda is taking care of it as I turned. Slicing open the legs with her swords, as the creature hobbles around, she hooks a blade around the tail. when the eye stalk swivels around, the hook on the end runs the length of the tail, and removes the large eye at the end with a clean flick. With a clean blow to the neck, she finishes the monster off.
Turning back around, I find Yun has managed to untie themselves, and was attempting to wipe all the mud, grime and blood away from their shirt. What had been a cream colored blouse was now just a wreck of rags and filth. A half elf with pallid gray skin a light gray blue eyes, they may be part moon elf. Not knowing much about them, I just know I have heard Max's father mention them often enough.
Examining the great metal bear, I can see that it really has all the musculature and skeleton of a normal bear, but instead of flesh and bone, it is metal and grease. Melfina may be a bit disappointed by that. I ask Yun, “Is this thing yours?”
Answering in a light and annoyed voice, “This is never going to come off. No. It's not mine, his name is Ricky.” Yun then continued on to the wagon, completely ignoring me. They started to look through the underside of the wagon where there was in fact some cargo.
“Yun, we were asked by your friend Jerkytin to come and get you. He seemed to think you had important information, and wanted us to bring you to him.” Trying to persuade Yun to join us, but again they wave me off.
“No, I don't need anything but a nice refreshing bath, and you don't seem to have one of those.”
Ok, so where can we go that will have a bath, but isn't in the city so we can get this popinjay safely into the city. Really, the only people we know would be... “Yun, I can get you a bath. A Nice warm one, where your clothing could be washed.”
“A spectacular idea! Fetch me some sort of mount so we can get there!”
Turning to Melfina, I ask her to send a message to Bellia, asking her to prepare a bath in about 4 hours. We will explain when we get there. Yun seems to be muttering a question to the metal creature, but I can't hear what they said. I do hear a muttered response, which seemed to come from another person, but no others are here. Where did that goblin go? Was that just a trick of the light and scenery? With another glance at “Ricky,” who is now sitting on its haunches, I look to see how the others are doing. Marda is going through the bodies, and Melfina is preparing to send the message, spreading blood across her lips. Her blood... or some other being's? Who knows. I don't tend to watch when she does it, as it gives me the willies. As some one needed to go get the mounts, I let Marda know where I am going, gather up my bow, and trudge over the sodden ground to find Mittens and the horses Rorin lent the others.
Once I get the horses together, and coax mittens down from his tree, I head back to the ambush site. Not much time has passed, But Marda seemed to have gone through everything. Yun is wearing a clean shirt, this one a brighter white, and is clutching a small jewelry box in one hand. Figuring it to contain some heirlooms or keepsakes, I don't question it. Everyone has something they like to carry. We quickly move the bodies and wagon off the road and pose it as if bandits attacked.
Mounting up, we head to Holden's compound. Ricky keeps pace with us, and we head back down the road towards the city. While riding, we try to pry some information out of Yun, but they seem a bit tight lipped. I figured flattery would help with the situation, I comment that the Metal work on Ricky is absolutely exquisite. The compliment doesn't get me anywhere with Yun, but it does open the door for further conversation. After a short while the rain stops, and while the road will take some time to dry out, it makes the ride slightly better.
Looking over to Ricky, I see that a goblin now sits stop it, the same goblin I had seen before. Wondering if I should say anything, or do anything, I simply acknowledge the presence. Seeing as Ricky had not yet ripped us apart, I had no reason to think this new person would attack us. The fact that Yun had seemed happy to see Ricky means they knew about the bear's existence, and I had seen the Goblin riding in on Ricky during the battle. Still, it wasn't expected, and it threw me off a bit. Wanting to make sure things got off on the right foot, I again compliment the metalwork on Ricky.
“Thanks. He is a beeuteeful piece of woyk ain't he?” the Goblin responds. HE introduces himself as Big Geno. His accent is something I had never heard before. It was almost hard to figure out what he was saying. I briefly wondered if the grease had somehow effected his speech. Had all the slag from my forge changed mine? Problems for another day.
While we ride, we slowly build a small ounce of trust. Inquiring into the knowledge of who Vandrin is, we are informed by Yun that it would cost about twenty five thousand gold to get that information. Oh. Well. I guess we don't need it that badly. The journey is filled with small chitchat, and Big Geno and I talk of metal work for a bit. When we finally reach the compound, the sky was getting dark by the time we find Bellia busy at the big hanger where the sky ship stays.
“Hello Dear, this is Yun, Big Geno and Ricky. They are on their way into the city and as late as it is, we were hoping to stay the night here before going in.” Giving her a quick hug, I could sense something was amiss when she didn't squeeze as hard as she normally does. Looking at her, I can see that she is trying to take in the great metal bear. Gaping would be a better word for it. Stammering out questions, she asks how it works, something I probably should have asked. Before an answer can be given, Yun interposes themselves between Bellia and the bear, inquiring upon the location of the bath. Pointing a thumb over her shoulder Bellia never takes her eyes off the bear. Before Yun can start in, Marda offers to show them where the tub is. It was nice of the folks here to set it up, even if it is outside.
“Ricky here runs off'a Magic! I made him myself.” Big G responds proudly. “I learned how to do it back on Dragon Island.”
Now it is my turn to be caught off guard. Was this guy really from Dragon Island? How hard would it be to get back? Are Dragons a common thing there? How many of my own kind are there? As it turns out H is from Cogswallow, a goblin city I had only heard about. Being know for outlandish inventions, I had never been there to see any of them. Big G asks a question of his own. “Can I take a look at that thing?” pointing to the air ship. Saying that he can, but to be wary of anyone working on her, they take a quick look around. While we wait for them, I we can hear soft flute music coming from the direction of the wash tub.
When it came time to find somewhere to sleep, Bellia offered her home, but was slightly dubious as it wasn't a large place to stay. Large definitely wasn't the word I would use at all. Small and sparse, it had until recently only a few sets of dinnerware, and amenities. Since I had become involved, it had a few more plates to accommodate the both of us when I came to visit, but not much in the way of furniture. Asking Melfina to tell Leona that I was safe, and to send my love, she once again sends another message for me. As Bellia got ready to sleep, I took out the tent to spread it out in the middle of the room. As it sprang into it's usaul functional form, Big G asked me how it worked, and I looked him in the eye, with a big grin and responded: “Whimsy. After you.”
The inside had taken on the normal form I set for it, and I warned our new guests to not touch the door marked Do Not Enter. Taking our normal rooms, I direct the new comers to the other rooms, previously occupied by Aurane and Rorin. I had actually modified what was in the rooms, and that image had been in my head when I formed it this time. Rorin's room had a ropes course in it, so he could train in here if he had wanted to. Aurane's room had building blocks made from square pillows, some he could have used to build things if he had wanted. Marda and Melfina had new things too. All the stuffed animals in Melfina's room had red stuffing inside, and Marda's contained a stuffed training dummy. Just in case.
Deciding I shouldn't leave Bellia out of this, I climb back out into her house. When she asks about the tent, I have to tell her about the gift max gave me before we left for the hydra, and how he had received it from his father, Charles. Slightly taken aback by the information, I pull her hand, bringing her into the fort. Taking her to the central sitting room, I warn her too of the Do Not Enter room, and grab her a mug of hot chocolate. Still a bit awestruck by what was going on around her, I feel kind guilty I didn't show this to her before. I didn't really want to flaunt any magic around, as most people wouldn't really be used to it yet. I was scared.
Settling down to talk, we all try to figure out how we can get everyone back into the city. With a giant metal bear it would be difficult to get in, as we all assuming he would have to come with us. But then Big G spoke up, saying that if possible, he could just stay here. Not needing to eat, or breathe probably, he could just wait for us here. Well. If it was going to be that simple, We could just walk in when morning comes. With that settled, I ask Bellia if she would like to get some rest, and we Both head to my room for the night.
Morning came a little too fast for everyone, especially since the tent collapses after eight hours. Most of the time, we are out of the tent, either on watch or getting ready to head out. But this time it caught us all by surprise. Hurling everything out that wasn't pillows or coco, we all land in a pile in front of the large bear. Quickly getting up into the loft, Bellia went to find clothing to wear. Yun however was not one of the people who came out.
A dwarf in dock worker's clothing was in the pile with us. As they were in the same inconvenience as us I wasn't in a rush to confront them, and I had a sneaking suspicion as to who they were. Seeing Dani do similar things, I feel that Yun may have taken on another from to aid in sneaking into the city. Introducing the persona as Derrek Shaftswell, I tried to commit the name to memory, and nearly instantly forgot it. Packing everything up we made our way back to the city.
Even this early in the morning there was a line to get in. The hold up appears to be the fact that the guards are now detecting magic. After a bit of adjustment, some of the group hides items to the best of their ability. Most of my items are fine, as everything of mine would be hidden by the massive glow Aurane says my arm produces. Another upside I suppose. Getting to the front of the line, I simply tell the guards that the two additional folks are from the compound, and are here to help me with a job I am doing. Asking if this was the best I could find I tell the guard you get what you can, we head into the city.
While I didn't really want to take two strangers directly to my home, I had just slept in the same tent with them. Still, my daughters were there. I would have to keep an eye on them. We stop by Cyd's on the way, grabbing some cinnamon rolls. Getting back to the shop, I give Leona a great big hug. Introducing her and Max to Yun who had turned back to themselves, and Big G. While being polite, Leona is still rather defensive, interposing herself between the newcomers and the egg. The tension was broken when Jerkytin arrived to meet us.
Chapter 31 Happenings
My Mind was traveling faster than my feet as I try to think of everything we need to accomplish before this war starts. If we can slow it down and buy ourselves more time, we may be able to even stop it from happening. But there needs to be an order of operations. First, we need to get out to Holden, not only to talk about some projects, but to figure out what sort of guard may be at the gate out. This may be the best way to get Dani out of the city and we will need to pay attention for that. I may have been furiously thinking, but before I could finish my to do list, we were already at the closest city gate from Holden's engineering compound.
With Just myself and Melfina, we were able to get through the gate with the crowd moving at a steady pace. All matter of foot traffic and carts were moving about, and while it wasn't a massive throng of people, it was steady enough. Clocking where the guards were, and how many were checking things, we moved out of the city to the compound. It was a good distance out, far enough that the exodus had spread out and we arrived alone.
A flash of light off metal catches my eyes, and I spot the Dragonborn I had seen here before. A bronze, I can see that she has numerous bits of what looks to be iron or steel attached to her head crest. Having seen other races do the same with hair, it comes off quite nicely for this particular individual. Wearing overalls and a sleeveless shirt, she is busy unloading a cart we had seen heading out of the gate before us. Since we aren't here to talk to them anyway, we head to Holden's office to see where he is.
Over the next ten days I would repeat the trip nearly every day, sometimes with different members of the group. I had told Holden the first day what projects I wanted to work on, and when he had wanted drawings made up I was forced to come back and explain them. Holden's mind was like a vice, and he was able to latch onto my ideas, and improve upon them, but always had something new to try out every day. Often talking to himself frantically for several minutes, he would dismiss me only to call me back as I made my way for the door. Eventually we made a deal that I would bring out some of my metal working tools, and he would help me with my projects. The trips out to meet with him served as an excellent time for reconnaissance, figuring out when the guard would be the busiest, and what they seemed to check for the most. It gave us enough time to make a plan, and gather the supplies needed.
On the fifth day of going to the compound, the Bronze Dragonborn introduced herself. She had just come out of the compounds dinning hall from what they called “family meal”, she was in the same overalls from before, with a different shirt on, once again with no sleeves. With a lightning quick smile, she told Rorin (who had come with me that day) and I that her name was Bellia Lightner. One of the engineers here, she had seen me coming and going, and figured it would be nice to meet. On the eighth day we ended up talking with her for a couple hours after meeting with Holden. Well, I talked with her. Marda had come along for some measurements, and to be the other scout at the gate. While I was talking with Bellia, Marda found some halflings to chat with. Bellia had been out here in the compound for sometime, finding that the city had never been all that welcoming, With the ability to get up in the middle of the night and continue work should inspiration hit, it was more suited for her.
On the eleventh day I stayed in the city, and while working on other things, we finalized our plan to get Dani out of town. She had clearly started to go a bit around the bend being cooped up for all this time. We had wanted to go sooner, but until I could work things out with Holden, I had no reason to bring out a whole wagon load of things. Dani would appear before us as various different people, sometimes with features that were still her own. Taking on different personas, she started confusing them, talking like a street urchin while looking like an old gentleman. We knew she needed to get out fast. So on the twelfth day from talking with Garnet, we enacted our plan.
The late morning sky looked like a turtle shell quilt. Clouds, gray and puffy, covered the sky in most places like giant squares of cloth. Rays of sunshine poked out between the seams, and lent little light, but no extra warmth. While not a frigid day, it was cool enough for the others to wear their cloaks close. We had all eaten a nervous breakfast together, spicy sausages and sweet rolls. I think it was meant to be something like the going away dinner for Mr. Corbin, but it didn't have the same feel. We had filled one of Rorin's covered wagons with supplies from my shop, and hidden Dani within, using some of her magic to cover her. Marda rode in the back while Melfina and I guided the horse in the front. Rorin was there as well, but with his own cart. Having purchased a cart full of cabbages, he then disguised himself as the same vendor, though maybe a bit shorter. He was to be our distraction. When we got the gate, the guards would have stopped us and made sure we weren't taking anything out we shouldn't. Rorin was supposed to run into someone, tip over his cart and cause a big fuss. The gate guards would hopefully want to clear the road quickly instead of looking over someone that was so obviously bland as I. When the plan went off, and cabbages spilled out, two guards did approach us, but when they looked at me, they paled slightly. I am not sure if it was the nerves, or the spicy sausages getting to me, but I could feel smoke rising from my nostrils. I guess they didn't want bother someone who may be having a bad day, and decide to breathe fire on those who bothered him. Waving us through, I only looked back once I felt we were a far enough distance. When I did look back, Marda mouthed the words, “She had a tail” at me. Apparently Dani had been just as nervous as I had.
Getting to Holden’s compound, Bellia was there to greet us, and before looking over he cart told us that Bridgette was here, along with Captain Velma. Looking a bit perplexed, Bellia asked, “do I want to know?”
Mouth open, I look to the others before answering. “No. No you probably don’t.”
With a shrug, she responds, “Fair enough. Are you going to stay for family meal?”
“Sure”. I respond. Mostly talking for myself, if the others don’t want to stay, I won’t make them. “Let me get this done first, then I’ll be back to eat.”
Waving her off, we moved to unload the cart in the privacy of Holden’s workshop. With Bridgette and Velma inside, like we were told, we quickly bid farewell to Dani, and wished them all a safe trip. With the plan of leaving for the other continent, if we ever see her again, it won't be a long time. Unless Garnet can get her tower back.
An odd feeling came over me. I had felt some special emotional attachment to her, and when we had come back to town just a couple weeks ago, I was ready to kill half the guard if need be to save her. They were complex emotions I would have liked to explore, but there was no time for that with her. But it meant that I was capable again of feeling them. With the knowledge that she would be safe and free once more, I set out with the ladies in tow to find a good meal.
We sat down to the family meal to something that had been once described to me. Spaghetti. Long strands of noodles, covered in a thick red tomato sauce, with large meatballs. Max and I had once tried long butter noodles. Without lips, it had been…messy. It had ended with me cutting the noodles into smaller, less slippery bites, and shoveling them directly from the plate into my mouth. Max had been laughing so hard he had a couple noodles coming out of his nose at the end of the night. The spaghetti was quite a bit messier, but Bellia showed me a trick she had figured out. Spinning her fork, she then snaked her tongue into the center of the noodle ball, replacing the fork. Curling the tongue back up, she was able to effectively eat the noodles with minimal effort. It only took me a few tries, and by the time the meal was up, I decided I should exercise my tongue a bit more if I wanted to try similar foods.
In the next few days I would find myself to be even busier. Holden and I agreed to get together a few times a week to work on my projects. At least three times a week I would make the trip out, and work for the day in the compound. At the end of those days I would find myself spending time with Bellia, sitting next to her at the Family meal, and maybe even walking with her after we ate. She didn’t like going into the city, so we would walk around the compound, talking of her family, both biological and the new family she had found here. One night I had expressed my frustrations with the coming war. After talking about it for a couple days, she introduced me to others who had expressed similar dissatisfied thoughts. Deciding that night to do something about it, a small group was formed.
While continuing to spend time with Bellia, and going to Holden’s, I was still working back at the shop. I had approached Vlad about a problem I wanted solved. I didn’t want anyone coming after the shop, with or without me there. Really, I didn’t want anyone going after Leona, but I didn’t want to say that in front of her. So I had requested of Vlad to Find a guard who had been with him for a long time, someone he knew that could be trustworthy. The next day I found an elderly Human man standing outside our front door, dressed in a guards outfit. Samiel Smith, as he was called, explained to me that Vlad had to him “ole’ Druss” would tell him stories, and provide all the water he could need if he just hung around the shop. It turned out that Sam had come from a family of blacksmiths himself, and could follow just about everything we worked on. He didn’t mind the noise, telling us it was quite soothing, he was exactly what I had wished for, and I told Vlad I would make his kid a shield for free when they came of age. Five is a good age for that right? Without the stress of having to constantly watch the shop, it freed me up to work on more things. And it brought a sense of normalcy back.
While I was working on projects for Rorin and Marda at Holden’s, I had things to work on here at the shop too. Leona was ready for the test for journeymen Smith, and I had every intention of getting her to that rank. I had a few things I wanted to use the Blue dragonscale armor for, and I suggested a project for her to work on. While I adjusted the dragonscale suit to be a breastplate for Marda, I had to pull off the sleeves and bottom few rows of scales. I had promised a buckler for Aurane, but I never said I had to make it. I gave Leona an idea for the buckler, and set her to it. A normal buckler is easy enough, but incorporating other material into it, adding to the functionality can be harder. Putting a dragonscale motif into the center steel, she then heated it, and brushed it with a brass bristle brush, adding a brass sheen to the otherwise steel scales. Taking some of the spare blue scales, she set them into the edge of the buckler making a blue border. The scales probably wouldn’t be enough to keep lightning from hurting the user, but the scales would catch a blade, keeping it from simply sliding off.
With the spare scale sleeves and leggings, I crafted an arm guard, similar to those I had seen arena fighters use. Layered rows of scales were placed to keep the guard flexible, but tough. I had enough to cover my arm, but not enough left over for use of anything more really. So I set the remaining material aside to be used as special decoration. With the new armor, I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t throw me off while I fought, so I went to the best place to spar with others in the city. The temple of Zits.
I had gone to the temple for a couple reasons. Yes, I wanted to make sure I was still fit for fighting, and try out the new armor, but I had learned that the more you know about your enemy, the less surprised you will be if you have to fight them. And I knew nothing of general Stoneskin. I didn’t know how she fought, what her style was, or any of her battle strategy. I had seen only two types of fighters that didn’t use armor, and as far as I could remember, I had never seen her in any. Fighters like that could have been the type to ignore all attacks, using speed and strength to pulverize opponents, or had trained to fight with a single style over years and years of practice. They didn't need armor as they had learned to dodge or blocks weapons with that single fighting style. Rorin reminded me of that.
It took several trips to the sparring fields before I was able to see her, and she fought just once. While many fights could happen at once, when a champion entered the field, most of the fighters would stop and watch. Bets were even placed in a good natured contest. On the second day I was there, I was one of those fighters, with a handful of groups watching. On the forth trip to the field, everyone stopped when the general picked up her giant hammer. It wasn’t a wave, slowly spreading out, but a sudden thing, like everyone could feel the tension in the air, the crackle of danger. A large ring of people formed around the center of the field, with four combatants facing off. The General faced three opponents, none of which I had come to know yet. When they all started moving, she was the fastest. It was concerning. I couldn't really see the action, being farther back in the crowd. When the fight was over, she had barely been touched, and her three opponents were handily defeated. After that day, I felt comfortable enough with the new addition to my armor I didn’t go back to the temple of zits.
With the absence of sparring in my schedule, I was able to spend more time on other things, including Bellia. We had grown quite close, and had started a small faction of people against the war. Almost a resistance, and I was able to pull in people from all sorts of groups. Holden’s compound was indeed an excellent place to start, although Holden himself didn’t want anything to do with it. Saying he didn’t want to deal with the organization or the people, he left it to us. Knowing that getting our information out to the masses was going to be very important, I brought in a few particular people. Bridgette was able to help, and with the undertow on our side, passing messages was a breeze. I had to bring Bellia to the Inn for that, which took some convincing. It was supposed to be under the disguise of a date, and it definitely ended that way. Bridgette had left our table saying her cook was feeling ill, but later told me I was making “goo goo eyes at Bellia across the table whenever she talked.” It may have been true, but either way, we then had the best communication network above the streets of Cherwood. Below, it was simply a matter of talking to Mallow the mighty. After just a few visits, we were able to bring the whole union into the web of the resistance.
I was able to bring a fair amount of the craftsmen who followed Daja, as they were already against the war anyway. It was still good to have a more public face of discontent inside the city. While the folks at the compound were all good people, not many of them came into the city for a whole lot, for good reasons. Many an unkind word was spoken when they came into town, so they tried not to as much as possible. Some of the craftsmen were like Holden, and they didn’t take a side, preferring to see what played out.
I tried bringing all the veterans from the black legion into the group, but not many of them were staying in town. I was told that many of them were leaving for Davenport, where something untold was happening. It was an outpost of the Legion, and I asked them to keep in touch with me while they were there. Few who were staying in town wanted to know what was happening. Some of those staying only wanted to drink their troubles away.
I had arranged for another surprise for Leona other than the advancement to journeyman. Asking Leona, Garfield and Max, we decided to officially adopt Leona, and make her the heir to our business. Having raised her for over fifteen years, and watching over her education and safety, I figured it was about time. She was an adult of course, but it was the principle of the thing. The official documentation was done the day after her promotion to Journeyman. I had wanted it to be the same day, but I may have missed the proper day to turn in the paperwork. There were a lot of things going on. One of those things was Bellia.
We had been spending quite a bit more time together, and once my projects were done, and I was back to regular work, I spent a good bit of a week with her. Not having the time to go for a little trip, we simply took a few days to relax together. It may have been the excitement of the resistance we were putting together, or the fact that I was literally the only other dragonborn in town, but she told me she wanted to have a child. We talked it over, and after the discussion, agreed that we could share custody of the child, and that if I had to go out of town for something, we had a good group of people to watch over any offspring. Having thought I would never have a family of my own, I was perhaps to caught up in the idea, but either way, it was happening.
It was about three months after we saved Dani, and ten days after the Adoption had come through that it Happened. I was just locking up after a long night at the forge, I was about to put all the lights out when there came a rapping at the door. Making sure my battle axe was within reach, I opened the door to look out, and there stood Bellia. In a state of utter exhaustion, she stood there, cloak wrapped around her. Wavering slightly, she stepped in, and from under her cloak she held out an egg.
“Wow. That’s really big.” It wasn’t the most profound thing I could have said, but it was the first thing that came to mind. I had been looking at this beautiful woman standing at my door, and she may have caught me off guard. While she had told me about the coming egg, I had been focused on the breastplate with built in girdle I was making that day.
With a look of derisiveness she pushes the egg slowly into my hands, “Yes. Yes it is. It is your turn now. Keep it warm, and safe for six months and then it should hatch.”
A small sound comes from behind me, and holding the egg, I turn to see Leona had come to see what the commotion was. With a curious trill coming from her throat, her eyes got huge when they spotted the egg. Grabbing a cloak off the wall, she came forward and grabbed the egg from me, wrapping it up and hugging it. A deep vibration seemed to come from her, and I realized she was purring! I hadn’t often witnessed her doing that, and the whole time she was muttering plans about a cradle that could be made to put close to the forge to keep warm. I turn back to Bellia, who apparently had been talking the whole time.
“-He can grow up to be an engineer, because while smithing is nice, it just isn’t as good as honest engineering work, and you can use your connections with the council to get him into the best schools, so getting his own firm will be no problem at all. Living in the city won’t be as hard for him, but we can save the money to have a nice mansion outside the walls where he can build whatever he wants. This is how my family did it, with the father watching over the egg at this stage, and it worked well enough for them, after all I turned out great.” I could see that the exhaustion had her rambling just a bit, and I offered her something to eat, or a place to rest. I couldn’t get much more out before she was setting off, saying she had to get back after missing a whole day of work. I wish she had told me, I would have gone out to support her or something. After a brief embrace, she went home, leaving me utterly flabbergasted as to what to do now, but I almost didn’t have to worry. Leona had already made a crude nest for the egg to rest in, covered in blankets.
The egg, or our egg I guess I should say, was only just bigger than my head, with a scaled pattern. Copper colored on top, it slowly blends into bronze, and finally a molten Gold on the bottom. Brass speckles dotted the top, with Bronze speckles on the bottom. A work of absolute beauty, I couldn’t help looking at it for some time, sitting there wrapped in the blankets and spare cloaks. It was an odd sensation, but one I would come to recognize. I had come to feel this way about Leona, with her being my daughter now, it was easy to recognize pride. Accomplishment. Not in myself, but in others. Watching someone you have taught succeed in life. And the anticipation of it happening again.
The others were just as active as I was. While Rorin and Aurane stayed in town, a month after we got Dani out Marda and Melfina told us they were leaving for Dawnsreach. The sanctum had sent word that it had prisoners there that may have some information we were seeking about the slavers calling themselves the undertow. We also had a lead from what seemed like years ago that the Crimson dragons were recruiting at a tavern there, but our travels had not taken us near the city. Now, with the possible war, and the potential information, Marda had the time and the reason to go. Melfina went with her, to make sure Marda wasn’t alone, and to help with any information gathering. Melfina was also trying to keep us appraised of what was happening while they were there, and whatever messages they couldn’t trust to any other conveyance, she would Send to me personally. Both Aurane and Rorin had become somewhat busy, so I had volunteered as the communication hub. At first the messages I received from Melfina were short, efficient and to the point, but gradually over time the tone changed. Like a person trying to learn another language, the messages became more conversational. While still a bit brusque, she was adapting to talking with people. She let us know that Marda had garnered a good deal of information from the prisoners of the Citrine Sanctum. With too much information to share, the only parts she wanted to share were the slavers were still operating here, and the highest person in the organization was known as Fletcher.
She would inform me of other events as well, and make sure everything was going well here in Cherwood. She would message me the happenings there, and I would do the same, making sure that they knew about Rorin and Aurane. As it turned out, a few days after the delivery of our egg, Marda was able to make contact with the Crimson Dragons at the tipsy tavern. That led to her working undercover, where she was sent after people who may be casters. With too much information to cover in short messages, and not trusting other means of communication, we are simply told that we will be filled in when they get back. In the meantime, Melfina was able to find some work Hunting Monsters and helping casters where they were found. Melfina never did say what monsters she hunted down, and with the way she talked, they were not all simply beasts.
We also tested out the Sanctum system, sending some messages through them, where Melfina would also send us abbreviated magical messages. We were given files of the prisoners kept there but the Citrine Sanctum, with names and occupations. Marda questioned a Human male named Able Dunlap, A half elf known as Husker, and a female gnome named Elza topaz, who just happened to be the sister of a witch hunter investigator. That immediately threw up some flags when I saw that. Maybe some of these casters the witch hunters were investigating , who would disappear anyway, ended up being slaves. Not something I would want to tackle alone, I let the real undertow know about that. Most of the messages Melfina sent were coming through just fine from the sanctum, but eventually we found that some material was being removed from them. We thought at first that some of the information was being removed to keep the individuals safe, and anonymous, but we could not find a reason why. While it was something to be aware of, it wasn't currently something that could get us killed, but it was something to keep in mind.
Nearly five months after they left for Dawnsreach, I got a message from Melfina saying that had been asked to come back to Cherwood. The Sanctum here had sent summons for them, as something had come up. It would be good to see them again, and I could properly talk to them again, filling them in using longer sentences. Having someone talking in my head and trying to fill them in had been problematic sometimes, trying to compile messages short enough on such short notice. There had also been the time Bellia and I were enjoying each other's company. Melfina had to send another message when I didn't respond to the first one, and I had told her to talk to me in the morning. That was a bit awkward.
After we got Dani free from the city, Aurane had almost gone into hiding. It took a couple weeks before I could see him again. I was of course busy with my own things, but he seemed to have thrown himself into his work. I had tried to go over to him after witnessing General Stoneskin's fight. When I got to his residence, I went in to find his desk piled high with papers. A somewhat disheveled looking Aurane sat behind the pile of planning papers, and legal documents. He couldn't tell me at the time, but I found out that a special position had be made for him, to be an ambassador for Cherwood for other cities. He not only had to finish all the projects he had be hired to do, but learn what his new position was going to mean. At the time he had simply told me that he was going to try promoting Kel and finding another employee to help with the work load.
As the weeks went on, he found that all his projects were caught up, and we were able to spend more time together. We were able to have party for both Kel and Leona, as they both had passed the test for journeyman, and the adoption. We all went out to the Babble Brook, where we stayed for most of the night, taking a break from our lives. Aurane told us that he didn't really like all the attention he had been getting with this new position he was going to have, but he grew to accept it. With what he was going to have to do, there would naturally be recognition for his abilities and skills. Kel lets us know that she has found her own apprentice, a Myconid names Cellia. Living underground, she had intimate knowledge of the sewer structure, and wanted to learn more. When I went to tell him that Melfina and Marda were on the way back from Dawnsreach, I found him packing. The general announcement of his position was going to be released soon, and he would have to start his tour, going to other cities.
Aurane of course helped with the Resistance faction we had started. As it was his temple that was being threatened, he was more than happy to help out. He helped out with the public face of the group, and there were even rumors going around of his miraculous abilities, which we all waved off as preposterous. It was decided that we didn't want to spread those tales. Thinking about the throngs of people who would either accuse him of heresy, or beg him to cure them of everything from ingrown nails to missing limbs. Yes, he could have done most of that, but he needed to work at some point, and there were temples for healing anyway. We first met Cellia at one of the subterranean meetings, a smaller Myconid, they would glow while underground. Telling us it was a gift she had, this glow, it was just a pale blue light, which helped tremendously when trying to see underground.
Rorin also became very busy, but he was doing something very different While he didn't run for office himself like he had threatened, he did fund one. Rose Nylund was the owner of a particularly good, and rather new distillery. A Human woman with shoulder length white hair and strong morals, she had a intimidating presence even at her five foot two inches. Her family had been in the area for a long while, and made some of the best moonshine in this part of the country. Having the chance to buy a winery, her father had jumped at the chance, and now made all variety of alcohol. Distilling whiskeys and gins, they would age them in wine casks, and add more flavoring after, proving to be a unique blend. Now owner of the company, Rose had approached Rorin, knowing he was going to be marrying to another family of dwarves. Wanting to expand trade, he found her to be an excellent businesswoman, and decided to put her in charge of the accounting guild, getting Lavender Thatcher out.
Pouring all his time into the campaign, and good fair chunk of money, he didn't want to be a visible part of the resistance movement. Mostly for the image of the candidate, as politics are a vicious thing, he didn't want to be seen, and we respected that. We figured that as he and I already knew each other, and were known to have been in the same group, it wouldn't hurt anything to visit. When I did visit, we would talk of how the movement was doing, and he slowly taught me to understand hidden codes, and better ways to communicate secretly. We remembered that the Slaving undertow had sent messages like that. With us looking into them again, it may come in handy there, and it helped the movement. When I suggested that to Bridgette, she told me they had been doing it the whole time. They had to make it simpler for me. Now that I could figure it out, they could go back to the normal messages. Oh.
With finished projects for Rorin, I went over to his estate late in the fifth month. When I had arranged the meet, Rorin had asked Aurane to come too, and once we found a good time for us all, we met. I had worked on two projects for Rorin, and had them both under my left arm. Aurane had revived his buckler at the party for Kel and Leona those few moths back, and this was long overdue for Rorin. A black walking cane polished till it gleamed had be made for him. With a cap of brass, with his house sigil on it, it wasn't like any ordinary cane. The middle wooden section had been carefully hollowed out with a long drill, and the brass cap held a trigger mechanism to fire a dart held in the cane. A powerful spring would launch the dart out of the bottom of the cane, and a variety of darts could be used. Some solid, some could be filled with liquids. A gentleman of Rorin's caliber would of course use a cane at formal events, and his while his knuckles were special, they may be out of place at such an event.
The second project had been what had taken so long. Rorin had a grappling hook that he could use, and it would fire out and latch onto something for him, but he would then have to coil it back up before using it again. We had found plans that would help with that situation, and with Holden's help, we had finally made it. Requiring a special spring be made, it linked onto the spool of rope, which would unwind, and put tension on the spring at the same time. The same trigger to release the rope would also release the spring. We needed something that was light enough not to weigh the user down, but strong enough to bring the rope back in. While it wasn't instantaneous, it was fast enough to be used multiple times a minute. Rorin was delighted with the final product, immediately trying to grab a sandwich from another room. After pulling a chair, and an end table, he managed to pull a slice of bread and mangled piece of cheese with it.
With the bread and bit of cheese forgotten, he told us why he wanted us to both be there. Asking both of us to be in his wedding party, he presented us personalized flasks, each filled with some top quality liquor from Miss Nylund. We both agreed of course, as I had all those moths ago, and he told us there had been many plans set for the wedding, and that he was going to retire from adventuring. He had to worry about the wedding, and his work, and would not be able to join us anymore. Sorry to see him go we promised to keep him appraised of what we were up to. I guess I will be sending letters to Rorin too.
Now, a couple days before Melfina and Marda are due back in town, the city has come out of lock down for the most part. The Normal amount of guards now roam around, keeping an eye out for trouble. The Myconids come above ground now, using parasols by day, but mostly coming out at dusk or night. My egg still has three months before it hatches, and questions buzz at the back of my mind. Should I still be going out into the world now that I will have two children to worry about. While Leona can take care of herself, that doesn't mean I won't stop worrying about her. We will just have to see what news Marda has for us. I will also be able to give her the project I finished.
Chapter 30 A Whole Lota Nothing.
By the time the council meeting was coming to an end, I was ready to burn the Temple down just for some excitement. From the look on other people's faces, they were thinking about various degrees of destruction as well. Having gained nearly nothing from my attempt to glean information at the beginning of the meeting, I had try something else. The question was, what tool would I want to use in a situation like this? Something like a light hammer to get the perfect response out of the material, or a rhythmic beating to move the subject around. Well, may as well try something.
Going over to intercept Vlad before he is gone, I ask him to introduce me to Garmele before he leaves. Giving me a look that screams exhaustive loathing, he sighs. With a flare of his nostrils he didn't even turn around. Just simply stretched his arm down and behind him, grabbing some hapless individual by the collar, and hauled Garmele in front of me.
“Talk.” and with that single word, he turned on his heel and left.
Ah. Sledgehammer then.
Garmele was coming to the realization that he was standing in front of someone, and when he found it to be me, a slight frown appeared briefly on his face before going neutral again. As Aurane and Rorin make it through the crowd to us, the small Council member greets us all in turn, expressing congratulations to Rorin of the coming merging of the dwarven houses.
Without further preamble, I launch into the reason I wanted the introduction. “What does the hunter's guild benefit from if Zits takes over as leading temple?” He lets out a small snort, probably thinking my lack at political finesse humorous.
“If Zits takes over, the hunter's guild would have less problems with funding. As it is, we don't have enough to cover costs. War is about to break out, and with war, hunters will get better jobs in the armies rather than working in the guild. You know better than I that trackers and scouts are required for the advancement of any Army trying to march. Do you really think the Temple to Lady Constance could lead us to victory?”
I stood there with my mouth open for a short time, blinking several times. “War with who?” I asked. But Aurane said something louder than I did.
“Peace should always be an option. We can not just leave it off the table and become fatalists.” He counters.
A dismissive guffaw is the only thing Garmele has to express about that. Seeing my opportunity to repeat myself, I do. “Who are we going to war with?”
The small man looks at us for a long pause, then opens his mouth. “Dawn's reach and Cherwood would be teaming up and attacking Terrytown.”
The sheer amount of problems that this would start would be massive. Assaulting a well established Port town would be a very costly thing to do. I'm not even sure what sort of Naval forces the city has, but it would take at least a naval and ground assault at the same time, and that would cost more than just money.
He saw the incredulous look on my face, and started to explain. “the people of Terrytown are more loose with how they do things, including how they treat casters. Dawn's reach thinks the opposite, and if dawn's reach has an idea. It will do whatever it wants, regardless. If we can take Terrytown, we can set whatever taxes we want on them, at that will fund the Hunter's guild.”
Yeah. While we are at it, why don't we take on the dwarven kingdoms, and the Elvish ones, and go visit Dragon Island too, I thought to myself. The amount of pain and destruction they were wanting to do was just ludicrous for the end product. There has to be a better way.
“Well, how much would you say you need to keep the hunter's guild happy?” Rorin asks.
With barely a thought, the Halfling councilor replies, “about three Thousand gold more a year.” I could feel my eyes get bigger, and then they got even bigger When Rorin gave his reply.
“I could probably cover that.”
“Is that an offer to fund the guild Sir Dwarf?”
Rorin looked to me. I'm not sure why, it was his family money he was putting up. Thinking quick, I switched to draconic again. “Don't promise it, he is a politician. Make a vague offer, then if it doesn't work out for you, no big deal.”
Rorin did just that, and with that promise of maybe probably helping out, We made our goodbyes, Garmele made his in both common and draconic. Trying to hide my surprise that apparently everyone and the bum outside speaks draconic, I told him that I meant what I said about politicians, and we all attempted to leave this Temple as fast as we could. Getting Elon in tow, we finally pile back into the security carriage.
Going back to the estate, we stop to get some food for the staff at the estate, and I ask the others about having a nice dinner out. I explain that Mr. Corbin will be leaving town soon, and I would like to treat him to a nice dinner at an Inn before he leaves. After that dream, I am tired of hiding, and I want to spend some time happy before Max's Father leaves again.
Leaving Elon at the estate, we let Garfield know about the dinner plans, and to meet us at the babble brook inn if he wants to join us. We head back To Aurane's shop, and parting ways with the carriage, collect everyone and head to the Babble brook. Upon arrival, Bridgett is happy to accommodate the group, but asks us to wait for a time. Ordering drinks at the bar, some of the group starts getting a bit mellow while waiting for our table. I imagine we are going to have a private part of the bar, but I am a bit surprised when we are shown our table. Bridget takes us out the back door, and past a garden where fresh vegetables are always available. Into a small stand of short trees, I start to hear a small trickle of water before we come to an area reserved for just a few trusted folks. In a gazebo a large table has been set up for us, with various sized chairs to accommodate some of us who happen to be larger than others. Small lights hover around the area, not anchored to anything. I feel like we are all slightly under dressed for the occasion, but only for a moment.
Sitting with our drinks, we ask for meals for the group, and after a short wait, a platter of meat pies are brought out, crusts still steaming. A cauldron is brought out by two men, with the delicious scent of Beef and barley stew coming out of it. A Large bowl of banana pudding complete with whipped cream is set on the table, and two loaves of fresh bread. With all ten of us here, it quickly gets portioned out, and set upon.
Melfina shows us the map of the sewers that has been updated, and informs us of the problems the Myconid people are having. Filling us in on Mallow the mighty, she tells us that when she and Marda had contacted them, they were being set on by the previous keepers of the sewers, and the problems they are still having. Thinking back on the fight with the urine scented folk we first fought, I am suddenly glad I stayed home that day. We fill them in on what we found out after the council meeting, and the possibilities we have.
But now what? Even if we convince the council to not side with Dawn's Reach, will that keep Terrytown safe? Or will Dawn's reach just go after them anyway? With this asked of the table, it quiets down a bit as we all think. It looks as if we are going to have to start looking at ways of changing votes, and hope for the best. The proposal to warn Terrytown is put into the air, but we don't know anyone there and when asked, Mr. Corbin says he knows some people, and he has been there recently. On further thought however, he says it has been about thirty years, if not a bit more, since he was there, and he isn't really sure if anyone he knows still lives there or not.
Thinking about who our host is, I ask Mr. Corbin if he knows anything about the undertow, and when he gets a look like he is trying to melt butter in his mouth I quickly correct myself and ask about the faction claiming to be the undertow. The ones that were kidnapping people. He tells us of how they used to specialize in stealing people and selling them into various forms of slavery. Normally targeting the more exotic races, like Dragonborn and Tabaxi, they would capture their prey and sell them to the highest bidder for whatever purpose intended. Not a pleasant group.
Mr. Corbin also is not overly happy with the Sanctum, explaining that they employ a good amount of killers for assassinations. I'm only slightly surprised and thinking about Melfina and Marda and seeing what they can do in action. The idea that the sanctum may have other ideas as to the war also comes up, and Even Melfina starts to question them. Unbeknownst to me, there are other Sanctum outposts across the Ocean, and Dawn's reach has one as well. With the Silver Sanctum in Terrytown, and the Citrine Sanctum in Dawn's reach, Marda says we can communicate with them both if we need to.
So we could talk to Terrytown. Warn them of the coming attack. No one deserves an unprovoked war against them. The question is, Will The Sanctum deliver the message? Is there a chance that the Sanctum would want something out of the war that seems inevitable. The entire night, Rorin has been playing with a set of metal knuckles that he recently got from his Fiancee.
I suddenly remembered that she is on her way back to her Clan, and she has to go through Terrytown to get there. We could message her, and send her a letter through the Sanctum to test the Sanctum. A bit heavy handed, but it should work, if we can make the message short enough that Melfina could Send it. The others set me on the task of properly wording what we are going to send. Figuring out the short and sweet message quickly, I find that everyone has gone back to talking with each other, although a good bit of the talking is being interrupted by yawns. With Max asleep, his huge hand dwarfing the tankard that is still ensconced in his hand, and the others tired, we settle up the tab. Bridgett brings us a small sack with another meal for our “bedridden guest” she hands it over with a wink. Still in hiding, Dani couldn't have joined us, but Bridgett knew she would appreciate a good meal again. Discussing it with Marda and Rorin, we decide to split the bill. Before any of us can gather the coins together, ten Platinum pieces hit the table in front of Mr. Corbin. Paying no heed to our protests, he says it has been a treat being able to spend time with his sons again.
Standing, Charles puts on his long coat, and hands me his hat. Moving to Max's sleeping form, he simply bends over, and lifts the Hulking body of his son over his shoulders. With stunned looks following us out of the Inn, and up the street, Max was carried home like that the entire way. Charles never seemed to get winded, and talked almost as if he were simply carrying laundry over his shoulder. Only when we get back to Aurane's did he hand his son over to Leona, Kel, and Melfina who dragged a mostly sleeping Minotaur into the shop.
At this the aged Elf turns to me, and grabs my hand. “It has been a pleasure son, but I must make my leave. I have spent enough time in the city, and there are some people I just don't want to be bothered with. Besides. It seems you are going to be busy the next few weeks, and I'd rather not have to try stopping another war.”
“Were you able to stop wars then?” I ask, but he sadly shakes his head.
“No, I never could stop them from happening. I could end them though. Let me know what you are able to do. I'll give an address to write to so we can keep in touch better. If you need advice, or simply want to write more, just send it there, I'll get it.” Giving me an address, and shouldering his satchel, he starts making his way down the empty street. No guards, no passerby, and no one to know. From what I have been able to piece together, the most powerful being in the city simply walks down the road, turns the corner, then is gone. When my own father died, Max's father didn't hesitate to step into the role. He could never replace my father, but the fact that I know I can turn to him does leave something to grasp onto. Thinking about the timeline, he would have been around at the time of the actual undertow. The one that helped people. At this point it isn't a question of If he helped. But How many did he save. How many can I?
Going into the shop, I can hear soft accordion music playing upstairs, and as I make it up, I find Dani enjoying her meal, her accordion serenading her on it's own while she eats. While she isn't looking back to her usual self, she has been able to get healthier in the last couple days here.
Once she finishes her meal, we get down to talking. Obviously, she doesn't want to stay in the city, and we all agree. It is far too dangerous for her to staying the city, and staying here in the shop is just a different type of prison. When the question came up as to how she could leave the city without being spotted, she told us that wouldn't be a problem. With a snap of her fingers, and a quick trill from the accordion, her appearance changed into that of an old human crone. Deciding to go to Garnet in the morning, and also sending the messages while at the Sanctum, we decide to call it a night. We slowly all drift to bed, leaving Dani plucking absently at a lute. I wish I could stay up and talk with her, but the atmosphere just doesn't seem right.
Kel is also tired of being stuck at the shop, but mostly because she hasn't been to her own home in some time. Leona decides to escort Kel home, and will just stay the night there so no one has to go out into the city alone. Worrying about them both, I almost say something, but decide against it.
Morning finds me anxiously looking to the door at every creak of wood, and shuffle of the chairs. Without Kel in the morning, Aurane is a bit lost as to what to do, and Marda steps in. Finding pre-made pancake batter in the fridge, and instructions as to how to make them. Aurane tries to make coffee, but leaves it to Max after a failed attempt. With breakfast ready, and the Apprentices not yet back, Max and I are sharing looks. Ready to start a search party, the two finally show up at the end of breakfast, saying that they decided to eat at Kel's place. With them both back, I find that my shoulders seem to loosen up, from the stress that was building there. I know very well Leona can take care of herself, but I still worry.
Laying out the proposed message to the others, they all agree the wording is right, and Melfina prepares to send it. Wiping blood across her lips, she closes her eyes, and talks into the air around her. “Rorin sends: Dawn's Reach may attack Terrytown. Trying to Prevent Zit's coup. Message at Sanctum Should be Duplicate. Test of Sanctum. Warn Terrytown. Yours, Rorin.”
Kel's face is a mixture of horrific curiosity, and skeptical disbelief. Melfina waits for a moment, then her eyes almost unfocus. She then relays that Ophelia wishes Rorin the best, and she will let us know when she gets the message from the Sanctum. With that small task done, We gather our things to go talk to Garnet. Aurane chooses to stay behind to start catching up on work, as do Max and Leona. With the now comforting weight of my Battleaxe on my back, and everyone else ready, we head out onto the streets. Eyed by the guards on the streets we walk confidently up to the gates, where we are checked by the sanctum monks. Once we are permitted inside, we ask a helpful Monk an audience with Garnet. With a order to follow, we are shown to a great library when Rorin and I are watched, and told to wait. This may possibly be the largest library I have ever seen in my life. Melfina says she has to go research something, and I can see her clutching something in her pockets.
After a wait, Garnet pops up from around a corner, gesturing towards a private room while also dismissing the guards. The room, while large enough for someone of Garnet's stature, simply won't fit all of us inside, so as the bulkiest, I wait just outside the door frame while the rest talk. Discussing various ways to secret Dani out, none seem to be very helpful. Garnet explains that if Dani were to come here, it probably wouldn't turn out very well. And since the Great tower they used is out of reach, Garnet can't use the teleportation circle to get Dani out. Over all the options to get her out are rather limited. Stating that I need to check in with Holden, the idea is thrown out that we can get her out through the gate while I go out at some point. Leaving Garnet, she points out that if we want to thwart a coup, we will need communication throughout the city.
Thinking about who can help us with everything, Melfina and I head through the city to go talk with Holden. While we are out there, Rorin and Marda will stty inside and watch the gate guards, see when they are the busiest. My mind races trying to figure out who may be willing to help us, and how we can raise funds for the hunter's guild. With scrutinizing looks from the guards we pass, we walk through the cool day, with a purpose.
Chapter 29. Adult Discussions
I woke up early as there was something very important I wanted to talk about, and I wanted the privacy to do so. Climbing out of bed with a glance to the odd sky-scape in my temporary room, I head out to find Max's father. Finding him in the pillow fort's common room, I ask him if we can talk . Guiding him out to Aurane's dining table
“Sir, I apologize for disturbing you so early.” I say. “I know I may have some problems speaking clearly this early, but I wanted some privacy.”
“Of course son,” he replies, gesturing to a chair, “What is on your mind?”
Taking a chair at the table, I gently sit down. “Well Sir, there are quite a few things that have changed since we saw you last, as you may be able to tell from what you saw from the city.”
“Well change is pretty constant and sometimes it can be troublesome.” He replied.
I paused at this point. I could be wading into some dangerous waters here, and I while I had tried to go over this conversation in my head, it was difficult to predict how this could go. “One of the things that has changed is that I have been given special abilities. To that end I borrowed something from you without your permission.” I summon the Greataxe, and put it down on the table. The blade glows with a pale light, making odd shadows on the walls.
“Oh, well that’s… . That’s something unique.” He loos down at it with a slight frown. “Something is different though.... it’s.. ah.” His eyes light up for a second as he takes in the object. “Oh, well, first and foremost, even if I wanted the axe back, I believe that is now yours, through some divine ties but beyond that as someone who has taken my fair share of it, I believe in the law of “Finders Keepers.” Especially when you’re on the adventuring trail” He looks back up to me, frown replaced with a reassuring grin.
“I appreciate that sir.” I press the conversation on. “To that end we also found a couple of probably your items.”
“Oh yes, I had discussed that with the Halfling woman, Miss uh- Marda.”
“Marda, yes.” I confirmed. ”Um… we found a bow and some armor, ah, would you be able to tell me what those can do?”
“When I’m using it, it is incredibly accurate. When using it, those who would find resistance to mundane items do not have that resistance. So, arrows fired through it would become magical. Now, just like most magical items, it shouldn’t break, but if anything were to happen to specifically the bowstring, like for example if you unstrung the bow and lost the bowstring, it would then loose its gifts. A halfling or a dwarf could use it without issue. As for the Dragon-scale armor, it should be blue scale?”
“Yes sir” I reply.
“It is resistant to lightning and otherwise would act as standard full plate armor. Although to resize it for someone of your size, it would probably offer the protection of half plate.” Shrugging, he says, “You are an incredible craftsman, but there is only so much material.”
“There’s only so much material. Yes I.. I yeah.” I muttered. My mind had already wandered to how I could have utilized the armor, how I could have modified it if needed. Marda wouldn't need it, as she would be weighed down and slowed by it. Maybe Aurane or Melfina may want it.
“But for a slightly smaller sized human, you… about my sized, you know some exceptions, I love my woman big, I just never been a big man myself.” IT seems his mind is wandering back as well. Max's mother passed long before I met his father, but judging from Max's size, she was a large woman.
“And you’re sure you don’t want these items back?” I ask
Shaking his head he replies, “Again, the law of ‘Finders Keepers,’ I’ve moved on many moons ago, literally, well, no the moon was destroyed before. Anyway, regardless.”
“Yes sir”
Half Shrugging, “I’ve moved on, Again the main thing I’d like is my research cause that never goes bad.”
“Oh, has she not give that to you yet?” I half turn as if to start looking for the bag, as if it would be here. But he stops me.
“Oh no, we’ve addressed that, I’ve gotten my research back, if there’s any notes you need from it, you’re welcome to make your own copy. It just… it’s nice to have my field notes for my continued efforts. Saves me a trip back to the shadowfell, which I had back on my list of things to do.”
“Yeah well, hopefully none of us have to go there.” I think about the room I have slept in the last few nights. It wouldn't be that bad if it was just that, but considering the few other things I have heard came from there, it would not be pleasant.
As If reading my thoughts he responds, “I don’t recommend it. I mean, it was always fun to explore the plains, and don’t get me wrong you’ll learn a lot, but like, sometimes you visit a place and you’re like ‘I don’t need to come back here' and the Shadowfell? One of those places!’”
I could have let the conversation die there. I really wanted to. But None of what we had actually talked about yet was what I really wanted to say. “Ah sir, there is there something that’s been bothering me, I’m not really sure how to word it.” I has this all worked out earlier, but now I can't remember any of it. This just can't wait any longer. “Since originally leaving town, I have been having troubles with my past. Um, I mean, all the…” Not how I wanted to put it, the words falter in my throat, then just come out in a jumble. “Just a couple of days ago, I nearly killed a bunch of guards because I was angry… I was ready to do that, and I now have these abilities… I can summon weapons, and do other things, and I spent a good deal of my life chasing people who could do that. I just don’t… it feels like so much of it has been wasted. I don’t know what to do. “ I half expected him to yell at me. Or laugh.
Instead he just sighs and gives me a reassuring smile. As if the topic was just another part of every day. “Well, as someone who has a lot of past, all I can tell you, is… regarding that specific issue, it’s already been done. You can’t change it. You can make strides going forward, if you’re perspective on a certain topic has changed, if you have grown…” He pauses to collect his thoughts. ”people make all sorts of arguments about nurture and nature,” he waves his hand at the topic. “But I can tell you one thing; empathy is a learned experience, and you gain more empathy the more you travel, the more you do, and unfortunately you gain the most empathy when you see some horrific things happen. And I’m sorry son, I know you and Max have seen your fair share of horrors. What you can do is make better strides going forward, regarding if you are not sure if your feelings have changed on these things, despite what you’ve seen. That’s also ok. You can change your opinions and your feelings on a topic at any time. And the best you can do is try to make amends who still live who you may have affected. But otherwise… just do your best day-to-day. And continue to have an open mind to learn. Not all casters are evil, not all casters are good. I can tell you that for a fact. But time and politics and, hell, each generation changes your perspective on things. And sometimes you don’t learn love until you have someone to take care of, and other times you don’t learn that your actions had some dire consequence until it’s been years too late. You’re not a monster for the things you’ve done in your past. You’re only a monster if you know what you’ve done is wrong and you choose to do nothing about it going forward.”. There was a pause as he let me absorb what he said. But he hadn't said what I had hoped to hear.
“Will I ever be able to forgive myself?” The words came out quietly. I was afraid of both the question and the answer.
“Oh, now that is a personal question. Now I can tell you for a fact alcohol does not help. Like you think it does, it gives you of a bandage, but oh boy howdy. do you end up making worse decisions on that alcohol, and it just comes back to loop around like a guilt boomerang. Now ah, forgive oneself, lord, gods knows I’ve had to forgive myself multiple times for the decisions I’ve made. What I can recommend is things that have helped. Sometimes see myself doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing helps. Sometimes um, meditation, or acknowledging those thoughts. Don’t try to bury them, don’t try to ignore them, accept that is a thought you have and let it go. And it is okay to let those thoughts go.”
He gets up to get some water, and I try to let the words sink in. Drinking his water, I continue. “There is another thing. I appreciate the advice sir, I will try to live up to it. These powers… I’ve never really been that devoted to the new gods or the old gods. I acknowledge them of course, and of course” I gesture at my arm and axe, “they have granted me boons, um, this by the way , as far as I can tell, is from Daja.”
He nods. “That would be accurate, I recognized her work. I noted that back when you first had it done, and uh when I took a look at the axe I recognized the divinity behind it. Although… gods, gods are a tricky things aren’t they? You know some of them just used to be people. Daja was quite a specimen herself. Again, I don’t remember much, I think that’s something about the shift in divinity, um, but if I remember correctly, they were a master craftsmen before ascending. Now whether Daja was always their name and whether they were always a feminine dwarf, that is up to debate, but I do remember that they were a craftsmen, and this all comes down to belief. Gods have as much power as you give them. The more belief and devotion you have, the more powerful they are, and sometimes they reward you with additional power. Due to your questions of faith, what I can tell you is Daja has acknowledged you as a master craftsman and has vested interest in your future.”
With a snort, I say “Hm. That’s funny, I haven’t been able to do any crafting for some time, I’ve been able to think and design things in my head, but not actually make anything,” I say rather dejected.
“Well, is that not crafting when you’re laying out the pathways in your head, when you’re designing? That’s a start of craft,” He Argued.
“If I may though, if you only spend time designing, you’re not actually making anything. You’re just imagining,” I counter,
With a dismissing wave he continues. “To an extent, but without that imagination, craftsmanship never starts, and as an artisan themselves, I’m sure they understand that things take time. Have you ever commissioned a piece of equipment? A piece of art? Shit takes forever. And they go through multiple iterations, and variations, like I saw that Vlad guy, Mr. Goforth, Sheriff Goforth, I should apologize, but you designed his armor, correct?”
“Yes sir, I did.” I knew he would have picked up on that. He had been observing yesterday, not hunting.
“And you designed Leona’s armor. I saw those little tricks in there for a size changing.”
“I had figured you would.”At least with her armor he had know about her abilities. With Vlad, all he had to go on was the straps.
“But that takes time.” He pressed. “Your first version of that was probably terrible looking compared to now.”
I chuckle. “It was clunky, yes. It was effectively two suits on top of each other. it was..” I was going to say a ridiculous design, but I just left it unsaid.
“Right, but the more you make ‘em, the better they get,” He taps his hand on the table a few times to emphasize.” And that starts with design. And sometimes that design lives into your head for ages. I’ve had research projects that I’ve only fantasized about. I’ve intended to get but…”
My mind starts working a bit, trying to remember what I heard all those few weeks ago, and what we had found with his bag. “Yeah, we found… well first off we found a very well worn carpet that we need to talk about at some point, sir. “
“Do we?” The question comes out like a lion you have jumped on the back of. I chose to ignore the problem and just hold on.
“Second off, we found a… in your notes…” While trying to from my words properly I suddenly remember Whose notes we found. “I apologize for reading them without your permission.”
“You didn’t know who they were from.” He dismisses.
Continuing where I was before I interrupted my own thoughts, “We found a natural…house? A natural magic house.” Aurane didn't know what it was, and I Certainly didn't know.
“That design was in those note!” His eyes light up as I try to describe it. “Yeah, aw, I haven’t worked in that in a while.”
“So, it never came to fruition?” I ask.
“No” He sighs, “Not in the way I intended. I know the basics for the arcane version. I can..Ah, none of you can hurt me” Why would we want to hurt him? “I know the basics of the arcane version and I can certainly implement that in practice but to have it focused in the natural essence for someone who has connection to the Earth. To be able to summon, it might not be a pocket dimension as I have previously envisioned it, but, I don’t know how many high druids you’ve met, well high powered, powerful druids, I probably shouldn’t say high. Most druids are”
“Are high.” I try to keep along with the conversation, while I learn more and more as to the power of this being I have known for so long. Talking about arcane abilities and being able to summon entire dimensions out of purely thought.
“Yes, but oh, there was this lovely tree man that I spent some time with in this bog. Sweet gentleman. The concept of… he called it transport via plants does open a rift, but specifically between two sizable trees, so might not have quite the versatility of that arcane base. But the option of maybe opening a rift within natural life itself and then being able to create your own home, your own space in this infinite that is the earth. Cause we barely, even if you go into the underdark, we barely scratch the surface of what is the earth.”
He frantically looks around to try and find a plant to show an example, but the only thing in the room is a cactus on top of the cold box, and it is very dead. Most of what he just said has been going above my head, and I can really only grasp a small amount of the concepts he is trying to make. .
With a small look of disappointment and disdain at the pathetic cactus, he continues. “But yeah, that’s the dream. Ah, and I’m still working on that, but it’s good to get back some of those early notes. I’ve had updated it since then, but it’d be nice to… That, that particular trip where I had to rough it a bit in the Shadowfell, cause that tent is handy and all and I actually have an updated version of it, but it’s not as inconspicuous as a pocket dimension, so all things considered, it’s something I’m looking forward to ah, bettering in the future, ah hell. I don’t know if I’ll ever give up adventuring. But maybe not for my travels but for future adventurers.” As he starts to digress, I politely try to change the subject.
“Uh, speaking of your future travels, I don’t wish to shoo you away, but how much longer are you planning on staying?” I ask
“Oh here?”
“Yes sir.” I hope for two different answers. While he could be a huge boon in some cases, it may also be more trouble than benefit.
“I don’t know that you need me that much longer. I figured I’d head out in a day, maybe two. I do want to spend a little more time with you and Max.” He answers.
With both relief and trepidation, I reply, “I know Max appreciates it. He might seem a little off put, but he does.”
“Well yeah. I watched that boy go through puberty. I am a threat. Don’t get me wrong, I may have caught you at an older age, I still saw some of those awkward years.”
“Yes sir.” I didn’t really want to talk about Max’s awkward years.
A wicked smirk comes over his face. “I can tell all sorts of stories on you.”
“Please don’t.” I plead.
“See, that’s why Max gets nervous, and I love him for it. Oh, bless his heart, I wish his mother was still around. But like all things, times fades, not that I’m not saying your choices are not your own, but if you – I do quite enjoy Leona, and if my legacy continues on through her, I would not be displeased as a currently my only grandchild, but, you know, I’m not against adoption either so.”
“Yes sir.” The topic wanders into that range of responses that are not ready yet. It is something I had thought of, but I just wasn’t sure how to approach it, nor if we could even make it official.
“Don’t think it’s a biological need, but I do like seeing you young folk expand and grow.”
Talking about Leona had reminded me of possible ways to keep her safe and looping back to another subject I start in. “You know we did encounter a druid grove on our travels. It was when we were out heading for the hydra I believe. We passed through Smallville.”
“Oho yeah,”he whistles, “a little farming village.”
I didn’t remember a whole lot of farms, mostly the people there I respond, “Yeah, um, some of the residents there had been cursed and were turned to lychans by… it’s too early in the morning, I can’t remember why… a couple of the residents have been lycanthropes now for a while and one is even a druid, they’re living out in the forest trying to do as best as they can. Wonder if she’ll be able to help.”
“Leona? That could be a good fit for her.”
Shaking my head, and berating myself for not being more clear I say “No, I mean help Ravenswood.”
“Oh, oh, and it would give them something to do!”
“Sorry, my mind works odd this early in the morning” I quickly apologize
He waves it off, also deep in thought. “Totally reasonable. That is an interesting stance.”
“That was also my first instinct with Leona,” I concede, “was sending her to Smallville. But she deserves to make that choice herself.”
“And she is you and Max’s apprentice. You ah, have a co-parenting thing to address with her. And I do believe her uncle was that Mr. Garfield fellow?” He inquires.
“Yes,”
“Ah, nice man, very well educated.” I didn’t know They had spent that much time together. In fact… I am not sure if they have even met recently.
Somewhat confused I start to reply from reflex, “He is, from what I know he is very well…”
“Also I feel like he the closest thing I’ve met that could physically harm me”
Well. That’s something. How Strong is Garfield?? I suppose he is holding an entire city from Rorin’s estate, but I never even considered what in the city could hurt Max’s father, and I’m certain that if those thoughts has crossed my mind, Garfield would not have been on that chart. And from what he had said before… Could Garfield possibly be more powerful than Vlad? Or the Temple leaders??
Realizing I hadn’t responded, I once again try to catch up. “Hopefully nothing will come to that.”
“Nah, he is a good guy. But as for” He pauses to catch himself up to what we were talking about, “um, oh reaching out to those druids, that is certainly a good move, otherwise I’ll have to check out Smallville on my way out of town, faster forms of travel, but it’s been awhile since I walked across the continent, I’m sure Smallville has gown quite a bit since I was last there. This used to be a shitty port town. I’m looking at cobblestones. Everything grows and changes.”
“I hope it wasn’t a problem bringing you here or asking for you to come.” I very carefully did not ask how he got here, from what should have been months of travel. While he had talked about moving by plants, I didn’t really want to think about it.
“You know, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen you guys. Its’ nice to get out and about every so often. I can’t be there for you all the time, but when I can be, I like to make time for you.”
“We appreciate it.” I add politely. I meant it too. It would have been very problematic to have to talk to him by some other means.
“Now, I will make one final comment about your new gifts.” His tone changes with a more serious manner. “In this current political climate, you may want to keep some of that to yourself.”
“Yeah” I was already making plans to use the recurve bow instead of the magical blasts. And I was thinking that giant balls of fire would be rather noticeable.
“As I should not make myself too well known about these parts, there will be mob and then I’ll have to break things and it’s just …” He pauses, exasperated with the hypothetical situation. “Honestly… I was spending some time with some elves on the other continent, beautiful people, my people of course, but they were specifically a different kind of elf, they are called High Elves. I don’t know if you’ve met many, they’re not common on this continent. But they have this large stone city, it’s quite impressive, considering how they built everything into the mountainside. They were working on trying to get a pilgrimage going to Dragon Island, which has been fruitless. I have been there and I’m going to leave their secrets to themselves. There are more of your kind there, I’ll let you know. And I do hate to say that you and your people are dying out on these lands. A shame though.”
“Doesn’t help that we killed another one just a few months ago.” I say with a snort. There really aren’t that many here. It may be nice to see more of my kind at some point.
“Likely doesn’t.” He agrees “I will say those who are demonized from birth seem to see themselves as demons and make choices accordingly. It’s a problem society builds within itself unfortunately.”
I don’t know what to say about society at this time, especially since it seems everything has been turned onto its ear. Not wanting to get into a long conversation about all the problems with society, I try to delve into the last thing I wanted to ask. “About that carpet.”
“You’re real curious about that one. All right.”
I get up to grab it from where it was left in the corner of the shop. I figured it would be a good idea to tell him what I had planned for the bow. “I might borrow that bow because my new gifts have given me a range capability, but if I don’t want to flaunt them, I will need some other way.”
Nodding he replies, “Oh well it’s in the bag you pillaged, so go for it. Again, I haven’t had these things for year, so go off.”
“Thank you sir.”
As I come back to the table, I unroll the rug we found on the table, wincing at the filth it had accumulated over the eons of time. Mr Corbin goes to touch it, but his fingers stop just inches from it. “Oh, this rug.” Then he does touch it. As soon as he grabs it, emanating from his hands, a ripple of energy goes through it, dust flying off of it, going into the air to disappear and disintegrate.
With my new abilities, I had done something like that. To a speck of mud on my boots. What he did took no time at all, and with no visible effort. On a very big scale. That would have taken me a few hours, at least.
Taking a moment to examine the newly cleaned rug, he looks up. “Now this could make you a target and I want you to understand the responsibility you’re taking if I restore this for you.”
I shrug “Well it’s not like we’re going to be moving cargo through the city with it.”
“That’s valid. All right, I do apologize, I don’t have the contents on me. But do you have approximately 100 gold worth of jewels?”
I had to go get some out of our packs, but once I produce the requested gems, I hand them over. Taking the gems, he spreads it over the rug. With a pause he looks up and says “uh, it’s been a while since I’ve done this.” Rubbing his hands, blue sparks of energy rippling through them. “Okay, this might be a little distracting.” And with a wave of his hand, with the sparks trailing between them, there’s a series of… powerful energy, almost like the lightning that Aurane can summon, but not damaging. With a sparking of connection and that deep sense of power rippling through this dingy rug. As the energy takes hold, the dull colors return to deep, deep cerulean blue base highlighted with almost metallic gold threat for the highlights and inscriptions. Velvety teal stitching on the edges just vibrates with energy. Looking at something that was so stripped of color to now see it so vibrant, it takes me aback. As the energy finishes leaving his hands he takes a step back and goes “Oh, ah, good thing the magic was already there, it just needed a… jolt. That should do you, but cause I like when you learn lessons, I’m not going to teach you what the command word is. But if I remember correctly, it can carry around five hundred pounds, and can move in the air twice as fast as you can on the ground.”
I marvel at it, even though I know I still can’t use it. With yet another task of learning what the command words are, I will have to work on that in private. With a gurgle in my stomach, I am reminded that the only thing we have had so far today is water, and it is about time we break our over night fast. Trying to figure out where I could take my guest for some good food, I ask “Sir, I would be honored if I could take you out for breakfast.”
With a wave of his hand he dismisses the idea. “No Son, I think I will go for a nice walk in the morning air. I don’t want to keep you from eating though, I’m sure the others will want something soon.”
He went back into the tent to gather his things for his walk, and left me to study the beautiful carpet in front of me, and try to figure out what to do for food. He reappeared from the magical tent several minutes later, followed by Max. His father had his Hat and coat on, along with a satchel, much like the one we had found. Looking to me, he says “think on what we talked about and you will be fine. I'll be back later.”
With a inquisitive glance at me, I simply tell him we had a long needed talk. Nodding as if this answered all the questions he ever had, he asks what needs to be done. Telling him I was trying to figure out something to eat, he suggests going to see if Cyd is still open. A large sweet roll really would be amazing right now. Going to get my coin purse, I find that Rorin and Marda are both awake. Good, I would need help carrying everything back anyway. Telling max to have the table set by the time we get back, the Three of us set off. Closing the door, I can hear the others making noise in the kitchen.
The city was mercifully quiet as we walked through it. The crisp air was a revitalizing blast to the lungs and the familiar smells a balm to the mind. The guards weren't out every forty feet like they had been, and the ones that were about didn't bother stopping three people who were simply walking through the late autumn morning. I feel a small poke on my thigh, and I look down to see Marda looking up. “Hey Druss, can I ask you for a favor? Could you make me a small crossbow. Maybe something for my wrist? That way if I have to hit something from a distance I can?”
“Well, I could probably look into it,” I answer her. “But, the design may be a bit past me, I may have to get some help with it.” Thoughts and designs start whizzing through my mind as we continue our walk.
It didn't take long for us to reach the last location I had seen Cyd's cart of Candied Confectioneries. With the release of breath I hadn't realized I was holding, we found his large cart still there, Barrels of Tea, and small box oven still where they should be. Cyd and I see each other, and he calls out to me, a large smile on his face. “Druss! I have missed you! Have you been traveling?”
I wave to him and answer, “I have. I'm back in town now after a long journey, and you are the first place I come for food” He laughs at that. “I'll tell you Cyd, I was worried that you wouldn't be here. I figured there would have been some problems for you, especially since the Aftermath Cafe is closed.”
Explaining that the Witch hunters Had in fact come to investigate his stall, he tells me of a black powder he puts in some of his tea to give it some spice, and shows me some damage to his cart. While we talk, Marda and Rorin are trying to figure out just how much food is needed. Cyd shows off his wares, along with some new products, like a cinnamon roll that has been cut in tow, with bacon and eggs put in the middle like a sandwich. I”m a little skeptical of it, as I feel it would be rather messy to eat, but it does look good. A second creation is a sweet roll that has been flavored with Pumpkins. Yet another creation he called a potato roll, something while not as flavorful as his other creations, still filling. We get several of both the sandwich and pumpkin styles, and a few of the potato rolls, along with a pumpkin rind for Spike. With Rorin hefting a whole cask of tea, we pay for everything, and start gathering up.
Before leaving Cyd asks what has happened with our shop, and I tell him we have temporarily moved. With the people harassing Leona and Max, I didn't want to take a risk something would happen to the shop. Revealing that Humans have not been bothered like other races have, he wished me safe days ahead, and I trot to catch up with Marda and Rorin.
When we get back to Aurane's shop, we find that everyone is up, and ready to eat. As we set everything out, pouring a massive mug of Tea for Max, I stop and look to Melfina. “I apologize for the terrible advise I gave you last night. The memories you have from long ago are not you any more. They are from the past and do not define you. A wise man had to let me know, and I wanted to spread the advise.” With everyone starting to dig in, I sit and start attempting my first cinnamon roll sandwich.
With a mouth full of warm food, I look around the crowded table. Kel has grabbed a couple of stools from elsewhere, and she and Leona are sitting at the end of the counter telling jokes to each other. Sora sits on the table, wrestling with a particularly large piece of bacon, the remains of an egg laying about the tiny dragon. The pumpkin rind we got sits next to Sora, with Spike mid-shell into it. Max's sandwich, diminutive in his large hands, drips icing onto his hands, while he listened to Rorin tell stories about his solo journey. Some of those stories are a bit hard to believe, but I have see him do some things that otherwise can't be explained. Melfina was even talking about how nice the pumpkin rolls are flavored, which caused any who heard to briefly stop chewing. This time of respite was enjoyed thoroughly.
In time, the sounds of the city outside came back to us, the patrols of guards, and carts rumbling by. Most of the food had been decimated, and only icing remained of the cinnamon rolls. The cask of tea was dry, the last few drops being drained into Max's tankard. As all things must, our little moment of tranquility came to an end as plate mail boots tromped onto Aurane's stoop, and a gauntleted fist knocked on the door.
As Aurane opens the door Vlad Goforth and his diminutive deputy Shandrah stand the the morning sunlight. Aurane welcome's them in, and I can see both are in an absolute horrible state. Before I can ask what has happened, Vlad tells us that his wife has gone into labor last night, and he has yet to sleep. Seeing them in this state, we offer them both food, and they each take one of the few remaining rolls. Shandrah actively taking a potato roll, as the others were too sweet for her liking. Vlad is saying that he can't take a break, as the city needs him, but his deputy seems to enjoy even this small break. After a brief conversation inquiring on his wife, Vlad reveals the reason why he is here, which is two fold. When Aurane Brought Elon back to life, it brought a few questions as to Aurane's abilities into question, with a possible source being Arcane. There would have to be some routine questions.
The other problem was that the Sheriff couldn't get access to Elon at the Estate, since Garfield wouldn't let anyone onto the premises. So someone who Could get in would have to get Elon out, so He could also be questioned, to make sure he was the real Elon. The concern was possible necromancy involved, and the council wanted to make sure nothing dark was going on.
A security carriage was also assigned to this case, so we could transport Elon from place to place with the safety of both the general public and the individuals in question. Aurane and Rorin both get ready to leave. I'm not sure what to do. I worry about the safety of Elon now that he is back, but I don't really know if I want to be that prominent. But then I remember that message. Do I keep running, or stand up for my city? Grabbing my battle rattle, I tell the rest of the group I”m going with Rorin and Aurane, and head out the door. I want to see who may be angry about Elon being back, and if the whole council is going to be there, I may be able to see some sort of reaction.
Trotting up to the Carriage, I look up to see Rorin sitting next to the driver. The last time we were in a carriage I got sick. Not wanting to clean out a security carriage I ask him if I can ride up there. With a purely apathetic response from the driver, Rorin hoped down, and got inside, and I Jumped up on to the seat.
The ride over to the estate was uneventful since no one wanted to bother a official council security carriage. Once Rorin was able to get Elon there were the traps to contend with, not to mention Garfield. The Majordomo of the estate was not going to take anything, even from the sheriff. With the promise of returning Elon to the estate, and the reminder that Vlad was not to enter, the process was started to get through the various traps.
I couldn't see it very well, but one of the traps seemed to be a fake version of Rorin's small bird pet, Oswald swinging threateningly from a tree as if to dive bomb a hapless trespasser. Once past the traps, we loaded up, and rode to the Cultural Congress in the center of town. The temple to Lady Constance, it had the council chambers, and was the location for what lay ahead of us today. Most of the council, (if not all) and a good number of the Temple leaders will be here, including Able Rest, the new leader of the Parthenon of protection, and Occultist Greg, from the Temple of the unspoken one. This would be a fight I am ill equipped for.
Getting Elon out of the carriage and into the building was tricky, but only because we were trying to hide him, and not be completely obvious about it, but we managed. Something had leaked the news he was alive, and while not a huge crowd, there were people gawking outside. Entering the Temple we find two figures waiting for us. Or rather waiting for Aurane specifically. One of the figures is Human man, bland and rather indistinguishable. The other figure is a short Kobold, and both wear clothing identifying them as Witch Hunters. Introducing themselves, the Human being Mulby, the Kobold as Skullcrusher, I recognize both of them from When Marda and I had to question all the witch hunters. Apparently, the two Hunters remember that occurrence too, and after giving Rorin and I a polite greeting, Skullcrusher tells me I wasn't strict enough with the questions, and we should have been tougher. Not even acknowledging Elon, they then both turn to Aurane. Leading him into a side room, they leave the three of us standing in the Hall.
Before We can even turn around, Holden Cockswell, and Harold Ravenswood come up to us, flanked by two guards. Telling us they are going to take Elon across the hall into another room, when I try to enter the guards stop me, saying we are not to enter. The protest of Rorin and I being Elon's protection doesn't convince the guards of anything. Not wanting to make a confrontation out of it, I turn to Rorin and start speaking in draconic. “ Do you think we can trust the guards? I Don't want to leave Elon alone like this with these guys.”
Before Rorin can answer, “this will be fine, do not worry.” Elon says, also in draconian. Looking at him, trying to cover my shock, I see Holden behind him also nodding, as he had been following what was said too. Interesting.
Responding in the same, “ very well”, I switch back to common. “We will be right out here when you are done.” and Rorin and I prepare to make ourselves comfortable.
I stand with my right foot up against the wall trying to coming up with a plan for Marda's crossbow while we wait, with Rorin leaning his head up against the door to Aurane's interview. “Getting anything” I ask. I stay with draconic simply to have some sort of private conversation should anyone need to walk through the hall.
“No nothing.” He says with a sigh, banging his fist against the stone floor. “At least we are back in town now. Better food.
“Hey!” I protest, “ we fed you as best as we could! In fact, I remember you remarking that my trail stew was really good.
“Well, yes your stew was good, but your jerky jambalaya left something to be desired” he countered.
“Oh, well. It's hard to really pin that recipe down as the ingredients are changing depending on what is available.”
“Either way,” he says, “I can now get whatever I want now that we are back.”
“Like a nice bowl of stew at the Ashforge estate?” I taunt.
“Fireforge. It is the Fireforge Estate now. Because I am betrothed.” The way he says it, there seems to be something else he wants to say. But before he can, two acolytes come down the hall carrying something heavy between them. The two come down to the Aurane's door, knock and enter, and as they pass us I see that it was a body they had between them. A very dead body.
As the acolytes leave without the body, and go down the hall, Rorin and I exchange a glance. With a shared shake of the head and shrug, there is a small moment of silence, then Rorin speaks “Will... will you be one of my groomsmen? Garfield is going to be the best man.”
“Oh. Hell yeah I will. But who is officiating if Garfield is the best man?” I ask. I'm not really sure how the whole ceremony will work, and it has been a while since I went to a wedding.
With a pensive look on his face, he finally responds, “I will have to ask the little woman.” Making a mental note to never call her that to her face, we go back to talking just to pass the time. Some time later, when Rorin is insisting that a girl I liked was flirting with me, Yelling starts coming from Aurane's room. Mulby rushes from the room only to return seconds later, followed shortly by a clerk carrying sandwiches. Aurane comes out of his room looking tired and annoyed, and slumps against the wall. Not saying anything, we sit for a few minutes more until Elon comes out. Announcing that we are heading to a council meeting, we fall in behind Holden and Elon shortly to come to a large meeting room. A tremendous table takes up most of the room, with chairs surrounding it. Acolytes and assistants already sit on one side of the room in smaller less significant chairs, while most of the council members are milling about or seated and waiting. Well, I wanted to be able to observe the council members, here they are.
I stand by the wall next to the acolytes, and try to look at everyone in the room. Anyone wearing armor or weapons are standard to their occupation, with nothing overt. No one is trying to show off their power. Holden is obviously ill at ease, and I remember he doesn't really do well with people. I wonder where his assistant is. He seemed more the people person than Holden was. Maybe I can use that. I can see Lavender Thatcher of the accountant's guild is agitated, looking at Elon then off to General Stoneskin. Aurane comes over and mutters that Leslie Knope and Gariton Terrington are putting on a brave face and Garmele the swift is giving glares to Elon out of the corner of their eye. Interesting. I didn't expect a reaction out of people who should be used to hiding motives. I did see Garmele exchange a warm greeting with Vlad, but the sheriff was part of the hunters guild before his current appointment.
Time for an experiment. Without looking, I ask the nearest acolyte for a piece of parchment, and something to write with. When the supplies are handed over, I am surprised that the person I asked is one of the acolytes of Daja. Giving a warm thank you, I write a simple request of Holden. Asking if he will help me design a wrist bow for Marda, I write it out in draconic. Half hardheartedly folding over the note so some of the runes are visible, I walk over to Holden, and hand it to him. With a quick smile to Elon, who is standing behind Holden, I go back to the side of the room. Holden reads the note, gives me a puzzled expression, and reads the note again.
“I have another meeting I must go to, Elon will take over for me.” Holden says, not caring if anyone protests. Some do. Leaving the note on the table, he gets up and walks out of the chamber. Before anyone can reach for the note, Elon is down in his seat, also looking at the note quickly. With an amusing look at me, he settles in the chair. Really, I just wanted to give Holden something else to think about, but he took the opportunity to leave.
“And what was in that note?” guild leader Terrington asks of me. Middle aged, and rotund, it was obvious he spent most of his tinkering time at his workbench rather than pacing around a workshop. “I want to see it!”
“It was simply a request for some assistance Sir,” I respond.
“A simple request huh? Why are the witch hunters looking for you anyway” Terrington counters.
“Are they? Last time I saw some Witch hunters they greeted me amiably.” a reassuring smile crosses my face. I can hear the two in the chamber muttering agreement.
Turning to Rorin, and gesturing to Aurane and I, “Why are you dealing with people likes these? Certainly they-”
“How dare you sir!” Rorin roars, cutting the small guild leader off. “These are some of my closest friends. Maybe you should worry about yourself when I start funding your opponent in the guild. See that he makes it to the guild leader position.” Silence meets this, and most everyone looks rather abashed at witnessing such a rebuke. Mistress Hearthforge however, is silently laughing in her seat, attempting to hide the fact.
With the disruptions over, the council gets to business, trying to decide what Elon's status should be. Many points and counter points are made, with very little if anything being decided. No one tried to climb over the table and kill Elon, so half of my job was wasted. Several hours and two sore feet later, the meeting comes to an end, Holden still officially in charge of the guild, and no status change of any sort. Agreeing to meet again in two weeks the meeting disperses, and we are left with Elon
Chapter 28: A feeling of lethargy.
We finish getting back to Aurane's shop through the underground system, with Max's help. I am exhausted, both emotionally from all the changes in mood, and also physically from all the adrenaline spikes. I am also embarrassed after leading our distinguished guest through the sewer. The man is an Arch Fey for Daja's sake. I should not have even thought of bringing him through something so foul as this. I'm not really certain what he is fully capable of, but thinking of the causal use of magic he had when lighting up my shop is putting other questions into my head. Was my work after the army the right thing to do, or was it more harmful to the world? After all, I would probably be one of those being hunted now. I'll deal with it later, once everyone is safe.
Climbing up through the trap door, we find that Melfina and Marda are already back. Not wasting any time, Melfina tells us that the body is still secure inside an anti-magic room, and that the sanctum has given them a roll of paper so we can communicate with the Marquis. Just tear off a small piece, write something on it, and they will be able to read it. We have also been told we can trust Harold Ravenswood, the leader of the infrastructure guild, but being told we can trust him, and actually knowing we can is different. We do know that the Temples of Daja, Lady Constance, and Dem Falic' have stood up for the Bard's guild, so it's at least somewhere to look for allies in the city. We can tackle all that later though.
Knowing that we don't really have enough room to house all the new arrivals comfortably, I go to dig out the old blanket from the bottom of my pack. I had mixed it in with my dirty laundry hoping to get in through any inspection, and apparently it had worked. Of course, Aurane's brilliant distraction had made it so they didn't even look, but planning is half the battle. Walking up to Max, I figure he may be tired, and instead address his Father.
“Sir, I am not really in the proper mindset to use this right now, and I think we could use the extra sleeping quarters.” I say. “I don't want to impose, but could you please do the honors? I have a feeling that you know how to use it.”
Before answering, he gives me a measured look. “Of course. It has been a while though.” Taking two corners of the blanket he flutters it up into the air as if to set up a picnic blanket. But as the blanket comes back down, it doesn't take the form of a tent like it does for me. Instead it takes the form of a tent one may see at a circus or menagerie. But I see it more of the tent a commander would use while surveying his troops in the field. As he goes in, we all grab our bags to settle in for the night. Leona hands Max a small bag of personal items. I know he still polishes his horns before bed every night. He doesn't want to admit it though.
The pillowy interior is much more refined than mine ever was. Instead of the mismatched mugs that kept the hot chocolate and the lounging pillows, finer furnishing are present. A grand foyer, complete with chandelier that we have to crawl under leads to a sitting area. Long padded pillow benches with tables next to them sit in a square. The tables in the corners have goblets holding a dark, rich looking chocolate. As we look at the rooms we find they contain scenes of tree forts and a waterfall of pillows. As we look through them the rooms are claimed. I find myself being the last one to take a room, and as we come to the last one, the room is not lit as the others have been. Instead a foggy darkness coats most of my room, with a strange ribbon of light, more of a glow than a light source, emanates around the ceiling. Without my new magical sight, I would not have been able to see in here without the aid of the lantern. When I ask about it, I am informed that it resembles the Shadowfell.
Leaving the room and it's gloom, I head back out to the main sitting area, and find myself a goblet of Chocolate. The others had started to gather and silently berating myself for not doing it sooner, I properly introduce Marda and Melfina To Max's father. Marda asks if he wants the bag back, and after a brief discussion of the contents, he tells her to keep it. Only wanting his old notes and various other gems, he says he has a new bag. With discussion moving on to the shard, I try to pay attention to as much as possible. With the influence of the rich chocolate, and other troubling thoughts I struggle. The last host of the shard was a Dragon he fought in the shadowfell, and a good pair of tongs will help you grab something while not touching it. Marda dashes out of the shelter, and comes back with Aurane's salad tongs which he has probably never used for salad.
“I could make better tongs than that.” I hadn't realized I said it out loud until everyone was looking at me. Glancing around for Max I say, “Maybe not a fancy pair, but we make specialty tongs for when we need them right? We could make a pair for this.” Of course, where do we make it?
As for containing the shard, Mr Corbin suggests that the sanctum should have something. Saying that the Sanctum contain all sorts of magical things all the time, there should be something there. If not, a stout lead box will do the trick. We could carry the shard in a pouch, but that would probably attract all sorts of bad things to ourselves, not to mention the city. Plus, without sealing the shard away, the Ravenswood will never go back to normal. When it is sealed away, we will have to get druids and Nature followers to restore the natural order. If we fail, the forest could become a portal into the shadowfell itself, not something any of us really want to happen. The last time the planes collided, one of the moons exploded.
As they start talking about the history of the moon explosion, I beg my leave, and head to my room. I am back in my city, and I can't even stay in my own bed. The worst part is I don't even feel safe in my own city, and that I was ready to fight the city guard because of that. What happened to me that I have the same moral standings as those I dedicated part of my life fighting? I was ready to be a bandit or outlaw just because I lost my temper. Of course, another part of my life I went after those who can Cast, and now look at me. Even a couple of months ago I chased after a murderer who could magically teleport. Someone I Died to try to bring to justice. And I was about to become that same person. Just another Caster who wanted to fight the law. I run my fingers over the brand I now carry, part of the cost of my life. The lines in my scales run up to my chest, to the stub on the end of my right shoulder. I have spent so long trying to ignore these thoughts, trying to just keep going. I wanted to just get back to the city, stay with my the ones I care about, finish up the horrible problem with the Ravenswood, and create. Now I'm just not sure how practical that will be. With the frustration of not knowing what to do, and the feeling that I can't do much of anything, it takes some time before my mental exhaustion pulls me into a dreamless sleep.
When I awoke, after a brief time considering going back to sleep, I went out to the Aurane's living area to find that Rorin had come with a basket of fruit. Everyone at his estate are doing well enough, but for a lack of supplies. Still groggy, I pick through the fruits and food laid out on the table by Kel, and nibble my way through breakfast. Some of the group looks as if they tried to stay up for the entire night, and I can see Marda and Melfina talking in the corner. Not wanting to eavesdrop, I stick to my own business, and finish eating. We all eventually gather together, and decide what we want to do today.
Aurane and Rorin need to go back to the Ashforge estate. Aurane has plans to Bring Elon back from the dead, thinking that having a prominent ally back would help us tilt the scale in favor for our side. Marda and Melfina want to head over to the Temple of Kusco and get both Spike and Sora, who have been stuck in a barrel for the last day. Then they want to head back to the sanctum and see if they can remove the crystal. While I definitely want to help with these tasks, I worry about being able to control myself. I nearly lost it yesterday, for no reason. Well, I suppose there was a reason, but I still should have been better behaved. Looking for another reason to stay behind, my eyes fall on Leona, who looks utterly exhausted. Dani looks the same, and I know both have been through a lot of things. Even With Max and his father here, I don't want to leave them here alone, and I tell the group that.
With everything decided, the rest of the group gathers up equipment and gear, and heads out. I clean up from breakfast, and try to keep myself occupied talking to everyone. Both Leona and Dani want to know what happened to us while we were gone. While I don't want to overly stress them I ask if we should really be talking about that, and when they get annoyed by me fussing over them, I tell them what I can remember. I leave out the magical abilities I have acquired, leaving those parts vague, but everyone seems to enjoy the tale. Dani especially soaks it up, but once I get to the arrival at the harbor, I trail off. With an awkward silence starting to fill the void, I again ask if they are doing OK. With an exasperated huff, they both insist they are, and instead of facing their wrath, I decide to leave them be and go over to see what Max and his Father are doing at the the table. A small hand crafted chess set sits between them, and they are setting it back up after a previous match. Thinking the best way to stay out of trouble is to not say anything at all for the rest of the day, I resolve myself to trying that for a while.
A knock at the front door of the shop sometime later brings us all out of our stupor. A slight look of alarm travels through the room, and weapons are brought to hand. Kel goes to answer the door, as she at least belongs here, and when she opens it Melfina walks in carrying the old carpet we recovered.. Marda follows right behind with the empty cask we used to conceal the animals. Setting down the cask, I can hear a light thumping sound coming from within. Once opened, I see that spike had been ramming the lid of the cask, clearly not happy with his situation. Sora, annoyed by his diminutive companion, and perturbed from being stuck inside a cask for a whole day immediately flew out. Taking a few laps around the ceiling, Sora finally landed on top of a book case, and leered over the edge of it, just the eyes and crest poking over.
Spike on the other hand had immediately started to eat Melfina's boot. Picking up the turtle, she took it over to the table. Setting it down, she pulled some fruit out of the basket in an attempt to placate the creature. Taking some time to play with the smaller companions, the two soon depart to head to the sanctum, leaving Spike and Sora with me.
Once Marda and Melfina leave, I try get Spike and Sora to play with Dani and Leona, but apparently none of the parties really want that. Sora doesn't seem to be in the mood to play with someone they don't know, and neither does spike, attempting more to bite people than look for attention. That's fine. Gives me more to do.
After several hours more of trying to keep spirits up, I don't feel that I have been very successful. Receiving scathing looks, from the humanoids, and loosing scales to small claws and bites, everyone just seems to be doing as well as they can. Max has been through a lot, with the state of the city and his Father being here. Dani of course has been through more than any of us want to think about, and since no one will tell me what they did during the rescue, I can only Imagine what Leona has had to deal with. Out of all of them, Kel is probably doing the best. If she is anything like Aurane, she would have enjoyed the architecture of the underground systems while mapping them. Spike is hiding under the bookcase, and Sora is curled up on Mr Corbin's lap when Melfina and Marda come back to the shop.
Both are in bad shape, and while not actively bleeding, look to be rather miserable. As we patch them back up, they tell us when they pulled the shard out of the body it came back to life and tried to kill them, nearly doing so. With a quick but fearsome battle, they manage to deal enough damage to finally end it once and for all, Melfina imbuing her weapons with radiant power itself, and Marda decapitating it to end the fight. Leaving the body in the chamber, and storing the crystal in a magical box, they also left that with the Sanctum. Being in the business of stashing magical items, it should be safe there.
Waiting for Rorin and Aurane to come back, the sky grows dark long before they get back. When they do, both seem to be weary, but in good spirits. Aurane was successful in bringing Elon Tusk back from the beyond, and they went to the extent of telling the city officials. That is why it took them so long, is the fact that they had to go find the sheriff first, then High priestess Temperance, then wait for all the other temple leaders to come to them. The fact that he was brought back was taken well by most of the people there, although General Priestess Stoneskin seemed bothered that she had to show up.
When Aurane had to tell everyone that Elon needed to rest, yet another discussion had broken out, with everyone trying claim they could protect him better. When it was pointed out that his body had been very secure at the Ashforge estate, the temple heads from Daja, Dem Falic' and Lady Constance all agreed he should stay there. After leaving Elon in the care of Rorin's staff, Aurane and Rorin came back here to reunite.
With the crystal secured, we talk about what we should do now that the forest should be able to heal. Agreeing that the temple folk of Laketown should be able to at least start the healing process of the forest, they should also be able to take care of the undead that have appeared. With the decision for Melfina to send a message to Lenny, we decide to check in after we take care of things here in the City.
With the blanket set up again for us all to use, and everyone back safely after today, we all turn to rest for the night, but Melfina pulls me aside. I remember now that she was looking a bit troubled earlier when she was talking with Marda. Considering she had any expression at all, I should have said something then, but if she wants to talk now, I'll see if I can help.
“I talked with Charles at length last night, and he helped me regain some of my memories. But these are memories of brutal pasts, and troubling thoughts.” She would normally talk as if telling us that day becomes night. But this time she was more serious. It was a little unnerving. “I am not sure how to deal with these at this current time. It appears I have been alive much longer than I thought.”
I could tell she wanted to say more, but couldn't bring herself to do so. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, but she had also struck something in me. I had been avoiding nearly the same problem of a troubled past my whole day, doing everything I could to not deal with it. Scrambling to say something, I said the first thing that came to mind.
“I try to surround myself with friends and activities, and try to block it out. We have the group, and you have spike.” It was Lame, and unhelpful. I regretted saying it almost immediately, but since I hadn't found a solution to that problem I wanted to say something. I'm glad Max isn't here right now, he would not have been happy with me, and I didn't need yet another person unhappy with me.
With her normal expressions, I couldn't really tell if she found that advice particularly helpful, but I know it wasn't the most profound thing I had said. Awkwardly parting ways, I head to my room, build a small nest out of the bedding and pillows, and pray for another empty night.
Running. On the way to the broken tower we ran for our lives. We had to. When I ran out of arrows under the broken tower I ran. I could have saved more lives there, but I didn't. When I should have been watching those kids in that raid, I ran. I could have saved them. I ran when we fought the hydra under the mountain, and Rorin had gone down. All the times that I had run away flashed in sequence, over and over in front of me. I could have done better, should have been able to save those lives, kept loved ones from harm. And Suddenly the view changed. I was in the courtyard of Daja's temple. And I could feel a choice before me. I could keep running and find a new home, or I could stand here and fight for it. What would I choose?
Chapter 26: Magic can make your problems go away!
After the rather traumatic events of the cursed armor, we all decided to go over what we had to make sure nothing was putting us in danger. We all gathered in the ladies cabin, and sat together in awkward silence for a few minutes. I myself was trying to think of anyway this trinket I have may have altered my life. I guess I had significantly less boats in my life before I got this trinket, but I don't think that those are strictly connected.
I think the main problem was that we even had magic items to begin with. Magic was the stuff of the divine, and no lowly soldier would have an item to carry around, let alone a blacksmith!
While we all agreed to share what we had, we still wanted to keep things secret. Of course I had already used the magic item I had in front of everyone several times. With this trip we have also seen many thing that would not have been seen had we stayed in the city. Or at least I had hoped we wouldn't have seen them. As we all gather our thoughts, Marda starts pulling more objects out of her haversack. I once again tell them all what I have, the trinket that can seemingly slow down time when I swing, letting me hit things easier. Melfina of course has a brand new super gross apron, which she is now wearing as if it were a cloak. Rorin reveals a pendant that looks much like a barley leaf, which supposedly he could drink alcohol if he was hurt, and it would heal him, and Aurane has some sort of death defying ring, however that would work.
Now that we know what we already had, we look down at the collection of odds and ends that Marda has displayed on the deck for us. Glass containers of plant samples and flowers, a single rune on black stone, small bottles and vials of liquid and some very nice looking alcohol. Teeth, scales, and even two claws of a dragon. The scales and claws were black in color, but upon closer examination, they may have been from something else. Stories tell of dragons who have stayed too long in dark planes, and have been corrupted by those places. I'm wondering if the author of the journals found these in the shadowfell. Other items displayed on the deck include a bundle of clothing, a shard of stone that causes the hand to tingle when it is touched, several kits of tools needed while exploring, and three items I found very interesting.
A set of scale mail, incredibly fine work wrought out of blue dragon scales is on display. Next to it is a beautifully crafted recurve bow. The string, stored on one end of the unstrung bow, gives off a silver glint to it. The color of the wood is a deep purple or red, and unusual color for a bow, but it is obviously not just a normal bow. A simple leather grip wraps around the middle of the bow, and enhances the elegance of the weapon. And finally sitting to one side, is a huge axe, which if I didn't know better, would have never fit into the haversack. My mind briefly boggled at the thought of trying to fit it back inside. I dare not touch it yet, as Aurane wants to make sure nothing is going to hurt us like the Armor did yesterday. While he casts his spells, I look at the axe as best as I can without touching it.
With an obsidian black axe head, the blade seems to also give off a silver shine to it, but the shine seems to come from within the blade itself. With a very ornate handle made of moonstone and wood, the whole weapon gives off a distinguished air. As far as I can tell, the craftsmanship is flawless, and even with the different materials in the handle, it seems solid. I dare not even guess when it was made. Once Aurane clears us to pick up the items, I grab the axe.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of some motion, and I see Spike crawling towards the opening of the bag. The little turtle seems rather adamant about getting into the bag. Looking at all the stuff which could not have possibly fit into a normal bag, and knowing precisely what is kept inside the turtle, I decide the bag and turtle should not be together. Using my foot, I gently nudge the wayward turtle back to the fruit he had been chasing around the slightly rocking deck. After a quick smile to Melfina, I go back to examining the axe in my hands.
We spend some time nearly an hour examining all the things Marda has pulled out of her bag, and after that time I feel that while the axe in my hands is perfect, there are some ways I would have changed it to suit my needs. I can feel the weight and balance of the axe head, and with my style, it would need a counter weight to the blade. I have noticed a dull glow from the blade, like pale moonlight. That would have to change too, but just slightly. I slowly form it into what I saw in my dreams, and when I am satisfied, the whole axe suddenly vanishes from my grasp. I can feel it though, like putting a pair of tongs in the same place for decades. I should be able to just reach out and grab it....
The ship suddenly jolts as if the helm was being jerked from side to side. A single cry for alarm comes from above, and brief chaos takes a hold of the group. As Marda starts pushing things back into her bag, Aurane bends down to help her, and Melfina tries to untangle from everyone, unwrapping the chain so her knife swings free. She goes to the door of the cabin to listen, then moves to the bottom of the stairs, starting the chant of a spell. I am right behind her, battle axe off my back, and I charge up the stairs. A swarm of creatures are clambering over the deck. Appearing to be frogs, they stand just like humanoids, and have crude yet effective weapons. I can only see two of the ships crew still standing, and before I can search more, I am swarmed. Five of the little bastards surround me, and try to attack me with knives. When the first one misses, I take the opening to bury my battle axe into it's chest. Worried that the axe head would be stuck in the rubbery flesh, I simply let the axe go, and the body falls to the ground, axe still buried in the torso. The riposted attack allows me to stay out of harms way for the most part, but I do earn a small scratch on my arm. Now, temporarily without a weapon, standing at the top of the stairs, I face four more foes, but I know what is behind me. Rorin bounds up the stairs, and jumps the last few to land silently beside me. With a swift punch, he cleanly kills another next to me. Marda slides up the stairs and past my legs to kill two more, hooked blades easily fitting around long limbs and removing them. Ember, the Fire genasi, and the captain are still up, and are fighting for their lives, Even while fighting and getting hit, the captain is still controlling the ship. Melfina blurs up past me, knife swinging around on the chain, viciously cutting into frog men, and she brings her Spectral Scythe into play.
I guess now is as good a time as any to try, so I think about the the Tool I would need for the job. With a growl, I utter one word. “Narzedzic!” Reaching down, as if pulling something from a quenching barrel, I grab onto the handle. Now decorated with Moon stone inlay, and rings of ash wood, the core of the haft is solid metal. I pull it up and out, four feet of grip that ends in a single great bearded axe on one side, and a sledge hammer head on the other. The axe head has a brass inlay in the shape of a flame that dances down the black blade. The flame itself gives off a slightly pale glow, even in the middle of the day. The hammer head opposite the blade has a simple decorative stamp of crossed hammers over an anvil on two the the octagonal sides. As I pull the axe into existence, small pools of pale fire fall off, to disappear into nothing before coming close to the deck. With my new tool, I set to work.
Wading into the fray, I quickly cut through three opponents. Smashed and sliced bodies lay behind me as I work up the deck. I can see one of the crew members, maybe Garleth, on the stairs up to the back of the ship. I point to her, pumping some divine power into the gesture, hoping to heal her if I can. Thankfully, she isn't dead, and I breath a small sigh of relief when she gets up. I can hear ember's whip behind me, cracking into the attackers even as Garleth grabs her crossbow up to fire. As Aurane comes up out of the lower deck, he cries out the crescendoing end of a spell, and a great shining Creature comes into existence next to captain Velma, A blue white corona of light emanating from it. The new being, possibly celestial in nature guessing from the originator, immediately swings a massive mace into the nearest frog, obliterating it from the face of this world.
We quickly deal with the rest of the assailants, and the deck is slick with blood when we are done. Our weapons dripping with blood and icor, we try to catch our breath and look for the other crew members. We find both the sea elf and the halfling down, and as we try to get them back, Melfina starts to pray. Wings sprout from her back, fully feathered. Standing there, her new “cape” oozing blood, knife caked in red and black gore, beautiful brown feathers sprout from her back. Like large eagle or hawk feathers, they contrast the stark colors of her outfit and her pale skin. It is a sight to behold. Even as I marvel at it, the feathers start to change. Some simply crumbling, others turning to a bloodied parody of what they used to be. Some simply blacken and fall. A red haze wafts out from her, and with her skeletal wings showing, the prayer comes to a climax, and the horrible haze knits together wounds and cuts. I can feel my scales Crawling back together as I stand aghast at the sight. The other crew members stand, and I can guess everyone has been healed now.
With the attack over, and everyone awake again, we clean the ship up, throwing limbs and bodies overboard. While it seemed polite in hindsight to return them to the depths, it was mostly to get the stink off of the ship. Even with us effectively saving their lives, the crew says nothing to us. Having dismissed my new axe, I gather up my battle axe, and go below again, to make sure all of Marda's new items were kept safe.
After another day of smooth sailing, one of Rorin's messenger hawks finds us. Two letters are delivered to us, one from Rorin's betrothed, and the other from Garfield. Looking over his shoulder, I can't make heads or tails of what Garfield is talking about, apparently they use some sort of code. As Rorin reads the one from Garfield, a myriad of emotions flood through me. Martial law is in effect, as we knew, and the bards guild has been disbanded. Garnet is safe in the sanctum, which is locked down. Any persons coming into the city with unknown religious symbols or magical items are detained at the gates. Rorin's estate has been locked down, and my shop is under constant watch. Leona has been taken in multiple times for questioning, with nothing coming of it, and really the only safe place is Aurane's workshop oddly enough.
The fact that they are taking my apprentice in, and badgering her about anything doesn't set right with me at all, and a thought of slowly cutting my way to help her comes to thought, but then another idea starts to come to fruition. I just need to apply some pressure to the right place, maybe a bit of elbow grease will be needed. Either way, it may be time to move the shop. Speaking of which, I am expecting someone else there, and with a slow, horrific realization, I just now realize who I may have invited into a potentially bad situation. Oh boy.
Another storm comes in the next day. Not wanting to be swept overboard again, and not wanting to dwell on the bad situation in Cherwood, I try to occupy myself once again with Mittens. It seems to work rather well. The creaking of the ship and the sound of the storm outside is quite loud, even down in the bottom of the ship. I can feel the ship stop and I start to wonder if the captain decided the storm was too bad, and has pulled us in somewhere. Curious, I start to walk up from the very bowels of the ship. As I get up to the next deck, I can hear two of the crew members running to the top deck in alarm. I start to move faster, casting a magical armor on my self. While the armor is cool to the touch, steam rises of of me from the effect. I can hear a battle above me, and I start to move faster, pulling the piece of coal from one of my pouches. Running though several scenarios in my head, I burst up onto the main deck, pelted with rain, the boat tossing below me, I see everyone standing, weapons drawn, looking at nothing. OK then. Some damage to the ship has been caused, but otherwise we are still in a storm, and the boat is moving again.
Apparently there was a Kraken, a horrifically fearsome denizens of the deep, and one of the Crew members Banished it from this plane of existence. Putting that on a side bar, we all jump into action to try to ready the ship in case it comes back, and to get away as fast as possible. As we keep sailing through the storm, we are informed when the spell ends, and the creature should be back in this world. We wait with bated breath, and as the minutes pass by nothing comes to attack the ship. It seems that we have avoided the massive creature, to live another day.
Over the next few days we are blessed with smooth sailing, and no more attacks. Odd creatures start following the ship, as we start to befriend some of them, each of the little creatures gets attached to some of us. An odd, green creature with a face like a octopus, starts to take food from me, only to try to hypnotize me later on. I have to chase it off to make sure it doesn't harm any of us.
When we finally come into sight of Cherwood again, we can see Warships in the bay instead of merchant ships. Instead of commerce and new people coming in, the Military is keeping everything in the port, and checking everything that comes in. Not really the happy homecoming we had hoped for when we set out. I remind myself to try and not cause any trouble when we will obviously be inspected, and try to figure out what to do when we get into the city.
Chapter 27: A warm toasty feeling
As the ship is pulling in I can already see that militia troops bearing the colors of Zits are coming towards the docks. We know that they are going to search for magical equipment, and anything that may pertain to the old gods. And of course asking why we are coming into town. While we all have good reasons for coming into town, we know that some of us are not going to be as welcomed as others. In fact, looking at the faces of the militia waiting for us, I don't know if a welcoming is going to be on the list of activities.
Marda has already donned a old military coat of hers, and while slightly wrinkled, it does indeed have the proper patches of Zits on the shoulder. From her time in Dawn's Reach no doubt. Melfina has tucked her knives deeper into her gauntlets, and dirties up her armor, making it bland and forgettable. She has taken off her new blood cloak, and has tucked it away with the rest of our items. My blanket and clockwork amulet are sitting rolled up under my dirty laundry at the bottom of my pack. Both Sora and Spike are hidden on the pack horse in a small empty cask. While a pet turtle isn't unheard of, one doesn't usually carry it in a holster on the shoulder. That would have been too memorable, and Sora would have been a dead giveaway.
Rorin, or should I say Wiccan Ivoryhammer, as he has told us to call him, is blending in with the surroundings. Looking at him, the eyes seemingly glide off him, as if he simply isn't interesting enough to pay attention to. Something tells me he has done this type of things before. I on the other hand have no way of hiding, and it would be suspicious if I tried to be someone else. Like Aurane I am a long time citizen, and fairly easily recognizable. Putting my battle battle axe on the baldric on my back, I adjust the handle to the usual spot, easily reachable behind my right hip. I adjust the short sleeves of my own military coat on my shoulders, and throw my cloak over the whole things, mostly covering the black head of the axe.
Guiding Mittens down the ramp from the ship, I am given a short once over before the militia members move on. The sergeant leading the small squad stops and talks to Aurane. A Half Elf, he seems to not really want to mess with anyone coming into town, just doing his job, and not wanting to do anything that he would have to write a report for. Aurane simply tells the sergeant that he was out enjoying some time in the country, to get away from the incredibly busy work life he has. The simple lie either worked great, or it was a matter that the militia guards didn't care, and since nothing was found, we were told to take our mounts to the temple of Kusco for 3 days of quarantine, after which we can get them back.
Being back on dry land, and having other moorbounders to be with, Mittens seemed to be happier with this set of circumstances. No rocking boats, or getting wet from seawater or rain and he could even go out and curl up in the sun if he wanted to. Leaving him there in the care of the temple, we had already noticed a crowd drawing in from all parts of the city. Now, as we were out among them, I could almost sense a voice on the wind, drawing people in. Before we even started moving, a sensation came over me. A warm shiver ran down my spine, and settled in the bowels of my stomach. The feeling you get when you know the night is going to end vomiting into a hole.
With nauseous fascination, we follow the crowds moving in the streets to the temple to Lady Constance, and the warm feeling is pushed up into my chest, replaced by a ball of ice. The stage that Aurane built for the harvest festival is occupied. Anticipation, anxiety and dread hung in the air, leaving residue on every surface. I can see Max, his massive size overbearing in this crowd. As we try to get closer, clusters and rings of militia are prowling in the mob. We manage to get close to Max, and Leona is there as well, both of them in a lighter armor. She won't make eye contact with me. Something is very wrong. The ball of ice and the nauseous heat are fighting each other, causing an oppressive storm of dread in my gut.
Following Max's eyes, I can see the Marquis, absolutely surrounded by warrior monks from the Sanctum. A small figure I can only guess is Garnet stands in the middle next to the Marquis. The words in the air, a clear resonance of chaos and anarchy, can be clearly heard over the crowd. A I look for the source of the music, figures come to stand on the stage. Dove Grayson, leader of city Militia stands off to the side, resplendent leather armor under a brick red tabard stands off to one side. His shield on his back and short sword on his hip, he wears a somber expression. The rest of the figures we in varying colors, and I come to realize they are the High Clergy of the town, each one the leader of their temples, with High Priestess Temperance in the front, and General Priestess Stoneskin flanks immediately behind here. Ale Stoneskin, General of the local Zits forces here in Cherwood, wears no armor, nor carries any weapon on this occasion. An ornate pair of gauntlets cover her forearms, serving to enhance rather than detract from the uniform she wears. A single thick block sits in the middle of the stage, about two feet high with a hooded figure standing next to it, festooned with icons for Morbus Sempra. Death. As I try in vain to see whose execution this is, Max maneuvered himself behind me, and clutching my shoulder whispers into my ear.
“Go to Aurane's shop. Do not help”. Confusion and anger flashed through me, followed quickly by panic. The armor they are wearing isn't the normal armor we made for them. It's for quicker movement, but can't take hard hits. I find that my hand have moved to the handle of my weapon. I glance at the others, and Melfina is reading a small note. I can't read it, but I notice the grace of Leona's handwriting. The feel of Hot rage begins to overtake the storm inside. I move to stand next to Aurane, but before I get to him, the crowd silences, and the source of the song appears. Vladimir Goforth, The sheriff of Cherwood, pulls prisoners chained together onto the stage. Some I recognize, locals who I have seen performing harmless little tricks, an alchemist, even a local noble woman. Then, at the very end of the line is Danarei Milos.
Shock Lances through me, replacing the rage, welding me into stillness. As the hooded figure takes her, and guides her to the chopping block, I try to grab Max, or Aurane, but I can't move my arms. She is forced to kneel, and I try push my self to do anything, but I can only look on. No one is moving to do anything, This can't happen. The executioners axe goes up. No. Please, someone do Something. Terror and rage root me to the spot. I can see the executioner's arms raise up just a little more as they tense to bring the axe swiftly down. As the axe comes down, chaos descends upon us.
Smoke explodes from under the stage. As the smoke bombs go off, pandemonium erupts in the crowd, and my body wills itself to grab onto Aurane. Clamping onto his bicep I tell him we have been told not to help, and to go to his shop. Now I have to hope he will lead me to the shop, and let me hold onto him for the duration. I know if I let go I would rush to my probable doom. I feel the heat of cowardice and shame bloom on my face. I should never have left the city. I could have helped, or done something, I left my best friend and my apprentice back there, with hundreds of militia swarming around the area. They don't know how much stronger I am now, what I can do. I Could Have Helped! I'm not sure how hard I held onto his arm, but if he complained about it, I never heard anything. Mental anguish plagues me as the crowd surges away from the stage, carrying us with it. Militia members try to fight against the flow of the crowd, and I shoulder check as many as I can, trying to knock them down in any vain attempt to help.
I don't remember the trip getting back to Aurane's workshop. I just know that suddenly we were standing out side his front door, and I was burning inside. The heat of shame and anger had started to build at some point, and now the toasted feeling was growing. Closer and closer to burning me from the inside, I need to control it. Every time I try to pull myself away, trying to find my place of calm, I see my shop, with Max and Leona with me, and the heat rebounds. I left them, and they could now be gone forever. Smoke was trailing from the corners of my mouth when we entered his shop, and found his assistant Kel not there. Oh gods above, what if she is out there too? Max told me that we needed to be here. I could have at least stayed in the area, or caused another distraction. Instead I ran away.
I look up as the door opens, and Rorin, Marda and Melfina come in. Once in, the door is closed and barred. The noises of chaos outside are dulled, but still linger outside.
“Aurane, Don't let me outside”, I can hear myself say. Visions of myself carving through masses of militia started swirling around in my mind. Fighting my way to a beleaguered Max, saving Dani, keeping Leona safe. I sit behind the assistants desk with my head in my hands allowing the anger to fuel these visions, hoping that some of them may come true. As the time passes I notice the adrenaline wearing off. First my hands, then eventually my whole body is shaking from the strain. I can still feel the blood pounding in my head. The noises from outside have moved away, or died down, and only solitary shouts now rang out.
A small sound came from under my feet. Attention was caught from most of the group instantly. Getting up from the stool Kel would normally sit on, a trap door in the floor starts to open, to reveal Kel, dirty and panting hard. A figure, held up with help from Kel Gaunt and limp is brought into the light. Danarei Milos looks up at us, a weak smile on her lips. More people are behind her as we help them up. Garfield comes up out of the hole, and my heart stops as I see Leona, lightly wounded coming out next.
The crush of emotional weight shifted off me, and as she comes up, I break down, grab her in an embrace, and start weeping on her shoulder. I can feel the large familiar hand of Max squeeze my shoulder, and I know he is there too. The last boulder of guilt tumbles away. Thank you, to whoever is listening, old gods and new, thank you for keeping them alive. Hearing a strained groan from her, I lift up off Leona's shoulder realizing I may be causing her pain. With a quick thought, I can feel the heat leave me, healing her. Before I can turn to help any others Melfina and Aurane is already helping them. Melfina was still praying over Dani, but Aurane has healed everyone else, and was starting to get food and water together for everyone. Dani herself still looked mistreated, as she had be imprisoned for some time, and I can feel that anger rising again.
Max turns to address us, and I find some solace in that calm deep voice of his. “We had been planning this for some time now, and couldn't risk you not knowing the plan. Kel has mapped the sewers extensively while you were gone. We planned to use the passages you found with the connecting ziggurats. Bridgette came to me and offered the help of the undertow, but since she is also under scrutiny, it has been hard. Leona has been questioned several times, but so far there is no evidence of, uh, celestial influence. They still come by every once in a while to pester us at the shop.”
I keep listening, doing my absolute best to calm down while listening to Max. He has helped me through hard times, and right now he needs me functioning. Rorin estate has been locked down, where no one can get in or out, except Garfield. Rorin's betrothed should be fine, as she is part of another court, and it would cause problems between cities should she have been harassed while leaving. When the bard's guild was disbanded, the Sanctum spoke out about it, along with the Temples of Lady Constance and Daja. The Sanctum was obviously going to come under scrutiny for anything they were going to do, despite being their own governing body.
The temples in favor of removing them were of Terrance, and Zits. Some of the council members were mentioned once again, with Lavender Thatcher heading the project to close down the guild. I wonder if the crimson dragons were able to get in with some of the councils aid, or if we could have prevented this. Going out to the Raven's Wood and only partially dealing with that blight doesn't seem like the better alternative now that we are back in town, and that reminds me of something else.
“Uh, Max? Bud. Would we be able to get to the shop?” I awkwardly ask.
“We should wait for nightfall. It will be easier then,” Max replies.
“Oh. Well, I may have forgotten to mention, what with everything going on, that we may just be having a visitor coming in-”
“She's not back in town is she??!” He demands. A mix of worry and dread fills his face and I quickly respond.
“No. Not Her. No, It's justyourdad.” I quickly try to glaze over who it is.
“I'm sorry. Who?” He looks like he wants to eat the front counter of the shop.
“Yeah, uh your father is coming into town. We may have messaged him two weeks ago, and asked him to talk, he wanted to meet, and at that time we had no idea that the city was like this. Then when we heard I was just worried about everyone, and there was the Kraken, and pirates, and I forgot to tell you-”
He cut of my rambling with a single question. “ You invited an Arch Fey to the city?”
“He more just told me to meet him here.” I reply, rather embarrassed that I got so flustered.
Max is taking this just fantastically. For me to spring this on him, at this time, I would have expected more bloodshed. Instead, he goes back to telling us more information, seemingly pretending that our conversation never happened. Just about all the Bards in the city got out the night of the first attack, before we even left the city. But the Witch hunters guild lead by the mysterious character Vandran has been out in full force. Looking for anyone with arcane power that could threaten others, they have also been taking in those accused by witnesses of arcane craft. Great. So a neighbor has an argument with someone, and boom. Acusation of being a Caster. Most of those arrests are being done by the militia, and only Dani and the alchemist were arrested by the Witch hunters.
All of those brought to the stage today were to be killed. But in the same confusion that freed Dani, they seemed to have gotten away as well. That was the plan anyway, and apparently there was help from someone higher in the city. Much higher than I would have expected. Vladimir Goforth. He has been toeing the line, as it is rather common knowledge that he is a lycanthrope. Leading the people up to the stage was supposed to be a test for him.
I keep looking around at the others, feeling that if I don't keep tabs on them they will vanish. Leona still won't look me in the eyes, and I can see that she is rubbing her arms while we talk of Vlad. I now see that she has burns on her arms, like those of when she was cuffed with silver. They had been trying to find out her secret. The heat begins to rise again. A faint wisp of smoke curls out of my mouth as I take a deep breath trying to calm down. Melfina suggests killing all those responsible for this coup attempt, and right now I'm all for it, but Aurane points out that it would be more harmful to the city if we did that than a non violent way. Before she can retort, Melfina get a funny look on her face.
“We will try to get there as soon as possible” she says into the air. Well. That was odd, the only thing I can guess is that she was just the recipient of a magical message from someone. Immediately my suspicions are confirmed when she tells us the Marquis has contacted her, and wants to see her as soon as possible. Some messages are too long to send magically I guess. Maybe it is only one sentence. All I know is that you can respond to some of them.
We start moving around again, making sure Dani is comfortable, getting the ladies ready to leave, and waiting for darkness to fall. Once I know I won't be needed anymore, I pick up my pack, and ask Aurane if I can borrow his upstairs. With a positive answer, I tell Leona that I need to talk to her. Leading her up to the living quarters, I sit her down at the dining table, and look at her.
In a near whisper I ask, “Are you ok?”
Looking rather uncomfortable, she replies,” I've been better.”
“I want to move you out of the city. I found a grove of Lycanthropes outside a small town a few days outside of the city. I don't want to send you away, but I'm not sure I want to live in a city like this anymore.” I feel guilty for even suggesting it, but my first instinct is too keep her safe. “Max's dad is going to be at the shop, and we are going to go get him and tools and come back here for the night.”
“Who is he?” she asks almost timidly. Trying not to make her nervous, I try to prepare her for what is coming without scaring her.
“He is very powerful. Treat him with respect, and call him Sir.” I guess I didn't do so well easing into that explanation. “look, I just wanted to make sure that you are ok. I don't care if the secret is out, as long as you are ok.”
“Hmm.” she ponders. “Am I staying here?”
“Yes. I need you to stay here and protect Kel. She's no fighter like you”
“I dunno,” she jokes,” she has a mean right hook.”
“She must have learned that from Aurane. I'm not sure if I have ever seen that hammer for anything but work. He must be a brawler” I joke. I'm not sure if it helps much.
We head back downstairs, and find that the Melfina and Marda have left, Kel guiding them for a short time through the tunnels. As we wait for darkness to fall, I try to think of what to do. I need to get the tools and finished products to a safe place, and find a way to keep Leona safe. Smallville would be a good place for her, what with they other Lycans there. She could even help support them if it comes to that. But where can I keep things safe, and still have access to them. And Once this is all over, do I bring her back? Is it wrong to even try to send her in the first place? I don't want to send her off, that seems just wrong. She did complete her part of the plan well enough to not get caught, not that I have any idea what even happened at that stage. Well, first thing is to get things safe. Then I can ask her, see what she wants to do. Too much has changed since I left.
I tell her she can come with us if she wants. She is going to come as is everyone else here. I tell Aurane that once we get to the shop, stay inside unless fighting starts. I don't want people to see him there, as he is still not on any watch lists. Rorin and Garfield are to hide in the shadows, stay across the street from the shop, and engage if we do. The idea is to have Max, Leona and I be the anvil, and Rorin and Garfield be the hammer. I guess with that analogy, Aurane would be the tongs, grabbing anyone trying to leave. I also told them I would do the talking if it was needed.
As we step outside, my hopes of keeping Aurane's association of us less obvious was nearly instantaneously destroyed. Town guards were everywhere. In pairs or patrols, it seemed like they were every forty feet. If we did get into a fight it would not end well. I was still infuriated that these bastards we trusted with our safety were causing more trouble than they were stopping. As we walked down the middle of the street, none of them approached us. I'm not sure why, but this just seemed to make me angrier. I wanted these cowards to pick a fight with me. They can pick on everyone else in the city, why not me? I wouldn't mind giving out some of this burning heat that has been built up. Those crimson dragons don't know how hot a dragon's fire can really be. The short walk comes to a halt as we round the corner, and come within view of the shop. Flickers of light come out of the windows of the shop. Some one must be in there now. If those bastards were rooting around in MY shop looking for something, even if the one and only Vandran shows up, someone is going to feel my anger. This is too perfect. I march right up to my door, an open it.
A challenging yawp died instantly in my throat. I straighten my back, and find myself staring at the back wall of the shop, standing stark still. “Good evening Sir!”
“And where is my other son?” The silky, slightly accented voice of Charles Korbin asks of me.
“ He should be in soon Sir!”
A Max comes in behind me, I can Feel his presence shrink being in the same room as his father. In all my anger, and frustration, I had once again forgotten that he was coming to town. On the other hand, I was now way too busy to be mad anymore.
Charles Korbin sat at our table, glass in hand of what looked to be some of our stronger alcohol. The stuff we could use to forget troubles, or etch steel. Sitting in an unbuttoned brown vest, much like mine, with a white tunic underneath, sleeves rolled up and neck partially untied, A simple belt kept the tunic from being untidy, and brown trousers down to knee high, supple leather boots. A long calf length coat and full brimmed hat lay on separate pegs behind him on the wall. He sat in a casual way, almost like a village elder watching over a town festival. White hair, loosely shaggy, is slicked backed with a slight widow's peak. He still had the same olive complexion from the last time I had seen him, and his slim, wiry build. He showed very few wrinkles, most of them laugh lines, around his eyes. The only weapon visible on him was a simple dagger on the belt. He needed no other weapons.
“Why are they trying to kill people on a stage?” he asks in that simple voice. As if asking when the next shipment of metal stock was to come in.
“I apologize Sir, I didn't realize that martial law was in effect, and there were quite a few distractions since then, and I forgot to have my associate message you back.” I know he will be furious at my pathetic excuses, but before he can say anything more Aurane and Leona come in.
“Oh this must be your apprentice that I have heard so much about! Charmed my dear! And this is-?” gesturing for Aurane.
“Aurane Velaryon, sir,”offers Aurane.
“It was our associate Melfina that contacted you Sir.” I try to steer the conversation away, hoping to get about the business we are supposed to be taking care of. With no way to talk with Rorin, I don't want him to have to wait too long. “She and another friend are dealing with another matter at the moment, and they currently have-your-old-bag-and-journals not to mention an old carpet Sir.” I tried to get it out quickly and nonchalantly. “We actually came here to collect up all the tools and goods to move them to a safe place-”
“No.” It wasn't so much an interruption as a finality. He got up and started rummaging through the cupboards “I have made stew, and we will eat before working. No one will bother us. Come. Help set the table.” With a quick flick oh his hand all the lamps were lit, even the forge had a comforting glow coming from the hearth. Not that it had any coal in it. There was nothing I could do about it, so I went over, and we quickly sat down to eat.
Thick beef chunks swam in barley and broth, carrots and potatoes were cut up and mixed with herbs to make some of the best food I had ever smelled, and I was reminded that I hadn't eaten anything all day but a small crust of bread with the others after their rescue. Taking a spoonful into my mouth, the meat just melted apart, and I could tell it had been cooked perfectly. Which normally took hours. That was a rather worrisome thought. When was the last time Max had been home?
When he was happy that we all had stew, he proceeded with asking, ”So what is this about my Journals and an old carpet?”
I tried to begin, “ah yes well we found-”
“I was asking young Aurane here son. Eat your food.” My snout clicked shut audibly, and if possible my back went even straighter, causing some difficulties whilst eating soup.
With a quick glance at me, Aurane started to explain everything that happened in the raven's wood, with finding the plague going on there and fighting our way in, to the great area that we fought in, with all the undead creatures. Ending with us finding his old journals and the contents of the haversack. It really does sound like some silly story told to kids.
Our prestigious guest takes note of the Stone. “Oh, so you found some of the items in the bag huh?” he asks.
Aurane replies in the affirmative, ”Yeah, you mean like that stone that tingles? What would that be used for anyway?”
A wicked grin spreads on the Elven face. “That stone can be used for a variety of things. If you use it with just the right person at a party, it can really get things going. In fact I-”
Without moving my head, I shared a panicked look with Max. “Please Sir!” I cried, “We would like to know of the crystal you found in the shadowfell.” There were some people I did not want to know the uses of a tingling stone from, and most of them were in this room.
“Oh yes, I came across that crystal in the shadow realm. It is a corrosion stone. I found it after falling prey to a shadow dragon.” He skips over fighting off a dragon of any kind like it was just waking up for worship day. “It gave off an odd spore like effect, and I would guess that if it were to get a host, the whole thing would evolve, and become more powerful.”
“Well you seem to be correct in that case.” My voice starts getting a bit higher. “In fact, we seem to have killed someone who was keeping your bag, and the blight caused by the crystal didn't go away, then when we tried to do some research on said body, it got teleported back here, and now the crystal and the boday-are-at-the-sanctum-where-the-others-are-trying-to-go.” The whole thing came out a a rush of words. I suddenly wanted to get this all done as fast as possible, and go home. But I was home. Oh Boy.
“Are you saying that the crystal is now here? In this city full of people?” The fine elven eyebrows went up as he spoke, and he didn't sound too terribly pleased. Not wanting this Man to get angry, I quickly explain.
“Uh, yes Sir. You see, while examining it, there was a magical teleportation to avoid dangerous magics from escaping, and the body with the shard still in it was teleported directly to a place inside the sanctum that is supposed to keep it safe. I'm not really sure how it happened, but it is still in the body of an elvish woman. When we fought her she was trying to take over the forest with undead, mostly woodland creatures, and a Rakshasa.”
Looking to our guest, his features had turned to contemplation. “That sounds like it was Tarathiel Heiwenys. She was looking to change pollination patterns with bees, and forest reclamation projects. The Rakshasa is a bit worrisome, you didn't destroy it did you?”
Aurane and I look at each other, a bit of concern on his face. Aurane replies, “One of the ladies that went to the Sanctum did actually kill the Rakshasa. Is that a problem?”
Leaning back from the table, our Elder explains, “Well, Rakshasas can't really die on this plane. They will go back to their home plane and regenerate over time. You must be careful, as they are known to come back for those who have wronged it. And they can can change their shape to look like other things.”
Wanting to get things moving I try to change the topic. “Melfina has not said anything the Rakshasa after it apparently died, But time is somewhat important here Sir, can we start packing now?” With an affirmative nod, we all get up from the table. I gather the dishes up before anyone else can and start giving orders. Leona and Max are to get their proper armor on, then start packing. Leona is to get the personal items, then start in on the tools. She knows what tools we like the most, and what can be remade if need be. Max is to get all of his best weapons together, and bundle them for storage and easy carry. I ask Aurane if he could carry one of the anvils. With one at just over 120 pounds, we can still work. Most of the other tools, like the grinding wheels and quenching oils will be a bit harder to replace, but really just be an inconvenience. After I quickly do the dishes, I move on to what Armor projects we still have, and what is worth taking.
I hate this. I don't want to leave anything behind, but I don't have the guarantee that our shop won't be ransacked while we aren't here. It doesn't really seem safe for us to stay here anymore, and I Don't want anything to happen to Max or Leona. I'm not actually sure what I want to do. If we stay here at the shop, anyone wishing us ill will is going to know exactly where we are. If we leave, we can't take everything with us, and Once again I will be leaving my work, My Life, to those who may use it for wicked purposes.
My frustration and anger rises as the time passes. I am also aware that we have been in here for some time, and not only did we leave Rorin and Garfield out there, but also every single militia guard we passed could have spread the word. We could leave the shop and a whole patrol could be out there. At this point, I almost want that. These damn bastards are driving me out of my own home. A place that has kept me safe all this time. A place where I can find solace. A place I can beat the rage and terror out of my system. And I don't know if it will be safe st any point after we leave. I don't know if I will be.
The slow burning rage that had been tamped down over and over again today is replaced by something else in my head. A cooled hardness in my mind. I want to have people waiting for us out side. They should know the power I posses. This group calling themselves the crimson dragons know nothing of the Fires of dragons. The heat of the Legend. Why Myths should never be meddled with. In my current state I can't read Max's expression. As we shoulder the last of the packs, I get a voice in my head.
“Druss,” Melfina's voice comes in clear, like she is right next to me. “You are under scrutiny, and there are people looking for you. It is more dangerous than we thought.”
I can feel a slightly manic grin come to my face, and I hear myself respond. “Prefect” A small part of me wants to stay here, bar the doors, and just sit here with those I care about. But the part in control isn't interested in that. Looking to make sure everyone is ready, I head for the door and let everyone know, “We are going to the temple of Daja. We can store everything there, and even ship it out if we need to get out of the city. Everything should be safe there. Let me do all the talking if we are stopped.”
There are people waiting for us, but only two. We were able to leave the shop, lock it behind us, and get a couple houses down the block before we saw them. I set a purposeful pace with Max and Leona flanking me, Aurane and Mr Korbin behind them, and Rorin and Garfield hopefully following us in the shadows. Then the two Militia men, who were standing under the porch of a nearby store front, come out to meet us in the street. A sergeant and his partner come up and ask us what we are doing. I explain that we are heading to the temple of Daja, and I hold out my hand as if wanting to shake his hand. With a glance, I can see that he has no intention of taking my hand, thus keeping his sword arm free. Damn. Not one of these new guys. I try to scan and look for the dragon tattoo's they all show off so proudly, but I see none on him. Either he hides it, or he is putting up with the new militia members.
Telling us that he will escort us to the Temple, the two militia take up flanking positions, one to either side. As we start off, there is a clatter from the alley, metal grating on stone. Taking note of the noise, they decide to stay with us rather than go investigate something that was probably just a stray knocking something over. As we walk, I start talking to the sergeant, but more of a rambling conversation. I'm not sure why, but I start talking to him about my time in the army, but not any of the good times. I start talking about the massacred villages that I have seen, the horrific battles, and nightmarish hunts. Searching for monsters and creatures that could kill with a look. Bounties for people who had no qualms about sacrificing innocents for twisted purposes. I'm not sure what effect these are having on anyone around, let alone the guards. I'm not telling anyone at this point, just letting it come out. All of those stories are the reason I make armor now. Not weapons. To protect people from the world. And all of that is coming crashing down.
I stop talking when we get to the temple gate. It is shut at this late hour, but easily opened as the temple guards know who we are. I go to shake hands with the sergeant, but again, he doesn't take my hand. Probably a good thing. I had envisioned locking my hand to his, and slowly beating him to a pulp. That thought alone left a rancid feeling in my mind. Part of me recoiled from it, and something in me held onto it nurturing it.
We got inside the gates of the temple, and asked after one of the priests who could help us with storage. While we wait, Rorin drops in from over the wall of the courtyard. I apologize to him for not filling him in on everything, and again tell everyone that we are going to store things here. It should be safe in the temple, and any crafter here would want to protect the goods produced.
A priest eventually meets with us in the courtyard, and I apologize that we are here so late. Explaining what I intend, we are given a small nook to use for storage, and bidding us a good night, the priest takes us back the courtyard. We all decide that Aurane should leave without us, so if anyone is watching he won't be seen with us anymore. Rorin can walk out the front door, as he is a known worshiper of Daja, and it would make things easier for him instead of more sneaking. We see Aurane out, and make sure he isn't stopped by anyone. The two militia that took us here tail him out, but in a way that shows they are just looking out for him. While we wait for ten minutes, giving him a clear start, I can feel the anger building up again. Being made to hide, and be secretive. My family had to risk it's life to save a friend. This should never have been something even Considered, not to mention allowed. I looked to Max. His great long mace, staff as long as he was tall, with a massive metal head on the end. It could break through a stone wall, let alone any man. And Leona. Her shield carried on her back was a massive disc, large enough to cover her entire body. Metal rimmed wood, it could deflect most weapons, but the small notches around the metal were the special part. They could support her spear, and she could defend herself and strike out with her spear at the same time. I know she can use the spear like a quarter staff too, as I had seen Garfield teaching her.
I could feel the fight I wanted. We gave Aurane enough time, and I wanted a whole patrol to be out there waiting for us. Another reason I had been so blatant coming here was to try and get those crimson dragon bastards to pick a fight with us. I wanted, no, needed that fight. I turned to the rest of the group and told them. “If we fight, end it quick. If they have dragon tattoos, finish them off. If they are regular guard, incapacitate, but do not kill.” I just wanted to teach those murdering bullies a lesson. Not anyone else. As we opened the gate, a quiet thought finally fought it's way through. Is this wrong? There should be another way besides fighting. But with my hand already behind me, reaching for my axe, I walked through the gate. Once again on this night, I walked through a door expecting one thing, and found something completely different on the other side of the door.
No patrols of guards waited for us on the other side, nor were there even any militia in sight. There were two armored figures standing there in the middle of the street, but neither were holding weapons. I didn't recognize the small figure standing slightly behind and to the side, but I certainly knew the one standing in the middle of the street. I knew the armor he carried, and the arsenal he wore. Max and I had made all of it.
Sheriff Goforth stood there in full plate armor, with his arms crossed. The armor had been designed by Max and I to expand if Vlad ever decided to transform into his alternate form, but so far I have never seen the special allowances used. We had actually designed Leona's armor after Vlad's, not that she has used that feature either. Goforth had his massive great sword on his back, along with his equally heavy Tower shield. The shield was an absolute bastion of defense. It was hard for me to carry, but he handled it like it was paper. The standard long sword of the sheriff's station was at his hip, the one thing he wore that came with his office.
The torrent of emotions that had been coursing through me all clashed together at once into anger, then fear and shame. Relief flooded into me. And defeat. I stood there in a maelstrom of incoherent thought feeling almost drunk as all that pent up energy was just torn away from me, and I nearly deflated on the spot. I knew the man in front of us well, and with no weapons drawn, he didn't anticipate a fight. Something to be glad of. I had fought him a few times in the training yard. He knew how to end fights.
Goforth opened his mouth and called out to us. “Good evening Druss. Max. How are you tonight?”
Seeing that I am unable to say anything for a time, Max greeted him back like they hadn't seen each other for a few days. It was obvious that Vlad wanted to us just be calm. I could see in the way that he and Max talked he just wanted to guide us where we were going. His job was the military face to the public, and he was just trying to do that now. Noticing his companion, a gnomish woman, I ask about her. Introducing my self, she tells me her name is Deputy Shandrah Tallow. With hair color of dirty straw, and slightly tanned skin, covered in freckles she stands about mid thigh of Vlad. A breast plate upon her chest, and a belt festooned with pouches over that, it gives the impression that she is deceptively stout. A gnomish short sword on her left hip, what would be a long knife for me, is balanced by a strange device on her right hip.
Resting inside a leather sheath, it looks like a strange enclosed crossbow. Six tubes sit on a grip, and a trigger underneath the whole thing. But she carries not extra arrows, nor is there any bow string. On asking to examine it, she pulls it out, and I can see that the tubes are in fact open at one end, but again there is no evidence of arrows. She explains that she was with the tinkers guild before being recruited by the sheriff. Twirling the strange weapon, she puts it back into the sheath in a very practiced motion. I ask her if she knows Holden Cockswell, and after talking of the guild for a short time, the conversation dies down.
Asking us where we are going, Vlad tells us he will take Rorin Home afterwards. I tell him that we are going to the temple of Pudge, and he doesn't ask why. Which is good, because I don't really have a good reason. That is simply the closest entry to the underground catacombs, which would allow us to get back to Aurane's. He may have been able to deduce that himself, or simply just wanted us to allow him to come with us, but it didn't matter. As long as we are peaceful about the whole thing. I think he wanted to make sure death wasn't the main event of the night.
As Vlad drops us off at the temple to Pudge, we part ways, and Rorin is guided back to his home. I know that if Rorin gets in trouble he can just vanish into the night, and no one will find him if he so desired. Waiting a few minutes, I take the group to the entrance of the underground ziggurat, and we make our way back through the tunnels. Not sure how the Ladies journey went, I only know that they were safe a couple hours ago, when Melfina sent me the message. Not sure how they will react with Mr Korbin, I prepare myself for that. Sleeping at Aurane's won't be a problem. I still have the blanket. I briefly wonder what would happen if Max set it up. What we would see in there. Only one way to find out I guess.
Chapter 25 Pirates!?!? Great Balls Of Fire!
My hopes that this voyage were going to be better than the last one were on the rise as I examined the meager crew of the ship. I didn't see anyone I recognized at all, and the civility of the crew was outstanding. I didn't have to worry about Aurane, as he had given me his word that he would behave. Honestly, I don't think he would have started trouble, as he knew what was at stake back in Cherwood.
Wed met the whole crew pretty quickly. There is the Elvish Captain, Velma Starmore. The Boatswain is a fire genasi names Ember, the halfling quarter master Margo Merwell, and the cook, a banjo playing sea elf by the name of Echo Southsea, make up the rest of the crew. A single Firbolg, Garleth Mossmoon, seems to know the whole crew already, but is not part of it herself. I”m not sure what role she plays, but she seems to be preparing herself for something.
As the first day of the voyage comes to a close, Fog starts to roll in from off the nearby coast. Some of the crew are giving us sidelong glances, and after a short time into the evening, they ask us all to go below decks. It seems they want to tell us more, but we all agree to go below, and not come up until we are called up. I ask if it would be OK to visit Mittens at this time, and they replied it was.
As I visit with Mittens I feel like the ship suddenly starts moving faster. I stay with Mittens to keep him from being too upset, but I am curious as to what is happening. And It seems to be helping me too. I had noticed that I seemed to be getting more and more irritable recently. Snapping at people, and really just wanting to solve more problems with my ax. I have been like this before, and it wasn't a good place. While patting down the mount, I feel the ship try to throw me to my left as it changes direction.
I do my level best trying to keep my snout out of other peoples business. Alone as I was, I went over all the new tricks I have been granted by Daja. I still feel odd that she would have picked me for anything. I wonder how Aurane felt when his god picked him. I guess I will have to ask him what he can do. I wonder if he can see in the dark like I can, although now that I think about it, he's never mentioned it when we were on watch together. Maybe it only works in the city? He does seem to perk up when we are closer to a more organized way of living. Now that I think about it, some of my abilities are very different from what I learned in my younger years. Those spells I learned from the druids and Rangers in the army require me to harness the very essence of the world around me to heal others or speed myself up. Now it feels like the inherent powers come from both within myself, and from a higher nature. Every time I can fire those blasts from my arm, I feel a sensation from the brand on my upper chest. Almost like the heat from my forge is flowing out of me through my arm, but it doesn't burn me. IT feels that way for most of my spells too, to one degree or another. I wonder what will happen if I need to summon the tool I saw.
Sitting here for as long as I have, I must have dozed off, or just been day dreaming, when a loud Thunk cut through the silence. Like an object hitting the side of a wooden wall. Or in this case, the hull of a boat. Wondering what is happening, and what the others are doing, I tell Mittens that I am going to go to our set of cabins. As I leave the area we are keeping the mounts, I can hear yelling above, and quickly move to the cabins to make sure everyone there is OK. As I open the door, I find everyone there engrossed in a myriad of tasks. Rorin for one is re reading the book on rocks, and I'm not sure if he is trying to memorize the information, or simply missing dry land. As it has only been a day, I'm going to guess at the information aspect.
I can still hear the yelling from above before I close the door, and the others look as if they are hearing it as well. Not sure what we want to do, we quickly discuss what our options are. We told the crew that we would wait for them to come get us. But we also don't want to just sit here doing nothing, so we decide to prepare ourselves in case the fighting comes to lower levels. Another option comes to us that we can send the wraith up to see what's going on, and we send it out. While I don't doubt the ability of the crew, I know I could be at least some help in a fight, and prepare myself to repel attackers. Then Melfina gets an odd look in her eye, and I know there is a hitch.
As it turns out, there is another ship up next to us, and there is fighting happening, but it's not what we are thinking. Our whole crew is over on the Other ship, attacking the crew of a much nicer vessel. The cook casts some sort of spell and most of the other crew fall to the deck, unconscious. It seems like they are asleep. Well. This is just great. While most of the others don't even want to bring this up, Aurane isn't very happy with it. Neither am I. I spent a good part of my better years Fighting bandits and roving hordes of monsters. Sometimes it was the small town bandits that had grown to big for the guard to take care of. When you brought the prisoners back into town you could see the mothers crying over sons or daughters who would never be free to run in the town green again. Instead of growing old with grand kids, those mothers would have to watch their kids be hanged for theft and murder. Those were the worst. I almost preferred packs of gnolls to hunting down bandits.
Now that I think about it, we seem to be more monstrous than the things we can monsters sometimes.
As we debate as to what we want the group to do about this, the fighting stops. I want to bring this up with the captain. We did pay a good amount to get to town quickly, and the ship going off and hunting down others isn't really the quickest way to get there. The Rest of the group doesn't want any trouble, so I will stay quiet for now.
Soon after we made our decision, Garleth came down and told us we could all come up above again. It was late enough in the evening at that point that most of us, including myself, just decided to call it a day and go to sleep. Just like the last one, the voyage started well enough, and looks to be going downhill. Maybe the morning will be different.
The next day brought a storm that would chase us for the better part of the day, then finally catch up with us. We tried sailing out of the way of it to no avail, When the storm caught us, it was possibly one of the most brutal shows of nature's raw power I have seen in a while. I wanted to stay on deck in case my strength was needed in an emergency, but I didn't expect the ferocity of the storm that would keep me holding on for dear life. I see the crew helping my compatriots as wave after wave crashed into the ship, Melfina and Rorin having problems. I try to move from my spot, but time it poorly and a Crash of water hits the other side of the ship, knocking me around. I try to grab onto the side of the ship, but I am swept overboard. Well, I hadn't wanted to use it now, but it beats drowning. As the ship rocks from the waves, I see the deck where I had been standing moments before. I utter a single word. Krok.
The heat pulses out of the brand on my chest, and I feel it consume me, just as my feet hit the deck of the ship. A cloud of embers and soot fall away from me, quickly swept away in the wind and rain of the storm. Standing there awkwardly, it was a very odd sensation to teleport from one place to another, and it was so quick. To properly describe it, I would have to be thinking about it as I do it, almost as a test. I quickly grab onto the ship, and hold on for dear life until the storm passes. Not sure who noticed my quick step from one location to another, the rest of the day passes uneventful, and with no explanation of what the crew is planning for the rest of the voyage.
The next day I decided I never wanted to be on a boat again. Just as we were starting to make headway again, we were asked to go below again. With no explanation, or reason, just simply to go below. Simply wishing to voice my displeasure, I pull the ax off my back, and set it blade down on the deck, so my claws rest on the end of the handle. The very symbol of the point I was trying to make. A stubborn stance yes, but not a threatening one. Opening my mouth to state my case, I suddenly find my getting very drowsy. The next moment, my hands are trussed behind my back, and I am laying on my stomach. Apparently the crew didn't approve of my stance, and just used magic to put me to sleep. But they didn't block my mouth. Once more, with the simple word of “Krok”, I moved myself. Just like that bastard we had to chase down before, I left my bonds behind me as my body was moved. The embers and soot, much more impressive with no rain to wash it away. Well. So much for trying to just talk. Taking a quick look around, I spot Rorin dragging my ax, ready to go down to our cabin. Without another word, I leave him to carry it and turn to go down myself. Melfina is carrying Aurane down, who seems to have also been rendered unconscious. Time to spend more days cooped up inside a ship with nothing to do. What could go wrong.
As the rest of the group joins me in the cabin, Rorin sets my ax in a corner and Melfina and Marda deposit Aurane on the floor. He is still out cold, Marda and Rorin commenting on how the little Halfling had jumped on him with a rag of some sort. Rorin was sounding curious as to what it may have been, and started muttering to himself, as if trying to work out what it was. Like the last time, we spend several hours in the cabin, the Garleth comes to let us out.
I had spent some time trying to figure out what to say to the captain, or the crew. I needed that time because I wanted the conversation to go well, but as soon as I left the cabin, most of the words I had come up with left my mind. I approached her up on the back of the ship and steeling myself for a scathing reply attempted to apologize for my conduct. I wanted to explain the reason for my actions, but before I could I was cut off.
“Living in the city must really change someone's attitude towards the rest of the world.”
“I am just a blacksmith who would like to be at his work, but things have pulled me away from said work.” I replied.
“Normal blacksmiths don't have the kind of powers you have shown off on my ship,” she counters, turning to me fully.
“What do you mean? I have just been granted divine powers, like our clerics. It's not different is it?” I ask, somewhat confused.”
“That power you are using is not a power clerics normally have. As if you were something different.”
Oh. Crap. I quickly dismiss myself from the captain, and go back to the cabin. Have I become one of those casters that is hunted down for their wicked deeds? My powers are divine in nature, and none of the others have said anything. Maybe I'm just a different kind of cleric than the others. Aurane and Melfina have different abilities. Maybe mine are just different too. Well, everyone on the ship knows already, if I need to use them I will, if just to keep my friends safe. But I may have to be more careful in towns. If I make it there. If the crew doesn't try to deal with me. I guess I will try to play nice with them and try to just keep out of the way. I just want to get back to my shop.
A few days after that truly wonderful experience, I was trying to stay as invisible as possible on the deck. Simply keeping watch over the rail of the ship. An odd shape, somewhat familiar appeared over the horizon of the water. A bird with some sort of small fish clutched in it's talons. As the bird grew closer, it also grew in size, and it soon became apparent that the bird was yet another Roc, with some sort of giant tusked fish in it's grasp. This wouldn't have been a major problem, but for the fact the the monstrous bird couldn't get any altitude. As it was flying, it would impact with the side of the ship if everyone involved kept going straight. These ships also don't just stop, but may float in the same direction for a bit. Either way, it looked like we were going to have to kill it, or scare it off, if that was even possible.
The rest of the group had picked up that Garleth was the expert on the giant ballistas that occupied the front and back of the ship. As Marda and Melfina went over what she could do with said ballistas, Aurane and I tried to figure out what We could do. I had the blasts I could throw from my arm, and Aurane could throw a lightning bolt about the same distance. We all decided we would strike at the same time, Marda firing the rear ballista, and Garleth on the front. One hundred fifty feet was the chosen firing range. As the Roc drew closer and closer, the memories of the first fight with one came back. I had thought then that it was going to just take one of us and fly away. Now I wondered how heavy one was, if it could simply fly through the ship.
At one hundred fifty feet, Aurane and I loose our spells, and the air reverberates with a heavy Thwang as the bolts are loosed from the giant bows. Our spells hit for the most part, but they do seemingly nothing. The Bolt from the front of the ship split open, and a net which would probably be used to tangle rigging or oars of ships hits the massive bird, partially wrapping the bird up in thick heavy cables. Marda's Bolt was slower, and it hit a glancing blow, wounding the floundering creature. As the ship glides by, we do feel a bit sad Such a majestic creature normally, if it had just gone to one side or the other, there wouldn't have been a problem. The ship now past it, the net breaks, a ghostly claw shredding the thick cabling of the net. The wraith did something after all.
After the Roc attack, we pull into port at the small town of Belladona Grove. The town could be described as a backwater village, with a single general store that is also the inn and pub. Not many other buildings stand above the swamp water, with most of the inhabitants being sea elves, but what buildings there are stand on long spindly stilts. Aurane and Rorin stay on board, as the Ladies go out to see what they can find. I stay on board, with mittens. I'm slightly worried that if I leave the boat here, they may not let me back on for the rest of the voyage back.
As I lay dozing against the vibrating side of Mittens, I hear a slight ruckus coming from the deck above. I go up to find that Melfina and Marda have come back from the outpost, and they are somewhat distraught. They ask for a few moments of time alone, before they talk to us. A thudding noise comes form their cabin as they bang on the wall to get our attention. Cramming us all into the small box, we learn what has them so bothered.
Cherwood is under Martial law. The temple of Zits has finally reached the point where it wants to take over the city as the prime temple. Cherwood of course had never had a prime temple, all the various houses of worship had existed together without a dominant one, and that had made what the city is now. The worshipers of Zits however, with the god of war behind them,had decided that Zits should be in power here, and had made a move. Several council members have also come forward to claim credit for this. The heads of the accounting, parks, and tinkers guild have aided in the upheaval in the city. Magic users are being taken away, and the sanctum are trying to save those it can. Opposition is happening, and the Ashforge estate is somehow involved in it. Melfina, biting her thumb to draw blood across her lips, uses her magic to talk to someone once again. It must be someone in the Sanctum who she had talked to before, who tells us that the followers of the new gods are mostly OK to come back into the city, which includes all of us.
With that news out of the way, Melfina looks a little bothered by something, and eventually asks us if she can borrow some of the party funds. An item was found in the general store, but it will cost most of the funds we have to get. We all agree, Rorin and Melfina making a deal between them, and she quickly goes to get whatever it is she wanted. When she comes back, a parcel under her arms seems to be slightly seeping with blood. I guess we will find out later.
As we progress through the next couple of days, we find ourselves coming up along side some sort of strange island. I can hardly see under the water but some sort of strange vessel seems to have sunken under the water, long enough ago to have grown full trees on the top. As the crew of the ship decides to stop and take a look, I guess we are going to do the same. I don't know the slightest thing about boats.
Taking a row boat over, we climb onto the top of the ship. With the help of the wraith we find that a part of the ship has been sealed away which contained a few interesting baubles. Not really wanting to get into the water myself, for fear of sinking and or damaging my arm, I wait up above as the group bubbles their way trying to get into this area. A circular room, just below the deck has apparently been warded and sealed off well enough that nothing can get into it. Aurane is able to remove the ward, but an actual entrance hasn't been found yet. After over a week at sea, nothing going right, and not being able to actually work on anything, I may have been a little frustrated. Walking up to the spot above the chamber, I look around and take out the piece of coal I had purchased. Blowing a little soot off the top, I add some of my own spark to it and light the dust on fire. As a small puff of fire blossoms into existence in front of my face, I breathe a bit more into it, slowly building it bigger. Soon enough a giant sphere, five feet across floats above the ground, and the chamber. Pushing it down with my power, it sizzles and burns off the growth on the ship, down to the material of the old ship itself. Again, I blow out soot, light it, and with a second sphere, I burn away the remaining ship until I hit water, instantly boiling it before I let go of the spell. A wave of exhaustion goes over me, as I have never tried something so hard before.
With the chamber open, Platinum coins gleam in the sunlight, a full suit of Platemail rests majestically in the water, untouched by the heat or the corrosive salt. A chest rests next to the armor, and a small stand contains papers long turned to sludge. With Rorin and Marda in the water after it cools, we start getting all the items up. A morningstar is buried in the pile of coins, and we set that aside. It too is untouched by time or water. As Marda brings the armor up, she starts putting it on immediately for some reason. The armor, when on the stand, looked to have been made for someone just short of myself, yet when Marda gets it on, it is her size. Curious. Getting the chest out of the water, it is rather heavy to get out and we have a bit of trouble. While it is nice armor, I don't think Marda should really keep it on right now, and she starts acting a little odd. Others are noticing too, and Rorin tries to remove one of the gauntlets, and gets a magical shock from it as a reward. Acting quickly, Aurane casts a spell, saying there is a curse on the armor. Marda, no longer wanting to wear the armor, needs help getting it off, and anywhere the armor or straps had touched her, acid burns have appeared on her skin. With all the stuff out of the chamber, we look at what we have found, and Aurane casts some more spells seemingly to himself. The morningstar is indeed magical, along with a spell scroll and a couple of books, one of which was in the chest. The suit of armor was cursed, and the platinum pieces were sadly copper pieces that were magically disguised as platinum. The book we found in the chest has a humanoid with arms both spread up and out, and also straight out. Same with the legs. Spread and straight down.
Not sure what to do with most of what we found, we head back to the ship, and decide that we are going to have to discuss what magical items we have, just to make sure none of the rest are possessed. Hopefully we will get all that sorted out, and get back to Cherwood to see what we can salvage.
Chapter 24 And For My Next Trick....
After the vision of the armor shop, I managed to get back to sleep only to have visions of a more terrifying nature. Screams of innocent lives in burning towns haunted me, ending in the deaths of the children. Those same haunting images that occupy my dreams continue to plague me, with fresh gore supplied by the earlier carnage. It seems blunted somehow, but the pain is still there, enough to wake me up. Luckily I was able to get back to sleep. I guess the rest of the party was not that lucky.
We woke in the morning, Body still there, but some of the others seemed to have a rougher night than I. Aurane, for one, is dragging his heels. Nightmares were had all around, and I guess the frequency of mine allowed me to get a normal nights rest. Not a great thought, but at least I can function normally.
When we finally did get back in to town we knew we were going to need a place to keep the body secure while we tried to figure out what to do with it. We all agreed that the best place for it was going to be the outpost for the Sanctum here in town. But if we were going to bring something this big into town, we should let the Clerics and the Mayor know. Melfina and Marda are going to head over to the outpost to get started on research, the rest of us will go over to check on the mounts, and let the officials know.
Meeting with High priest Impartial and Mayor Morston we explain that we have found the source of the blight slowly claiming the land. The problem is that with the death of the culprit, it did not solve the problem, and further investigations are needed. With the desire to quarantine any possible spread, the rest of the party has taken the body of the individual to the Sanctum outpost. Telling both Impartial and the Mayor about the shard, and that we don't know what it is, or how it works, they both agree that, while they would have liked to study it themselves, taking proper safety precautions are probably for the best. They wish us luck, and we head over to the sanctum. On the way, I stop to get some coal from the local smithy for a little project I may need.
As Rorin, Aurane and I walk up to the Outpost, there doesn't really appear to be anyone here. About to knock on the door, we hear some laughter coming from behind the building. Wandering around, we find Lenny Pots, local Sanctum official, sitting in the yard, looking at a small shack a ways from the outpost building and chuckling to himself. The shack in question looked rather ramshackle, with a single door, no windows, and there wasn't anything overly impressive about it what so ever. Except for the single fact that it was emanating a brilliant glow that died out as we came fully around the corner. The three of us share a look, and the unspoken, “do we want to know”?
Aurane apparently didn't read the look properly, as he promptly asked Lenny exactly that. Lenny helpfully tells us that the shack is responding to the magic inside, and that both Melfina and Marda are inside. I, having absolutely no wish to get closer to the possible horrible magic that could be emanating from a incredibly deadly body, not to mention the corpse, decide to stay out here with Lenny. Aurane, back to his old self, walks up to the now still shack and knocks on the door. Loudly.
As the door opens, diminutive Marda appears. In her hands she carries a couple books, and a bottle of Wine in a very, distinct, bottle. I'm not sure what it is about humans that have the need to show off certain parts of their bodies, but I doubt that bottle was molded from any actual man living. The books she has seem to be a book in probably Dwarvish, and there was a smaller book, almost like a pocket journal filled with scribblings and shorthand. Not being able to make heads or tails of the writing, Aurane and I set our heads together, and both cast spells to understand any language. While we had to take time to cast the spell, Rorin just had to open his book.
The book in dwarvish was a book on Geology, with various examples of rocks and what letter they start with. Seems like a book for those in very early stages of learning dwarvish. Or learning anything for that matter. The smaller book was first hand accounts of time spent in something called the shadowfell. Judging from the way the writer speaks, and the previous journal we had found, the author of these stories must have also been Mr Corbin. Right about now I have some questions for him.
Besides the fact I am not entirely sure where he is, I would also never want to waste his time. Possibly the one being I respect most in this world, I have seen him angry only once, and I thank every deity there will ever be that it wasn't directed at me. He also helped Max and I finance our shop, and stood in as a father figure when Mine stopped talking to me. IF I could think of a way to talk to him quickly, I will have to take the chance. But it must be delivered delicately.
Before I can think of any way to do so, Melfina comes briskly out of the shack. Storming out of it would be too aggressive, but it was a near thing. Without saying a word, she swiftly moved into the outpost building, a determined look on her face, Spike looking like, well spike. Not wanting to disrupt her, I keep reading the stories with Aurane who tells me that Shadowfell is a theorized world, where quite a lot of unpleasantness happens. Mostly death, decay and rot. I'm not really sure why we would need a whole other world of that, there seems to be enough of that just inside yonder forest. Sounds like a good fire would solve some of this Shadowfells problems.
A commotion inside brings our heads up out of the books, and Melfina comes running out of the outpost. Something is wrong, and as we follow the direction she is heading, we see what. The shack is starting to glow bright pink. Melfina rushes in, and as we ask Lenny what is going on, pure bedlam ensues. We make out that the shack is going into a safe mode of some sort, whatever that is. We are all on our feet as Melfina is backing out of the shack, seemingly grabbing onto something, trying to drag it out. But her hand isn't really grasped on anything. Not sure what we can even do, Lenny seems almost excited, and the shack grows brighter and brighter. Then, the whole light show is gone, Melfina is laying on the ground, and we are all arrayed in a staggered line towards the shack.
All speaking at once, incoherence is spewed from our mouth. Marda rushes in to the shack, only to come right back out saying something about them being gone. We Finally get from Lenny that in case of dangerous magics, the purpose of the shack is to transport anything to the nearest major Sanctum base, the closest one being the one in Cherwood. Apparently it will seal the item in question in special box that will stop anything, magical or otherwise from getting out. Lenny had told the ladies about the wards, but not what they did. Marda says something about sending a message to the Sanctum using some Tube she found, and While I try to yell at Lenny for leaving out a huge part of the rules of the shack. He doesn't really seem to care what I think, and instead of yelling at no one but myself, I check on Melfina. She is looking rather troubled, and holding Spike. Oh. Spike.
Looking around. I'm not sure who else noticed. I also don't know if the Sanctum knows about the wraith. Lenny, who is trying to keep track on not only Marda, but the rest of us as well doesn't appear top have noticed. In fact he doesn't seem aware of what set off the wards. On the other hand, I have no idea how this shack is even supposed to work, or what it recognizes as magic. I wonder if I had entered the shack, would I have lost my Arm? Questions that I'm not sure if I want to know answers for. I decide right then to make sure I know where I'm stepping when I enter Sanctum areas.
Marda comes out telling us she sent a message to The sanctum in Cherwood telling them of the circumstances, and to avoid contact with the body, and the shard inside it. Deciding that we are going to leave as fast as possible, we all decide on where we need to go to get supplies. Marda and I will go check on the mounts, and make sure they are up for travel, everyone else will go to the docks, check for supplies, and see if we can luck out on a boat. As we depart the outpost, Lenny at a loss for words, is left behind. We agree to stay one night at the Three Rivers Inn, and meet there once we know more.
Once Marda and I visit the mounts at the temple of Kusco, and let them know of our plans to leave early the next day, we head back to the Inn. Reserving two rooms for the group we grab a table to hold for everyone else, while we wait for everyone to show up. Not many other people are here in the Inn with us, and those that are, sit separate from the others. The common room is much more subdued than the last time we were here. While we wait for the others, I think about the dream I had. The tool I picked up in that vision just Felt Right for the instant I had it. I instantly knew the weight of it, the best way to carry it, and I could feel it's very essence. Now I just need to learn how to call it, how to wield it when I need to. Aurane and Melfina come back with news of ships, and Aurane says he found a ship out of Dawn's reach. All looking at Marda, she shows no sign of emotion, good or bad. But Aurane thinks if Marda were to talk to the captain we could maybe get a good rate for the voyage. They leave to go talk to the prospective ships they found, but come back a short time later telling us that the ship from Dawn's reach was in fact conscripting people to fight in a war. Aurane and Marda had to tactfully back out of that.
Entering the Inn with a smile on his face, Rorin sidles up to the table and orders a drink. Making us wait until he has it, he tells us of a ship called The Will of the Stars. An Elvish vessel, it is bound to the west, to stop at Cherwood, leaving at dawn. Seeing as that should work just fine, and we send Rorin back out to confirm the voyage for us. While Rorin is leaving, Melfina smears blood over her lips and speaks out into the air, asking Lenny of if he wants to join us for a drink.
Of course! Melfina can use her magic to talk to anyone. That means she can talk with Mr. Corbin. Asking her if she can, she states that she needs to know him, or at least know of him. Thinking of the best way to describe him, I remember that I can call upon my divine power to show an image of him, and with a flick of my hand, I do so. A powerful Wiry man appears, albeit a tiny version of him. Nothing but muscle and bone, and older than anyone else I know. And he has a look on his face as if he was determined to run his head through a brick wall, and go through it. I gave her a message asking him if he would be able to meet with us, and I insisted that she be respectful. Not really sure how he would get here, I half expected him to walk into the door in response to the message.
A moment of silence and concentration on her face, and turning back to me she tells us he wants to know where we are going to be? I relay that we should be in Cherwood in a fortnight, and would be appreciative if he could meet us there with Max. Thinking to myself, at least Max will be there, to ease any irate feeling he may have at being disturbed. I have also just inconvenienced one of the most powerful beings I have the pleasure of knowing by first name. Great. Oh, and while Melfina was helping me by sending the message, she never did say her name. Just mine.
When Rorin comes back, he lets us know that we are all set with The Will of the Stars. The Crew of the ship, he warns, are not fans of city folk. With all of us looking at Aurane I ask him politely if he will behave while on board the ship. I have no doubt that he will be civil, I just don't want the crew to be angry at us, which would cause an uncomfortable voyage. He promises that he will be civil, and not try to proselytize. With that out of the way, the group starts to head up to sleep. With just myself and Melfina, she turns to me to tell me what happened at the shack.
When she had gone into the outpost building, she of course had taken spike out of the shack with her, but the wraith had been trapped inside. With the wraith inside the shack with the shard, the evil magics had called to the Wraith. That may have been what set off the wards. Thinking about that, I worry out loud if it would be dangerous to bring spike to the Sanctum when we go for further investigations. Sharing the unease, we head up to bed.
In the morning, Rorin is up and out before the rest of us, leaving a note to meet him at the ship. Collecting the horses and the Magical Mystery Murder Kitten, we head down to the docks. Finding the ship, Mittens doesn't really seem all that thrilled to be near more boats, but he should be ok. Once we get permission to board, we start the process. The crew is rather surprised with the assortment of the group, and the Captain approaches to introduce herself. Captain Velma Starmoore gazes at us with an appraising look. Referring to me as “Master Dragon” and approving of Marda and Rorin, she grunted at Melfina, and straight up refuses to say anything to Aurane, just giving him a gross look. She questions where our loyalties lay, and once we have given her adequate answers, she turns to go. Before she can leave, I thank her for the privilege of the voyage, and we prepare to leave. Well, at least this time there won't be any horrible goblins aboard to drive me insane on this trip. I still would have preferred to walk. Maybe this trip will be better.
Chapter 23 Through Fog and Fire.
As we sit in planning for what will come, I look about. What little magic I learned from my brethren in the army doesn't connect me to the divinity of Nature. I can call upon it to move faster, to hit a creature harder or track it through any environment. Even to heal others, providing new growth the way plants would grow over a wound. But I have never been able to talk with the trees, to understand the complexity of a hive from the minds of bees. As I see what this forest has become, I am glad of that. I shudder to think what the trees have to talk about. I have nightmares enough, thank you.
I remember some of the druids I used to march with. When I had just started we had a set of twins that were really in touch with Nature. Often playing tricks on everyone, turning into various woodland critters and hiding in boots, bedrolls, and pockets. One of them even turned into a bear inside of the commander's tent, and ran off into the woods with it wrapped around their giant furry form. When they were off duty they could be found on the ground under the biggest tree they could find. Lying on the ground, looking up into the branches and just taking in the very essence of the towering tree above them. If they were to see the trees around me now, they would probably have some strong reactions as to what may have done this. Right now We have to figure out what we are going to do.
After a short discussion we decide that Marda is going to do most of the talking, with Melfina helping. As the two that actually live here, they should be a bit more persuasive. Rorin and I will act as look-outs, making sure that nothing can sneak up on us, and Aurane will act as our truth detector. With all the dealings he has had with city folk he has learned to read people better. Much better than I have at any rate. And the wraith is to attack the Rakshasa should it appear, as the spectral claws seemed to do the most to it.
As we prepare to head into the fog, weapons are drawn, and masks are placed over our faces. When we enter the fog, vision is so reduced that I can barely see to the other side of the group. The damp air clings to use entirely, condensing on weapons and clothing. I make a quick note to check everyone's gear once we are done, if there is an opportunity to do so anyway. We don't try to sneak, as everything in this part of the forest should know that we are coming. And it does. I turn to look behind us, and spot creatures on the very edge of my vision. They wanted to be seen, and sure enough, as soon as I say something they start coming forward.
A proud stag approaches with antlers loosing the soft velvet covering. Bloody tatters dangle around it's head, detracting an observant eye from the rest of it. One of the legs, broken off below the shoulder hangs from the body as if the leg was simply a bother, and needed to be left behind. Melfina speaks, saying we want to talk to whoever is in charge, and a Badger, eye falling out, fur peeling off, starts plodding forward. It walks straight through the group, walking further into the fog. We all look at each other and start to follow. An owl, internal organs hanging out flits from place to place along the ground, keeping an eye on us across from a rabbit with only one ear.
The gruesome critters lead us into a clearing and as we look around it slowly clears out so we can see where we are. A twisted, corrupted courtyard surrounds us, natural seats sloping upwards, almost if we were in a colosseum. Vague animal shapes sit around us, perched, waiting, as if spectating. Or possibly a jury waiting for evidence. Like a terrifying scene out of a twisted fairy tail, all manner of shapes loom in anticipation.
A horrid mass of thorns, briars and vines are conglomerated together into a throne. As we get closer to it I can see bones, some bleached white, some diseased and green, are mixed into the plant matter to help form the throne. And every one of the bones is from a humanoid. Marda mutters that this must be a Druid grove, but this would be some gross abomination of anything a normal druid would want. The chittering and calling of the animals on the slopes stops suddenly, and there is a stillness to the area. Movement behind the throne catches my eye, and at first I can't tell what it is coming out of the gloom towards us.
Then I see it, an alabaster white creature, papery and rawboned. An Elvish woman, she comes to a stop beside the throne. A set of antlers extends from her head, maybe some part of a headdress that would have added regality had the situation been different. A tunic of natural fibers and leaves of greens and browns cover her body. In one hand is a staff, long and decorated with a large crescent stone on the top. A green crystal pokes out of a jagged wound in her chest, pulsating with energy. In a bored crackling voice,”Why are you here?”
“To discuss what is happening in our forest.” Replies Marda.
With a scornful tone the pale woman retorts like a whip crack,”Your forest?! To claim any property in this forest is theft! You corrupt the lands, pollute the air. Serve me and you will be allowed to leave this forest!”
Squaring her shoulders Melfina declares in a powerful voice,”I serve No one!”
“That is the Natural Order of things to eventually serve another. Your own civilization is doing that, and your progress hinges on it.” the Woman declares. It sounds like she hasn't had to use her voice in some time. As if there wasn't anything worth her using her voice on.
I can see her eyeing Rorin with distaste, and I feel Aurane try to shrink behind me, not an easy feat for such a man. I know He does it to avoid antagonizing this disgruntled woman so maybe this can be ended peacefully.
“These animals are not normal, Polluting what you claim to protect!” Cries Melfina, but it seems to fall on deaf ears.
“Wait!” I proclaim, taking a step forward in front of everyone.”Some of us have learned to live in harmony with Nature, fighting only brings Destruction to the lands you are trying to protect!”
Without saying anything, she gives her response. I can feel some dark force playing on my body, stiffening my joints and clouding my mind, as if I had run for days with naught but firewater to drink. With a deep utterance from Aurane I can feel other forces at work, as if someone was helping me move my sore muscles. The low thrum of his spiritual hammer pops into existence next to the elf. I can hear Rorin grunt as something hits him, and a crash of blades, fists and claws comes from behind before I can turn. When I look, the others are facing an empty space between them. Suddenly, the maladies that are afflicting me vanish, but before I can do anything insects of all manner group into a whirling cloud to bite and sting at us. Multi-legged beings start crawling on me, getting under loose scales. Inside my armor, flying at my eyes. But I can really only feel one thing.
A low fire had been building in me, all those emotions culminating into anger. Anger at the corrupted land. Anger at the stubborn lack of sense. Anger at presuming she is in charge of this forest, and has the final say. Anger at the senseless loss this has all caused. The killing that could have all been prevented. And Lastly, and probably the stupidest thing she has done, attacking my friends, who have been doing nothing but helping me, pulling me through my own problems. Resetting the grip on my ax handle, I focus that anger, that heat, into one point, and pound it into a narrow spike directly at her.
Melfina, deadly dagger swinging on it's chain, calls forth spirits to guide her strikes and hinder her enemies, but our foe has disappeared behind the throne she has made. Vines sprout out of the ground, but are unable to grab onto anyone Sprinting out of the swarm of insects, I find the Elf standing behind her accursed seat. Giving her once last chance, I ask her if she really wants to do this. Before she can respond Aurane's spectral hammer comes flying over to hit her. Aurane himself steps out of the swarm, not quite getting to us, but he doesn't need to be next to his target to do damage. Rorin comes charging out of the swarm to take up position behind her, opposite me, and with a wink I know he will aid in anything I try to do.
Melfina and Marda get out of the the swarm just in time for new vines to rupture out of the ground, grabbing onto them. With nothing left to bite, the swarm moves to cover some of us, but Rorin and I are too far from the insects, and are unaffected. Suddenly the Rakshasa appears, bloody and cut, and I know what the noises were behind me at the start of the fight. The thing had started off trying to ambush us, and it seems it took quite a few licks before a short retreat. Now it has come back, and right in Melfina's face. Swiping claws into her, it tries to move away towards Aurane. Before it can go ten feet, Her dagger, swinging like a pendulum, flips out and slices into the neck of the magical being. It falls in a heap, dead.
I turn back to the elf, but instead there is a large bear standing in front of me, which swipes at me hitting me twice. The massive bear tries to head towards Aurane, only to be tripped up by my ax. It still gets away, raising it's arms and letting out a roar. With it, more undead creatures start clawing out of the ground. As they pull themselves up and out, skin and fur are torn by rocks embedded in the ground, adding to the gore. The new creatures bite and nip at us, not doing any damage to me. Melfina has clearly had enough of things not staying dead, holding her dagger aloft, shouting in that angelic language, and a force blasts through the area, destroying three of the new beings outright. A slight breeze blows dust and fur away from the fresh bodies, and I take the change to grab onto it, infusing that divine power into me. I dart away from the last of the undead woodland critter, and catch up to the bear and cut into with a series of four blows. The third blow trips the bear, but it falls differently than I expected, and a killing blow hits the ground instead. Aurane's spectral hammer thrums back into the air near us, and slams down into the body of the bear, pale light casting dancing shadows around the fog and thorns.
With just a blink, Rorin appears in the shadows. I had lost track of where he was, but I was certain I had left him behind, but his powerful form steps into the light and with a flurry of blows from fists and feet kills the bear. Or I thought it would have. As the vicious blows finish, the bear on the ground turns back into the pale elf, which had shape-shifted into the bear. She pops up into a crouched position, and cries out again, summoning more of her undead thralls to her. Bloody claws snatch at her, and the Wraith makes itself visible as it's hands dig into the body of the elf, tearing great chunks out. Marda runs up to us, bleeding from multiple bug bites and a torn leg. She must have been caught up in the vines that keep coming out of the ground. As the new minions join the fray, the druid turns into a giant eagle. While an undead skunk occupies the Wraith, and Melfina slices a beaver clean in half, I throw a bit of power at Marda to heal her, keep her in this fight.
While birds are masters of the sky, they can be rather awkward on the ground. Hooking the legs and pushing the eagle-elf off balance, it starts to flail around on the ground. Focusing on the Bird in front of me, I hadn't noticed a baby bear, claimed by the forest into an undead existence. About to bite into my leg, Aurane's hammer slams into the poor thing, and without looking Marda simply extends an arm, and the hook of her sword finds the neck, slicing off neck to arm. Two small pieces hit the ground, an atrocity that should have never happened.
With the bird flapping uselessly on the ground, Rorin chops down with his staff, once, then twice on each wing joint, breaking them. As if pole vaulting, he lets the momentum carry him up the staff, and as the elf transforms back into her own form, he comes down. Propelling himself off the staff, with a grand flipping kick his heel lands on her forehead, crushing her skull, killing her.
After dispatching the smaller animals the Elf had summoned we pause. Undead bile, insect goop, and sap cover most of us in some puree of gore. We check injuries, making sure nothing is serious, and try to decide what to do now. Marda and Melfina want to check the body, Aurane and Rorin will check the throne, and I will keep an eye out, making sure none of the denizens are out for warmer blood than theirs. And Lucky I did so. No sooner had the others occupied themselves, the owl, still with organs poking out, tries to swoop down at me. Not even bothering to draw my axe, I simply open my maw, take a quick breath in, and exhale hot bright flames into the thing. A stinking horrible slurping follows as the remains hit the ground. It better just stay dead this time.
The Men come back with a couple potions, a scroll, and a golden chalice worth at least several hundred gold. Aurane declares the throne probably isn't the source of the blight. The only thing the Ladies find on the body is a holy symbol of Asmodeus, and the druid's staff. The body of course still has the shard of some sort of gemstone, made to look like bark, impaled into the torso. Now, without the need for haste, Melfina tells us all she needs to cast something, and it will take some time. Over about ten minutes, setting down some of her holy symbols, lighting incense and using holy water, she tries to talk with her god, much like High priestess Hearthforge had done for me. And while I cannot hear the answers, I can hear the questions.
“Is this the source of the Blight? Should we destroy it? Are you still on my side?” The last question took me a little by surprise. While She has always shown confidence in her magic, or everything really, she obviously doesn't have that confidence here. Why? As Melfina comes out of casting her spell, she tells us that this shard is the source of the blight, but we cannot yet destroy it. Marda tries to remove the shard from the body, and as soon as she grabs it, a reaction of intense shock and pain wracks her entire body. Letting go, sweat immediately breaks out, and she takes breath after breath, as if she was unable to do so for a long time. I guess we shouldn't touch the shard again. We try to figure out how to remove the shard, and when the suggestion to cut it out comes up, I leave my axe with them, grab Rorin, and tell him we are going to go see where she walked out from. Behind the throne we find a small nook in the ground, and it turns out to be a small office of sorts, but not anything to live in. My smaller friend finds a potion and an herbalism kit, but not much else. Seeing a path that leads further into the forest, we head back to the others before going deeper.
The rest of the group had clearly decided to wait to deal with the shard, as the body was now wrapped in a piece of extra canvas and thrown over Aurane's shoulder. We tell them about the path, and the group starts heading out. A squirrel, skull showing through the fur jumps at the canvas covered body, and stops in midair. One of the Wraiths claws comes into vision, impaling the creature on it's fingers. I could have sworn I saw a toothy grin appear for a split second. As we approach a hovel up in a tree, the stag tries as well but we cut it down, cutting off two of the remaining limbs.
While the tree doesn't look very climbable, Rorin simply bounds up the tree, not appearing to even try. Sneaking into a window, he is inside before I could have made it past the first branch. He reports to us that there were some basic traps inside, but nothing to be afraid of. Marda decides to head up as well, also going through the window. I resign myself to not even bothering. Once she is up, I hear an indignant exclamation, and Rorin pokes his head back out the window, and informs us there is also a Guillotine above the door, which would have definitely hurt a lot, had someone come through the door.
After some rummaging and a good wait, a shout comes from above, and a Carpet is thrown out of the window. The thing is absolutely filthy, a heavy layer of dirt covering it. Throwing it over a low branch nearby, I use divine magic to clean it, and while I find it silly to use divine magic to clean a rug, apparently Daja doesn't object, as the dirt dissolves off, leaving a colorful carpet with draconic runes underneath. “speak --- and rise ---and you will ---- horizon.” Some of the carpet is a bit threadbare, and the runes are unreadable.
By this time Rorin and Marda have climbed down, Marda wearing a new bag. Well. New for her. It looks like the bag should date back to the beginning of time, but it somehow holds together. The leather doesn't even creak as she moves. She explains that she found the bag in the corner of the room, and had mysteriously pulled a potion and a journal out of the bag, which had appeared to be empty when she found it. The journal, being in elvish, was unreadable by everyone here. Almost. I had also been shown how to understand any language, spoken or written, I just had to take some time to cast the spell. In ten minutes I had it down, and it was a shock.
The journal belonged to one Charles Corbin, Elvish inventor, investor in black smithing shops, and Father to Mythic Max, my business partner. The entries are dated nearly two hundred years ago. Charles is a man I have met and I respect him a great deal. How had his journal ended up here? Did he know who this Elf woman had been? Inside it was also drawings for a mysterious machine that ran off Natural magics to make some sort of portal, but I can't understand enough to gather more from it. Is that what the tent is? Some extra dimension? Which came first? We decide to head out of the forest, and try to get back to town to get answers.
Getting out of the forest at dusk, we set up camp, and rested. After an uneventful watch, during which I cleaned everything I could, I tried to get to sleep. But it felt like something was pounding into my head. No. Not pounding into my head. Around me. Something large was hammering something massive, some huge clump of metal. Abruptly, a cacophony of noise assaults my head. And I open my eyes. My vision clears from the horrible clattering, and I perceive an armor stand, complete with a magnificent specimen of scale mail. A stool and workbench are on the other side of the stand, and I move to find the person responsible for the beautiful project. The stool sits vacant, but the work bench has two piles of metal on it. As I get closer, I can see that one pile is worn, broken scales, once part of the armor, now twisted and shattered. In the other pile are scale blanks. Metal that can be shaped to fit into the chain and scale already part of the armor. Looking at the armor, I now see wonderful brass inlay work on the scales.
I suddenly feel the need to work on this piece of art, but I have no tools. And something like this would need a grand tool indeed. Not some pitiful hammer, but a great tool matching the work of art in front of me. But there is no tool rack around, no tool on the bench. A warmth comes from behind, one that goes into my very soul, beckoning to me. I turn to see a forge fire, complete with a massive anvil, one befitting the rest of the project. There, resting against the anvil is the tool I need. It looks like it was just made, only awaiting someone to pick it up. Steel handle, wrapped in a rough leather beckons to me, and I grab it in my hand. It is warm and welcoming. As I go to lift it, I suddenly wake in my bed, hand gripped in the air clutching nothing. But I can still feel that tool, and I know how I will be able to use it. I just need to spend a little time to get it.
A lovely Jaunt through the woods
As we stand outside the forest breaking down our camp it starts to rain. With an atmosphere such as this we are all on alert, and with an enemy that has clearly stated intent there is no thought of holding back. We need to go find out what, or who, is causing this blight, and stop it if we can. With shoulders determinedly set, and no where to go but in, we start forward. Melfina taking the front with spike. Marda flanks to her left, and I flank to the left with Rorin and Aurane watching our backs. With our foes knowing we are here, we do not try to hide our presence as we follow the corruption into the trees.
As we walk into thicker and thicker trees, I can feel my body get ready for battle. When we went to fight the Hydra, it was different. We knew, mostly, what we were going to fight. We had a road we walked to get there, and knew what our opponent was going to be. Now, we walk in ready to fight, but not knowing what we should be fighting. A veritable maelstrom of emotions and feeling are crashing over me again. Something I haven't felt since in the army. I can feel the Heat building up in my chest, the anger and fire mixing together. The Storm of spasms that take hold of the limbs as adrenaline starts to pump, hopefully to fuel the lightning quick reflexes. The cold mental state coming in, which allows for the torrent of information coming in to be sifted through. It allows for fluid thoughts and tactics in the midst of chaos. The Icy fear is also there, in the pit. Fear that you may be way over your head. You or your friends may not come back.
Then the storm breaks. The first enemy appears. A hulking figure lets out a challenging roar. The undead owlbear, a fearsome creature in life, if even worse in undeath. The gruesome features from last night have not gotten better with the light, and killing this monstrosity is probably just a kindness to nature at this point. Melfina makes everyone know that it is there as we ready ourselves.
Calling for the divine energy from nature itself, I start to infuse my body to move like the wind.
Aurane tells us that something is closer to us, another mound similar to what had swallowed Rorin weeks before. Calling upon his divine power, his spiritual weapon appears near us. Rorin, not needing any divine spells, darts forward, bounding over small trunks and rocks that dot the forest floor. Landing with a mighty over head swing at the carnivorous mound, he lays into the thing with his staff and feet, stomping on it. I can't tell from this range if he is actually hurting it, but I'm sure he remembers what it felt like to be inside.
I finish my incantation and I feel like I can move faster, able to sway away from weapon blows. Wanting to keep the owlbear off of Rorin, I try to distract it. Gathering more energy in my metal arm, I stretch it out and fire off two bolts towards the beast. One goes wide, but I hit with the other, carving a grove out of the flesh. It clearly didn't like being it, as with another defiant roar the figure starts forward. Running right at us, ignoring the mound and Rorin. The Dwarf gets a backhand swipe into it was it passes his fight. Marda starts forward with her swords behind her, passing Melfina as she sends a bolt of radiant energy from her hands. The bolt hits the owlbear turning its head away from Marda who puts her swords parallel to the ground, and two slices are gouged into the side of the large beast as it passes. At the end of the cuts the blades come together, and a large strip of flesh falls, dangling from one side. Ichor cascades out, rotten muscles and bones exposed. Trying for a third cut before it gets fully past, she tries to turn her momentum, but she catches her hooked blade on a vine which trips her up. Tumbling towards the mound Rorin is fighting, she is able to dig the opposite blade into the ground, popping her up to stand next to Rorin. I'm not sure if the third cut was needed, as the undead entity falls to the side mid charge, seemingly defeated. Melfina's spiritual scythe appears behind the mound, and cuts into the plantlike monster. Coming out of the rainy mist, The Wraith raises its horrible claws, and tear into the mound, removing vines and dirt from around it. With a retaliatory swipe, it hits both Rorin and Marda, and draws them towards it. Rorin manages to wriggle free, but Marda is pulled in. As she is engulfed Rorin practically goes berserk, Slamming down with his staff, kicking and punching and grabbing the thing with his bare hands. Muscles bulging with spittle and all manner of languages flowing from his mouth, he rips the thing open, exposing Marda covered in mud and dirt. With a bemused glance at Melfina, I walk forward and decapitate the fallen owlbear, just in case.
A cut burns into my back from an unknown source. I swing my axe as I spin, and make sure that it an opponent before my blow lands. The weretiger stands there behind me, claws out. My axe makes contact, and I can fell it sink in, but not nearly as far as it should. The moss and mushrooms I I could barely see before were very clear now, growing out of the beings body. With the knowledge that this must be something magical I need to be more tactical. With a quick word, I take the time to close my wounds and ready myself for another strike. While Marda and Rorin get closer, the new target moves away from me, faster than I had anticipated, and I can't hit them. Now that it farther away, I can see an odd detail that the hands are backwards, the palms facing outwards. I don't think that this is a weretiger.
Both Aurane and Melfina cast spells at the creature, not affecting it, and I try to magically trace it, but the spells seems to slide right off the thing. In the process of running the creature down, Rorin suddenly veers into the clerics, and tries to hit them a couple of times, even attempting a poorly aimed kick, which lands him flat on his back. Marda has been trying to chase down the dastardly fiend, but with it moving so fast, and her shorter legs it isn't going to happen. I even try to throw my hand axes, but I may be a bit out of practice with them, as they hit handle first, not blade.
With Rorin on his back, and the clerics' attention back on it, the creature tries to decide what to do, and that's when the wraith comes back to play. With a cataclysmic swipe of claws from behind, the wraith staggers the foe. Now, badly outnumbered, and with something that can badly hurt it, our foe dissapears. With all of us holding our breath, and trying to track an invisible, magically resistant foe, it apparently has left us.
With Rorin still frothing a bit at the mouth, I sit on him until he calms down a bit. Being unable to track our target, and not sure where to start looking in all this detritus around us, I know finding this assailant would be difficult. Melfina, on the other hand, has something else on her mind. While I am still scanning the surroundings, she is looking at the ground near the fight. Standing up, she walks over to me, and tells me to hold up my axe. In doing so I see the blood still on the blade, and she is able to collect enough that she quickly steps away. Calling out to her god, Her eyes turn Black, and she points without looking. Deeper in. She tells us the creature is moving quickly, going towards the heart of the forest. Well. At least we know it will be there too. I grab my thrown axes, and we start again.
While I try to guide them through as best as I can, Melfina makes sure our path remains true. The Ladies discuss what we may have fought, and after consulting a small book, decide it was probably a Raksasha. Fiendish creature, Magically resistant, and likes to Con people. That would explain what happened to Rorin, who is currently having trouble navigating through a particularly muddy patch.
After an hour, I am winded, as are the others. Running through the forest was never my favorite past time, but I certainly did a lot of it when I was younger. After all these years, I can still remember the tricks, but getting them done is different. With the last moments of her ability fading, Melfina stops, and closes her eyes. She says she can see the Raksashas vision, that it is going into a dense fog cloud in the center of the forest. At least we know where it is going.
We continue on until we estimate to be about 30 minutes from the center, and decide to take a break. Wanting to be reasonably refreshed before fighting something potentially much larger than we thought, we find a nice patch of ground to sit. Since we were still in a rather hostile area, we were still on edge, and thankfully able to spot the strangling vines before they caught us. The vines themselves were moving quickly, for vines anyway. Considering that a mound of dirt and grass had tried to kill us earlier, a killer vine wasn't very surprising at the moment.
Radiant energy flies off into the distance a Melfina fires wide. With undead spirits flitting around her she starts in on the vine near her. Rorin and I lay into the other vine near us, trying to cut it out of the tree it is in. Hacking away with her hooked swords, Marda seems to be doing the best, getting some solid hits in. These vies are rather more resilient than I would have thought. As our vine picks me up, I get tired of fooling around with it, and wrap my axe around it, and simply pull. With a maneuver I would normally use to trip someone on the ground, I rip the vine out of the tree to die. Walking over to the other one, I do the same. Instead of trying to cut it off, we should have just pulled it out. Lessons learned for next time.
With nothing attacking us at the moment, and everyone a bit tired, we sit again, keeping an eye out for more trouble, and try to prepare ourselves for whatever may be coming next inside that fog. Something tells me it won't be fun.
Chapter 21: A Terrible Headache.
As we sit in the woods, catching our breath from the fight, I try to keep a lookout as much as I can. But I can't help looking up, trying to discern what is keeping the light from getting to us. While the trees are dead around us the light seems to be muted more than it should. While we know the forest itself is dying around us, according to Melfina the ground is consecrated. Something should be helping out the forest, but everything about the atmosphere is oppressive and dingy. Whatever divine information the cleric had received there were some blanks yet to fill.
I voice my concerns to the others about the soldiers we had passed and ask them if we want to go back. While we have made good progress into the forest, the safety of the towns should take precedence. Fixing the problems of the Ravens Wood will have to wait. Melfina is all for curing them, but with the way she says that it seems she is fully prepared to kill them to ease them of the disease if need be. Heating the whole project just to provide a single hammer blow.
Biting her thumb to make it bleed, Melfina smears the blood from under her nose over her lips. Casting a spell, she speaks into the air informing... someone.. that the incoming patrol soldiers needs to be quarantined. Telling whoever she was talking to that we were on our way back. Then she simply stopped talking. Not sure if anything else was supposed to happen, I looked at the others, and got various shrugs. Still not sure of Melfina's mannerisms, I ask the others if we should take samples. Nearly jumping forward to do so, Melfina crouches down to examine the body of the freshly redead Humanoid. Pustules cover the body, which looks, extremely... Wet. It looks like if we tried to burn it the whole forest would burn down before this thing did. Aurane steps forward to examine as well, and while I am sure neither of them are talking with each other, mutterings come out from the both of them. Not even turning around, Melfina spoke out loud that it seemed to be a spore based disease. As far as I know, that means I probably breathed it in when the enemy hit us with that spewed attack. Trying to think of what may be good enough to cover my large mouth. Finding a spare shirt in my pack, I wrap it around my head as best as I can. Now with a face covering, I feel like a plains nomad. As long as it keeps me safe and healthy, but I will need something better. Since we are going back to Lake town, maybe I can find something there.
Taking her knife, Melfina cuts deeply into the body around one of the Pustules. The surface of the body wobbled slightly as the blade moved. Seeing the grotesque deed being done, I turn to see what the others are doing. Aurane has brought his kerchief up, making him look like some sort of Highwayman, ready to build a coach stop before he would rob it. Rorin has a mask that seems to have raised up out of the very cowl he wears. It doesn't stick out like mine does, any random piece of cloth I could find, his just looks like it should have always been there. Marda has taken one of her shirts, like I have, but hers is a dress shirt that seems to have been in the bottom of her pack. The rank insignia not showing, but I can still see the shirt is from her dress service uniform. An odd choice, I'm not sure if it is being used out of spite or simply the first thing that wasn't needed.
Melfina has finished her task, wrapping the pustule ridden flesh in spare tent canvas. She too now wears a mask, a leather fitted mask that no doubt summons a demon or some other horrific device.
A simple quilted pattern on the mask, and buckles to attach it. She must have needed one previously. With her sample gathered, she stands up, and only realizes too late that spike is not with her. Looking around she found him crawling towards the body. Lunging for the reptile, she was too late to stop him from biting into the undead body. Rather upset with the turtle, and knowing that it must have been poisoned by this action, she thrusts Spike at Aurane, then stalks off. With a befuddled expression, Aurane presumably restores the turtle to a healthy state.
We gather our mounts together, and try to figure out what to do next. We are going to travel back to town, but do we push ourselves through the night and get there exhausted, or stop during the night and hope the patrol isn't as sick as they could be. We all agree that time is of the essence, and we need to push ourselves and the mounts to get back to town as soon as possible. As we race back down the trail as fast as we can, figures track us. I look to the side in time to see a hulking figure, maybe a bear, before it slinks behind a tree. Most bears I have seen have fur though.
We push ourselves, and our mounts hard into the night. Rides like this remind me of the long marches in the army. Those days were pretty bad too, but I was a lot younger then. And we did that every day. I was used to it. Now, I can feel my body begging for a break. Back cramping up, legs and rear under sore. I give Marda the reins to stretch out my arms a couple times. I can tell Mittens is getting tired too, but a couple of the horses were starting to lag behind. Pausing for a small break, we practically fall off the mounts, trying to stretch muscles that refused to move. The two horses that were lagging behind are too winded to keep up with a rider. Briefly trying to figure out how to get 5 riders on two mounts, Aurane closes his eyes, and begins to pray. An intense look upon his face, it appears like he is trying to summon an entire city into existence. Thrusting his hands forward, a majestic horse wondrous and divine appears in front of him. Just as he relaxes his hands however, it turns into a ghostly form of the same horse. As he is still able to ride this mount, Rorin and Melfina double up, and I pray that Mittens can keep up.
With sheer determination and probably a god amount of luck we ride into town in the early hours, probably right before dawn. Deciding to divide and conquer, Aurane heads out to find the clerics who will be able to help heal. With Marda and Melfina, with spike in tow, heading to the Sanctum to find the patrol, Rorin and I head to the Temple of Kusco to rest the mounts, and make sure they are well kept. Wearily making our way to the temple, we secure a place for the animals to stay, and I ask after animals the patrol had. After telling the Keepers of Kusco of the blight, and the horrible danger it carries, they tell me that some of the animals have indeed been getting sick, along with farm animals outside of the city. Teams will be sent out to make sure the blight isn't spreading. As Rorin and I stumble our way out of the temple, a town crier can be heard. As the sun comes up in Lake town, the residents will hear that face coverings should be worn, and anyone feeling ill is required to report to a temple.
As we wait in front of the temple, numb to the passing people, Aurane comes over in a rush, multiple clerics in tow. Vestments of Pudge, Terrance, and Bazil's temple cover these clerics who are either morning people, or amazing at getting to the task at hand. Together we all go over to the Sanctum outpost, and find a temporary sick house out front. I can hear Melfina inside, simply giving orders and expecting them to be followed. As the other clerics move inside, I find myself not knowing what to do. Not wanting to leave, and knowing full well that Melfina is going to Heal them one way or another, I decide to just post myself outside the tent, and try to stay awake while I wait.
Various chanting most of them all jumbling together come from inside the sick house. Eyes drooping, I notice that Mayor Sharon Morston and the captain of the guard have shown up. Along with Marda. I forgot to look for her, and apparently she had gone off to inform the mayor of what was going on. I”m glad someone was thinking clearly about that as well. I hear them discussing the need to keep this blight contained, and to send people out to the neighboring farms and towns to make sure this has not spread.
Practically falling asleep on my feet, I turn at the sound of people leaving the tent to find it is the patrol coming out, along with the clerics. The Holy folk look a bit more tired then when they entered, but also to be in rather good spirits. Melfina tells us that it was very close for some, but we managed to get here just in time to save everyone. Now that this emergency has been taken care of, we can all go get some rest. Heading back to the Three Rivers Inn, we get a couple rooms for the group. Breakfast is still laying out, and while not the grand buffet we had after the festival, there are still a few bits of pastries and savory pie. Grabbing morsels to take up with us, almost too tired to eat, we head upstairs to be finally allowed to pass out.
I wake up to darkness. Hunger gnaws at my belly. I can see in this darkness, but there isn't much to see. The other guys in the room with me are still asleep, and snoring. I'm honestly not sure how the room wasn't shaken apart with all of the vibrations we must have caused. I sneak my way down, and secure myself some bread and butter, then head back up to sleep. With the sleep comes the dreams.
Battles with giants and skirmishes with gnolls fill my night. As the unit armorer I wasn't put on the front lines unless it was absolutely needed, but that doesn't mean I didn't fight. The Giant hunts, the ambushes, both survived and set, the times where I had to repair not only armor but my fellow scouts. Death was present as well. Death of my comrades, of innocents and of monsters. There was no way to stop it, just the buffeting emotions that came with the thoughts. The visions passed by me in an incoherent tide, but not in any way that would sweep me away this time. When I woke it was not in a cold sweat, or a panicked rush of breath, but with a feeling of accomplishment. Like a step closer to finishing a project. Starting a heat treatment before the quench. Getting a project to that state can take a long time, and we had just slept for the better part of twenty or so hours.
When we did get up, we were rested, and not nearly as sore as I thought we would be. It took a bit of stretching, but I knew I was awake enough to get going again. Preparing ourselves for the day, we all decided some errands were necessary, and we agreed to all meet up at the edge of town in an hour. I had time to find a better mask than the shirt I was using. The problem was not many things could easily be fashioned with my long snout in mind. A mask that would cover anything from a human to an orc wouldn't work for one with such a regal face as myself. In the end I was forced to use the only thing I could find to fit over my mouth. So when everyone got together, Aurane with a sample chest, and Melfina with more vials, I hard a common feed bag over my mouth. I had even been offered some feed to go with it.
Aurane has also shown up with a really lousy looking cart, and two very pale looking horses to pull it. Honestly, I almost want to walk to keep these poor beasts from having to pull such a raggedy looking cart. Even if they aren't real. We manage to get ourselves going, and we make steady progress down the road, heading back into the heart of the woods.
It takes the whole day, but we get back to the site of the original campsite outside the forest. Feet aching, back tired from carrying a pack, and my nose overly hot from wearing the feed bag, I”m more than ready to stop for the day. After setting up the tent, we decide on watches, and I crawl into bed to wait my turn on third watch with Melfina. I take the feed bag off inside the tent. The canvas material had almost caught fire a couple times. That may have been my fault.
When I awoke for my turn at watch, Aurane tells us that eyes have been seen in the woods watching us. So far just watching us, nothing more. Melfina and I decide to take turns walking around the fire and the tent, while the other stayed by the tent to wake the others if need be. While I took my turn I looked out into the woods to see what was out there. Not 40 feet into the woods was a great big owlbear. Or what was left of it, Feathers and Fur sloughed off the beast, exposing the skull and the ribs in places. One of the claws ended in only bone. Ripping my eyes from that horrible vision, I spotted the second watcher. A weretiger stands in plain view, moss and fungus mat it's fur. I can't tell if it is growing from the body, or just on it. Like the owlbear, it doesn't move, it just stands there, swaying from one foot to another as if waiting for us to do something. Trying to keep a good patrol, I look for more bodies out in the darkness. One final set, unblinkingly staring at us, is far enough back I can't discern what it is connected to, other than maybe branches or horns coming out the top of the head.
Nearly at the end of our watch, an arrow comes out of the darkness, Melfina barely getting out of the way. A note is wrapped around the shaft of the arrow with one word across the top. LEAVE. The rest of the note has writing that neither of us can read, so we wait for the others to get up. When Aurane does finally get up, he is able, with the aid of a spell, to read the rest of the scrawled note.
“You are all parasites leaching off the land. It is now time for the earth to take back what is it's own. You will perish, or we will use you as part of our army.”
I remember back to when Melfina said that the ground here was hallowed, and it felt like something was fighting for the forest. I have a sudden feeling that is was kinda the other way around. Something caused this, and the forest was trying, and failing to fight back. Looking to the others, Melfina stands and asks,”Well? Should we press on?”
Chapter 20 The Haunted House and The Deadly Forest
I felt like we had barely returned to our sleeping quarters when we all decided to get up. In reality I knew that it had at least 6 hours, but I dozed on and off for that time. Even though I had just slept like the dead the past day, I was still tired. No nightmares came to great me, just the sudden realization that I had woken from sleep. A sound of general bustle was coming from below us, as others woke up from the revelry.
Once the others had completed their morning rituals, and we gathered all the possessions from our room, we immediately decided to set off for breakfast. It didn't take long for us to complete this quest, as the noises coming from the common room turned out to be a massive array of food. Splayed out on multiple table, a veritable cornucopia of vitals was present. Sausages of every variety, eggs made nearly every way. Buns, both sweet and savory, enticed us with smells. Odd pastries with fruits and some sort of cream were piled high on platters,and turned out to be pretty good. Pancakes were offered for a bit extra coin, and When Rorin balked at ordering some, Melfina bought us all a stack. I had several plates of food, as I turned out to be pretty hungry.
While savoring all the good food, I notice people coming down from their rooms, placing various items of their liking onto plates, and going back up to eat in private. Most of them seemed to not enjoy the sunlight, nor the noise. I for one wasn't paying any mind to the noise around us, to engrossed in the delicious food before me. Leaning back and closing my eyes, I savor a sausage bun. Only with opening my eyes do I notice Aurane has stopped to listen to something, Fork halfway to his mouth. Before I can look around he has started eating again, looking thoughtful. Between bites he tells us of a Haunted house he has just heard about. It seems there is a House on the east side of the town where families have entered, or even lived there only to be found dying or dead in months, gasping for air, seemingly no reason.
While I want to get this trip to the forest over with as fast as possible, Aurane wants to check this house out. We have known each other for a good amount of time, and he has helped me out with a good deal, so I agree that we can go see this house. Hearing no complaints from others, we finish breakfast, gather the mounts at the local temple to Kuzco. The priests there seem to be slightly relived when I take mittens off their hands, one of them handing me a small bag. Telling me to put some in his meat to keep him happy. I'm not really sure how catnip is going to keep him happy, when he is at his best over a fresh kill. No matter. I'll find a use for it sometime. Mounting up, we head east.
Finding the house isn't that hard. Either good directions or Aurane natural sence of cities leads us right to it. Laying on top of a flat hill, it looks like a nice place to live, complete with a few out buildings and a separate kitchen. The house would have been on a prime location, safe from flooding, and far enough from other housing so fires wouldn't easily spread. A small fence is the only guard to the house, with a sign on the gate saying stay out. Melfina makes quick work of the old lock, and as soon as the gate is open Rorin goes in. Melfina makes a grab for him but being just slightly off balance, and Rorin being much shorter than her, her hand misses. As he trots in, we follow him up to the front door where he knocks. With no answer, he tries the handle finding the front door to be locked, and as Rorin starts to work on it, I briefly think about the fact that we are effectively committing a breaking and entering crime, but then again, we have two clerics, and one of them is a city cleric. The other one is of course scary as fuck. Between the two of them, we should be good. I'll let them do the talking if there is a need for it.
Once the front door is open, we enter the house, most of us with drawn weapons. Half done projects scatter the house. The only noise heard is us stepping on loose tiles. Rorin voices that is creeped out by the vibes of the house, and he isn't the only one. The Silence of the house is Daunting. Melfina had thrown out a little prayer, and found that something was off about the house, but she couldn't tell what it was. We looked around the entire House, and out buildings with nothing to show for it. We were about to chalk everything up to an ancient curse, when Aurane tells us about a new fireproof insulation that was tried out in a couple of places. Upon closer inspection, it is here too, and he tells us that is what killed everyone. Prolonged exposure to this insulation apparently killed the inhabitants, clogging lungs, and leaving them unable to breath properly. After learning that, I really don't want to stick around this place anymore.
We all head back out to the mounts, and while Aurane writes up a report, muttering about “Magical asbestos” Melfina takes out her dagger. Thinking she is just going to admire the fine craftsmanship once more, to my fascinated horror, she slices open her hand, blood oozing out of her opened palm. Taking a deep, satisfied breath, and clenches her fist. The blood drips out of her hand for a moment, and when she opens it, there is only a single drop of blood which slowly dissolves into the air. Oooookay. I guess some people have different methods for getting rid of the hebbie jeebies.
After Aurane has completed his report, we set off, at last, for the forest. While heading out of town, Marda points out all the landmarks that she hasn't seen for a good amount of time. A few hours out of town, she is nearly the only thing audible, as the forest has started to close up around us, growing thicker, and some sort of vile feeling comes into play. Not the feeling of someone watching us, but the feeling that something is off. Rotten. Only two groups of people are seen coming out from the heart of the forest. Quite, tired looking soldiers. They carry no fresh game, nor do they seem to be looking for food from the woods. We had been told that wild game was nearly nonexistent. The oddest thing about the groups is the carts. An ooze or scum of some sorts seems to have coated the wheels, and leaves a trail. It looks almost like the wheels are leave a trail of pus. The armor of the soldiers is also scuffed up, and somewhat scummy. The demoralizing effect seemed both mental and physical. Something we should be aware of. We decide to make camp not long after the second such party passes us, before we get too deep into the forest. Much like the camp close to the hydra den, the night is near silent, with only a few sounds creeping out to us. As Marda, Melfina and Rorin scout a bit ahead, I set up the Tent, and Aurane makes sure the mounts will be safe. While it was a bit hard to think of whimsy here, I got the tent up before the others came back. Not wanting to go far, Melfina tells us she was able to sense consecrated ground. Aurane asks if it would be like a holy spell. Melfina says no, or at least probably not. She also sensed Both Evil and Undead. Well. We sort of knew that, but here it is with us.
Marda and Melfina seem a little disturbed by this fact. Well, Marda at least. Melfina doesn't really show anything. Ever. Any normal person would be bothered by it, and I have to assume she is to. She just doesn't show it. Even when pulling me out of my own mind, she showed very little, but something was there. I'm just not sure what it was.
Sitting around our small campsite we talk of the woods, of what they used to be. Hunting was easier here, and with Marda's small garden, and Melfina's foraging, they lived well. Marda's home was a small, efficient place, cozy and almost welcoming. Melfina's was set up more with just the bare requirements, and sounds almost like a one room hunting shack. Living about half a day's ride from each other, Marda would normally host, but for a group as large as us, there probably wouldn't be room for everyone. Of course, I could just pitch the tent out front of her house, and that would be fine for us, but what would we do with the mounts?
I take first watch with Melfina in the unsettling night. I can look out into the darkness, and see for a good distance, plant matter black and white in my vision with the lack of light. Branches sway back and forth, and I can only hope it is the wind. I don't see anything moving. Knowing there should be Undead out there somewhere, maybe I should look at the things that are still.
“You seem to be doing better now.”
I wasn't expecting much conversation from her tonight. While very helpful to me the past few months, I hadn't really come to see her as a social person. By commenting how I was doing, I think this is the closest to small talk I have seen her make. “I am doing much better than when we were on the way here, yes. Thank you. Are you doing well yourself? I know that you were having trouble with some things yourself.”
“I have been learning a little about my past” She seems to be struggling with what to say next. Having no ability to read her, I am at a loss for words other than offering aid in whatever she needs. Telling her that she has helped me greatly, I only want to help her if I can. We do not get into anything more during the watch, and Rorin gets up the relieve us for second watch.
I suppose nothing happened through the rest of the watches, as I wake up just after dawn. We quickly pack up the camp site, and check on the mounts. The horses are all very subdued, and Mittens is a little upset, but with a little attention, he is willing to set out. The magical mystery murder kitten crew takes up the back of the group. We head deeper into the woods.
As we travel through, I remember the tricks we learned to pick the best path we can, to be attentive to our surroundings. Being like this makes the forest seem more peaceful, as I'm not looking for any one things, just noticing odd occurrences. I notice of course the sever lack of noise besides the breathing of the mounts and the group. And Eventually I notice the same exact tree as I had seen just a short time ago, with that same pattern of Burls that go all up the side away from the sun... It's then that I notice the face of Hatred and Malice on the tree and I try to warn the others. Aurane says it is a Treant, but I could see holes in the bark were the pale color of long dead wood poked through. As it stepped in front of us, Marda slips off mittens.
Marda runs up, Rorin at her side, and they start getting hits in. Splinters fly from Rorin's impacts, and the quick successive chops of the blades. Some sort of sticky material sticks to Rorin's knuckles after the hits. Melfina steps up, holds her dagger aloft and calls down power into her. Phantasms and spiritual forces surround her, but these are different from those tiny demons she has called before. What ever these new things are, they are just staying close to her. She calls forth a radiant flame to strike at the creature, which in retaliation slams down on Rorin, who is right in front of it. Roots also come up out of the ground, trying to snare and strangle the dwarf, but he slips from between them and escapes. The long branches come down and try to hit Melfina and Marda, and while they look to be damaging, nothing too heavy that they can't handle. I turn to make sure nothing is behind us, and I'm glad I do. An Eyeless humanoid stands there, freakishly still. Large black pustules cover most of it's body, several of them pulsating or wriggling. As I eye this new thing I can hear more hits from behind. The heavy crunching impacts of fists on old wood, the sharp chopping sound. Then with a flash of green and gold light, I can hear and Feel the impact of the large monstrous tree hitting the ground. And still that body just stands there. A bolt from a crossbow flies past me as Aurane fires a crossbow. It connects with the body, hitting right onto one of the small pustules. Pus and ichor spew out, and the whole body spasms slightly. I fire off two blasts from my arm, and still the thing stands. Trying to back mittens away from the thing, the movement of the big mount must cause something in this new foe to snap. It rushes forward and unleashes some sort of breath weapon on us, noxious gases and phlegm. Covered in the stuff, I'm not sure if I breathed in any of the gas, but the foul formula probably isn't good for me, and it has hit Aurane and both our mounts as well.
I can hear Marda running up somewhere to my side, and only then do I notice that two more of these undead creatures have crept closer to us, trying to surround us. She hits the fetid corpse, but it doesn't go down. As she steps back to take stock of the situation, I can hear the Wraith in my mind, a sound like bones grinding together, telling us to stay away from these things as the will explode when killed. Chanting to her divine power, Melfina steps forward, Holy dagger held aloft, and turns the undead from us, causing the two on the sides to flee. With instructions to let them run, Aurane and I hit the original one, a divine bolt from me, Aurane praying for hellfire to heat the metal crossbow bolt. The fire burns the creature, but instead of going down, it rushes forward again, slamming Aurane with a rotting fist. Marda slashes at it again with the swords, causing it to fall to the ground, and we all wait in anticipation for it to rupture. Instead, it just gets back up, lumbering to it's feet just in time for Rorin to put it right back down with a final punch. He was somehow able to dodge behind a tree before the thing exploded, coating plant life around it with a steaming ooze.
As we wait to see if the other two will come back, we all try to catch our breath. With nothing coming back, Aurane pauses to examine me, and Melfina looks to the remains of the corpse. Noting blisters forming, I can feel them now, swelling out of the bottom of my tongue. We find the same on the mounts. After examining the split body, Melfina says I would only have two days before I turned into one of them if not healed. Luckily, both Aurane and Melfina say they can remove the disease. With a quick prayer, both of us are cured, and we decide to figure out what we want to do next, and take a quick rest. What I am worried about is what if those patrols we saw leaving the forest have this disease and don't know it. The last thing we need is for this to spread to a town.
Chapter 19 The Hammer Blow
My mind felt like a freshly forged hammer before it has been hardened. Capable, shaped, and ready to shatter at the first blow. But I couldn't take the time to harden my mind. I had to stay vigilant. If something else came out of the sky it could kill everyone. If I let my mind stray and I lost my temper, everyone could die. I need to keep myself occupied and keep an eye out for danger. It doesn't help that Jerry, the goblin, has come along only to seemingly follow me. Standing at the back of the ship keeping a lookout for more apocalyptic happenings that could destroy the entire ship, the little goblin was playing his mouth harp claiming they were different songs. They all sounded the same to me anyway. Only once he paused for any length of time. When I looked around to see if he had somehow died mid “song” I saw that everyone on deck was looking up at a figure climbing to the top. Marda it appeared had decided to climb to the top. Her diminutive figure sped up the rigging of the ship like she had done it many times before. Soon enough she disappeared over the top of the balloon, and with no screaming heard, I could only assume she was OK. The spectacle finished, Jerry went back to playing his instrument. Maybe he will get tired. He didn't. He wished to play for me all night, and wouldn't let me sleep. I had to put up with it, and do my best. I can't loose my temper. I can't be tired. I need to be ready at all times.
I am down in the galley, taking a break from watch, when a voice comes from Behind me, “Hey good looking!”
Turning around. I look for the origin of the voice, and I look down to find Nagisa standing in front of me. I frantically try to think of something to keep calm. From feeling that dread creep up into me. Nails
“You know, you killed my partner that day” he says.
Hammer down the tip of round stock. Square it off. “It was just a job. We were not supposed to kill him. I loose sleep over it.”
Square the stock for the desired length. Insert-”Casters shouldn't be considered second rate citizens. They are just like everyone else!”
Insert the Hot cut into the anvil. Mark the stock half a finger from where it was squared. “I joined the Black Legion because of that. I have no problem with casters.”
Break stock off in a nail header, flatten head. Repeat.
“You seem to have had a problem with that caster,” Nagisa spits.
“I didn't choose the job.” Point the stock. Square. Hot cut, Mark....
The old drow. The kids. It wasn't just a simple thing to them. I let that happen. I should have run that mission better. I should have stayed with my squad. I should have stopped those kids before they left. I could have saved them.
“If you want a sleep aid,” Nagisa is saying “Let me know.”
I barely register that he is still there. All I can think of is what those kids looked like.
The Hammer Shatters.
I try to close my eyes. Shut it off before the memory comes back. But all I can see are the eyes. The dead, glazed over eyes. Scared. In horrible pain. It was my fault. If I had sent the second squad around back, or split them up to reinforce us up close. We could have just grabbed the guy while he was out.
-We stack up on the door of the house...
I come out of re living the mission just long enough to crawl into a corner then it happens over and over again. Rekx Breaks down the door over and over. The kids die every time, and I can't stop it. Can't get away from it. I try to gain a semblance of control over and over, but I always remember that I'm on the ship with Nagisa, and it comes back. Sleep is not merciful enough to come. Down in the galley I have no notion of the passage of time. Physical and metal exhaustion hit me, and I don't want to move. I don't want to be found. Let me become part of the ship, and take me away so I don't have to worry about this anymore. I can hear myself speaking, but it sounds like I am speaking through wool
“Those eyes. So small, so still. Why were they there! They should not have been!”
Death stands before me, winged and ready to carry me out. But after blinking away the fog of my mind, I find it is once again Melfina, come to remove me from the past that haunts me. I pour all of my energy into not shaking in place, exhaustion is the only thing I can feel. Not able to string two words together, any inquires pushed upon me I reply with bare grunts. She tells me something about landing, and leaves to go up. Marda and I are still down below when the ship bucks like a wild horse. My muscles are so loose that I just wobble in place, instead of being thrown about. Marda simply jumps at the right time, and goes from the bottom of the ladder, to the top. I am not sure if she did that on purpose, or just a happy accident. For all I know I just blacked out again, and she climbed up the stairs. Maybe I'll ask her later.
As we pull into the harbor, I notice a large dragon standing in the middle of the town, unmoving. Wondering why, or how there is a dragon here, I finally notice that it is made of wood. Neat. And weird. I must have been staring at it as Marda pops up next to me, and explains that it is the Festival of the Midnight Dragon. I have no idea what that means. As we leave the ship I hear the rest of the group talking, but I don't really make out what they are saying. A nice guard tells us about something called the # rivers tavern. He says something about breakfast, but I could have sworn that it was the afternoon. Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure what day it is. I hope this breakfast place has beds.
Taking mittens and the horses to the local temple of Kusco, we drop them at the stables. Marda and Melfina point us to the one of the largest buildings in the town, and we start to head over. The local populace seems to be getting ready for some festival, but I don't remember what it is called. No one seems threatening though.
We make it to wherever the ladies are taking us, and I see that it is a large Inn, probably where we can stay the night. I hope they have good breakfasts. We go inside, and I sit down, making sure to hold a table. A double staircase, one of each side of the dinning area goes up to the second floor, and a pair of furry points appear just over the bar. Eventually I see that the proprietress is a rabbitfolk, something I had only heard about. I think. I feel like that is something I knew. It seems normal enough. There are others around, scampering to and fro with trays of food, and no one else is being bothered by it. I guess these folk are pretty cool about things like that. Wasn't there a dragon out near the harbor?
Soup bowls are brought out by a shorter rabbitfolk. Huh, maybe a juvenile. A sweet honey tasting drink is placed before me, and I drink it down with the soup, and eat the bowl. Oh, it was made of bread. I head up to our room, and before I pass out I think about this broken hammer I had. I can't remember how it broke, but I think I decided I should just forge myself a new one......
Shouts. Yelling. Before my eyes are even open I grab frantically for my axe, and find that it isn't where I normally leave it. I scrabble for something to defend myself as I try to get out of my bed. Disoriented, I finally get out of bed clutching something heavy, and try to get my bearings. I”m not in my room, and judging from the chamber pot in my hand, I”ll have to find something else to defend myself.
As my head finally clears from the grogginess, I realize that it isn't the shouts of battle, but the shouts of laughter, and yelling for more singing and merriment. I sit back down on the bed and try to figure out what has happened the last few days. I don't remember much about where we are, something about a dragon, and someone asking me about fixing a hammer. We stopped at an Inn, there was a meal of some sort, soup I think. Looking out the window, I can see that it is dark out, yet many people still mill about in the streets below, and I remember a festival of some sorts going on. I do not know where the others in my party are, and the room we have seems to have been set up for all of us, as some of their packs are here. I guess the only thing to do is go out and see if I can find the common room.
I find the common room with little problems, just follow the roaring laughter. Finding the great crowd of people here, I can see Melfina standing out from everyone else. A curious look on her face, it is obvious to a casual glance that she has no wish to talk with the strangers around her, or really even notices them at all. When I come upon her she tells me the group had all received news from different sources that all add up to bad news.
Aurane had gone to his local temple to find any news that could be found. Marda and Melfina had also gone to find any news of the woods. As it turns out, The Ravenswood, our destination, has been affected by some sort of unnatural blight, rotting away the very trees, and small parties going into the woods have not returned. Unnatural beasts have been told to roam about, but normal wildlife has also grown scarce. Well, we knew that there was something wrong in the woods, we just need to figure out what is causing it.
It seems that everyone else has gone out to enjoy the festival, and If we want to get back together Melfina and I are going to have to go out and find them. While Melfina doesn't really want to go out, she says we should stick together, and see what the city has to offer. As we go out into the night, many of the same things from Cherwood are seen here. Buskers call and sing, vendors display their wares. Cries of enjoyment, screams of laughter, and Clashes of wheels on cobbles fill the air with their cacophonous noise. The sky above is filled with a large dragon effigy, and I now remember seeing it as we came into town.
As we get closer to the large dragon, I can see that the city guard are allowed to have a good time, but don't appear to be drinking, which is only proper. People with hand drawn carts are ready to take people home who have had too much to get there themselves. I stop and ask one of the cart pullers as to what the festival is about. Apparently, the town had at one point angered a copper dragon many years ago. While angered, the dragon had destroyed part of the town in retribution, then flown off. While the town was attempting to rebuild, and Goliath tribe had come down to raid the remains. As they saw the town in ruins, they decided to help rebuild. Over the years, the tribe still raided, but it seemed more a formality than anything else. Offerings were left out, and eventually some of the giant kin even settled, the guard captain being one of their descendants.
Once we had heard the reason behind the festival, and wanting to get good seats for the lighting of this giant dragon, we find a place to watch. The others find us and we chat about the goings on in town, and what lays ahead of us. My thoughts linger back to the story of the festival, and I wonder how much of it is really true. How much do stories grow? How much have the stories grown about the Legion? And how do they grown like that? I wonder what the people here tell passersby, and children of what goes on around this area.
I didn't notice one of the locals had been gawking at me. Holding a torch, and looking like he wants to say something, I look at him. Before I can open my mouth he sputters out something about coming with him, and grabs my wrist, pulling me forward to some official looking person. As it turns out, the torch bearer had brought me before the Mayor, who asks if I can breath Fire. Saying that I can, I am then asked if I would participate in this years festival, and help light the effigy when the music stops. Sort of caught up in the moment, with oodles of people watching, I don't really think about it. I stammer out an affirmative, and everyone seems happy about it. Taking my place near the base of the massive dragon, I have only a few moments before the music will stop. I don't really breathe fire in front of a lot of people, and when I do, not all of them make it out alive. Well, Tonight at least I can make this event special enough for stories to be told, for these fold to be able to remember this night. I can feel the fire building up in my chest, but not a fire of anger, or need. A flame of excitement. A Burning exhilaration. As the music stops, I yell out, “This is why we are legends!!”
A gout of dull red heat spits out of my maw, bursting into bright orange flame when it hits the surface of the dragon. Brilliant light burning the darkness away, heating the air around us. I can feel the hunger of the fire, and the jubilation from the crowd behind me as the festival reaches the climax.
We sit and watch the fire burn, the fire captivating the mind for a brief amount of time. Rorin and Melfina seem distracted by something, but I can't tell what they are looking at. Rorin expresses some interest at going and getting more to drink, and I offer to go with him since I have only recently woken up. As the night goes on, so does Rorin. I finally drag him off to our room in the early morning hours, where he is muttering about seeing a couple dragon tattoos, and even some Arch tattoos, one of them apparently on the Mayor. As we settle down for a bit of rest, some of us far ahead of the others in that respect, I wonder about how all this ties together, and what may lay ahead of us in the forest. Does the Mayor know about the attack Cherwood or the bards? How deep in the bards business is Mayor Shanon anyway? I only hope that nothing happens while we are in the forest. A nice place like this should be allowed peace. I try to get a bit more sleep before we decide to leave, and for once, nothing plaques my dreams.
Chapter 18 The Wild Blue Yonder
Rorin comes to my shop almost 2 weeks after the execution. We all had been working hard to get ready to leave for our trip, and he tells me that Holden Cockswell may have a way we can travel much faster to where we want to go. He wants me to go with him out to Cockswell's complex outside the city, going on about lost technology and the plans I had shown Holden. Not really sure what Rorin was talking about, I agree to go out with him, and after a brief carriage ride, we arrive at the massive area that Holden had taken for his work site.
It is no wonder that Holden had chosen to work outside the city. The various buildings he had required for his work were massive, along with the sheer amount of people working for him. And now that I look around at the people working, I am somewhat surprised to see Tieflings, Halflings, and some of the other races that are rarer in the city working here, including the only other dragonborn I know in the city, Mag Bronzescale. I have seen her around town, but we never walked the same circles, and she keeps to herself, like I do. Although, looking over at her, I should really change that. The only thing I know about her is that she is a follower of Lord Terrance. I recall now, standing among his workers, that Holden always was a guy who would help out those looked down upon by the majority of the city. Not much was mentioned about him, but from what I have seen he has been pretty good.
Oliver meets us as we walk through the grounds, greets us, and guides us over to where Holden is working, and I can finally see Holden in his prime. In his own space, working on a project. People approaching him, him quickly gives instructions, and goes right back to what he was working on. And what a thing he is working on! A massive arched roof spans over a single work building, and inside I can see a Ship of all things. The middle support for the sails has been removed, and as I get closer to the building, I can see a large canvas sail of some sort has been put in it's place, held in place by ropes tied to the side. It looks, almost like there is air or something trapped inside the canvas, as it seems to be inflated. I'm not sure why a giant canvas bag would be put in place of the normal propulsion of the ship, or why exactly the ship is so far from any water but they say genius mixes with madness. Standing so close, I can see that the ship appears to be floating a foot or so off the ground, and the ropes that are tied to the ground are holding the ship in place, not holding it up as I had previously thought. While Holden is working, Oliver is free to tell us that with help of the plans I showed Holden, the fabled Airships have once again come into being, where magic was once used, science now takes it's place. Something about a lighter than air gas, and how fire does not mix well. I guess I will have to be careful about breathing to hard while on board. There will be a test flight soon, going over to Rivertown, and we are welcome to come along, as it will drastically shorten our trip.
As I look over a Holden, I slowly remember a man built very much like he is, a Knight, who came into my shop some 15 years ago, and bought a suit of armor that I had worked very hard on. This armor was a piece like none I have ever created before, I had worked on it for most of a year, starting with just a breast plate, and moving out from there. Made to be decorative, yet functional, it had sat in my shop as just an example piece, as our shop had not yet worked may large jobs yet. When it was finally purchased, a knight had come in, asked for the price, and without pause bought it. After two days of fine adjustments to make sure it would fit him properly, he left with the armor. That had helped the shop blossom into what we had now. Wasn't Holden's dad a knight or something like that? Could it really have been him father? I will have to ask him, or maybe Oliver.
Holden comes over, and thanks me for the plans for this, going on about how Elon had discovered the real secret to this accomplishment, and spent the next 10 minutes telling me about how Orcs use tea candles to make small floating balloons, and how that discovery lead to what he had been looking for for several years of research. Not entirely sure what he was talking about, I just let him go on happily. Honestly, seeing him so excited about something for so long, and letting him talk about something he so obviously enjoys, I can let him talk about it while I marvel at the creation.
With the reinvention of the airship, this will change everything. Overland trade will change from caravans, to villages having airship docks. Prices of goods will change. Armies will be able to move much faster, drop troops off faster, ambush targets easier. Any force that was faster than their opponent will have an advantage, and flight was a different thing altogether. This discovery will mean great things, but it will lead to terrible tragedies as well. Care needs to be taken.
Dwelling in my own mind, I didn't immediately notice an Elf, one of the oldest I have ever seen, coming towards us. Holden introduces us to Gayle Wales, who is going to be the pilot for the ship. Learning that Gayle was a pilot for the airships when they ran off magic, she knows how to control them, and is probably the best qualified for the job. As we exchange pleasantries, a halfling man approaches us, and I do a double take. Ageless eyes, blonde curly hair he seems familiar, but I can't place him, a face that bounces off the surface of my memory. He introduces himself as Nagisa, the chemical engineer. I ask him jokingly about what happens if there is a fire on board, and he exclaims “Fire Extinguishers!” seeing the puzzled look on my face, he pulls out a vial, and with a wicked grin launches it at the ground, and a thick foam quickly covers the ground for about 10 feet around us. Including on my feet. It is not a pleasant feeling. Holden, quickly calling for sand, and spreading it around when it shortly arrives, seems to be used to this odd occurrence, and tells us not to mix any of this with water for a couple minutes after this happens. I am going to have to be very careful to not use any fire on this ship, for fear of this little man coming and throwing foam at me, or the ship blowing up. Great.
As we take our leave from the complex, Oliver is kind enough to walk us out, and inform us that it seems to be rather cold up in the sky, what with the biting wind, and warmer clothing should be taken into consideration. I immateriality make the mental note to pack my winter coat that goes over my breastplate. The last thing we are told, is that the council, and temple heads know about this project, and of course the Sanctum, but Not the General public. In my opinion, that is a very good thing for now. That Will change, but I won't be the one to spill the beans.
On the Day we are to leave for our trip, we had decided to meet at Rorin's estate in the morning, then head over to Holden's complex. Aurane and I walked over together, and as the group all mounted up, before we could leave the stables, A large dark carriage pulled by Giant sheep pulls into the front of the manor, and a dwarven woman climbs out of it, in the most wondrous armor I have ever seen. The grace and style of the craftsmanship is like nothing I have witnessed, and I feel like I have been a child beating a scraps for all the work I have done. A battle axe of equal beauty, double blades gleaming in the morning light, is grasped like a deadly cane in her hands, blades down pommel supporting her layered hands. Too stunned by the armor, I don't catch much of what is said between her and Rorin, but I gather that her name is Ophelia Firebrand, she and Rorin were at some point a part of an arranged marriage, and that may or may not be happening still. She is from a city in the frostfire mountains, and has been traveling to stay this winter here in Cherwood. She had gathered that we are about to leave on a trip, and has told us that she is going to go stay with Madam Whitcraft, the poor thing. Aurane and I exchange glances, as we both have heard the name. Whitcraft is a very wealthy family here in town, and the Widow Whitcraft has not been seen outside her estate his Lord Whitcraft passed away some time ago. Well. It seems she is going to have some company besides her many servants.
As Ophelia departs, our group, including a cook and a groom from Rorin's employ head out to Holden's complex. Cool air, and a strong breeze reminds us that it will be even colder up in the air. After stowing the mounts in the hold, we all went back up to the deck of the ship to watch the skeleton crew make ready the airship. The ropes that hold us on the ground are let loose, and sails are raised on the sides of the great balloon, a Steam powered rudder on the back of the ship is free of any restraints, and is tested to make sure it works properly, a great rumbling noise coming from within the ship, moving the rear fin-like structure back and forth. Seeing that everything works properly, we get higher and higher into the sky, which is a very jarring experience. Trying not to look down at the city getting smaller and smaller, the breeze turned into a harsh wind, cold and bitter. I tighten my coat up against me, trying to ward off the shivering I'm sure will start any second now, and some of it not from being cold. As I turn from the railing, a great yowling cry comes up from the bowels of the ship, a horrible cry of a creature that is being tortured by some unimaginable mental break. Mittens, as it turns out, is Not enjoying this motion, and is attempting to let everyone in the world know that. Not having anything that I need to do on the ship, I head down to the area we had put him to try to comfort him somehow. Marda comes down after me, as she too has made at least some sort of bond with him. As we spend time comforting him, Marda thinks it may be a good idea to set up a hammock down here to spend the night nearby.
As evening approaches, Watches have to be kept, and the minimal crew would gladly take some help in the night. Being asked to go up above the balloon and keep watch at the top of the ship, I gladly tell them I will watch the back of the boat. As I take my position, I have a bit of trouble at first when looking down, as while it is dark, I can still make out some of the land far below, but I figure out that if I stand back from the railing, and look out on the horizon, it isn't so bad. Seeing the moonlight off the far landscape looks kinda nice really. I could enjoy that scene for a while. There seems to be some sort of nocturnal bird following us though. I wonder if there is a bird that is good luck for airships, like the Albatross is for sea fairing sailors. Wait... now that I think about it, I shouldn't be able to see anything up here as dark as it is, unless it would be bigger....isn't there some sort of large bird? Goc? Moc?
I turn back to it, and it is one hundred feet away, the giant beast with a wingspan larger than the boat, I cry out “Up axes and clear the fields!! Danger!!” and in a panic lose two eldritch bolts at it before crouching down behind the railing, while nearly shitting my pants. I have just made myself a target for this thing, but really it could just tear into the balloon and send us all down to our death. Or it could swoop down, pick anyone up, and there would be nothing we could do about it. I also just called everyone on the ship who is going to respond to danger to me. Crap. Turning and looking, I see Melfina, who was up in the front of the ship, dash down the ladder, speed across the deck, and nearly teleports up the stairs to my deck new dagger spinning on the end of it's chain. She gets there just in time to have the monstrosity come in and rake her with it's claws. The massive talons slide along the metal, cutting into it, and finding areas where it could puncture into her, attempting to lift her into the air. She manages just barely to wiggle out of the talons before it can take her away. The bird then turned, and drove it's beak at my chest, denting it and knocking the wind out of me.
Aurane must have heard me, as I can hear him calling out to his god, and a bolt of divine energy hits our target, and briefly illuminates it. Using my own divine energy from nature around me, I focus on the Roc, and I feel that I can hit it just a little harder now. With the help of my magic, and the divine light from Aurane, I am able to push myself and slice into it several times with my axe as Melfina reaches up to touch it, pulsing out a necrotic wave from her touch, causing one of the talons to wither. Backing off from the spell, she flicks out her dagger, slicing into the body with the wicked virgin blade. As the blood flies out from the dagger wound, she mutters a quick word, and her own wounds knit back together, the blood on her wriggling and flowing to stop a couple of the smaller wounds. I can barely see past the gargantuan feet, but I see in the chaos that Rorin has appeared, then another image of him, then only one again. The Roc, injured and angry, tries to eat the poor Dwarf, beak open wide, and the beak goes clean through him, and into the deck below, causing a good amount of damage, and leaving behind what turned out to be an illusion of our wily companion. Taking advantage of the monsters confusion, a great yowl comes up from below, and Marda appears on the back of mittens, swords drawn, and as the cat leaps up onto the crowded deck, she leaps up to swipe at the feathered fiend, slicing into it, cutting off feathers, and digging into the meat of the wings. The specter from the turtle looms out of the deck itself, coming up from below the creature, and is briefly illuminated by a tremendous flash of a lightning bolt from Aurane. The bolt smites the bird squarely on the chest, and as it shrieks out in pain, the specter tears silently into it, leaving black dead gore behind. Laying into it again, opposite Melfina, who simply raises a hand. A flash of sickly energy darts from her hand and the head of the creature rocks back, the skin withering, feathers falling out. The skin continues to dry out, cracking as the weight of the feathers themselves pull on the skin underneath, which cannot support even that light of a weight. The body falls onto the deck, and just crumbles and tears, coming apart in pieces. I expect blood to be oozing out, but only dust comes out, as if the corpse had been dead for a long time now. Some of us scramble to grab the feathers, I just make a casual swipe and grab two before they are blown off the airship.
Mittens has managed to tear one of the feet off, maybe before the spell had fully taken effect of that part, and is viciously tearing into it, growling at anyone who dares to come too near. Not wanting him to scare off the crew, should should be doing something, I try to comfort him, and he slowly lets me closer. Gayle comes up, apparently the crew was not going to be fighting anything we come across, and I ask Why there are no weapons aboard. It wasn't thought of, and would make a good suggestion. A suggestion box would also be a good suggestion. Melfina is looking a bit worn out, and while she heals herself for a little, I give her some healing as well. I still feel like I owe her for bringing me back to life, and while I did help her at the tower, Healing is one thing. What she did is beyond me. Getting comfortable against mittens, I sit and try to stay awake so no one will bother him. The soft fur on the side of his chest may be a bit too cozy, as I drift into a tranquil sleep.
I wake up very snug and warm, and everything seemed to be vibrating ever so slightly. Opening my eyes, I come to find that Mittens, the magical mystery murder kitten, has come to curl up around me, and seems to be very pleased about his current situation. The few crew working around us seem to be giving us a wide berth, making sure not do disrupt the huge deadly creature, not to mention the moorbounder. Carefully getting up, I head down to the main deck to try and find some food, when I come across Nagisa. Sitting along the side of the ship, he looks up at me, and I know where I have seen him. Standing in the street, kids dying with arrows in them, and people rushing out to see what has caused the commotion. Now standing out in that horrible memory, stands a single halfling, a witness to a horrible crime. Pulling my self back to the airship, I can see that Nagisa has not aged a day. I can feel a panic attack coming in, and I rush down into the hold to try to find something to base my consciousness to here and now, to not loose myself to my own horrible mind.
Over the next few days, I struggle to keep together in the presence of the ageless halfling. I busy myself with the task of going over all of my inventory, but I find myself wandering back to that memory, only to realize several hours later that I have been polishing the same item for that whole time. With only the distraction of the moorbounder to keep me busy, I start to miss the calming effect my shop has had on me. With only brief forays up to the deck, I am convinced that I will go insane, or suffocate before we get to Rivertown. While passing the Incantori mountain range, I can swear that I saw Elladamrial's face in the mist, but when I look again it is gone. That day we had favorable winds, but it could have all been a coincidence. It could have been.
As the trip lengthens, I wonder about my shop, and the city, and what could happen while we are gone. It's not like we could stop anything drastic that could happen there, but being with them if it happened would have been a more comforting thought. We will just have to get this all taken care of as fast as we can so we can get back to those we care about, before anything has a chance to happen.
Chapter 17 Politicos and executions
I find myself back at the forge where I met the old woman. Where I met Daja. She is not there this time, just the forge itself. No tools or projects lay in the forge, just the Fire. But as I watch, The fire gets smaller, and smaller, and I get the feeling from somewhere that I am the one to keep this fire going, and if I do not, the will be extinguished. I try to feed the flames, try to keep it alight so I can continue my work, but darkness takes me, and I wake up panting.
Putting my dreams behind me, I get up and get dressed for the day. As a representative of the Cerulean sanctum, I feel obligated to look y best, even if I don't want to be at an execution, So I pull out my old Army uniform, the one for semi-formal occasions, and make usre all my buckles are straight, armor polished as usual, and weapons sitting properly. Rorin has arranged to pick Aurane and I up, so when he arrives I get in. On the way to Aurane, I tell Rorin about my dream, and how worried I was about it. I don't really want to go to the temple about it, as they will want to ask questions about me, and Rorin has more station, he should talk to them about it. The last time I wanted to talk to them, I had to ask 3 questions which really caught me off guard, it was a bad time. Aurane climbs in to the carriage at the end of my request, and I fill him in on the dream. He says that he too was having odd and ominous dreams. Great more problems.
Before we can get into that any further, We arrive at the military fort, and a makeshift arena that has been set up. Guards stand post around the area, and as we enter we can see that all of the Guild leaders and heads of Temples are here as well. Dove Grayson, the head of the town militia, is also there, and looking absolutely exhausted, almost defeated, but pulling ahead by sheer force of will. Something I have seen before. I don't see anyone I don't recognize, meaning I don't see Vandrin, our mystery witch hunter. Curious. Someone must know what they look like. Most everyone is already seated, wearing somber expressions, a serious time for a serious occasion.
Coming up to the assembled heads of state from behind, I am able to observe them for a time before I must get into the crowd. I can see Garnet is here, With Holden Cockswell, and his assistant Oliver. People are giving sympathetic glances over to them, but upon closer looks, some of the glances are with different emotions. Indifference from Gromley, and Ravenswood looks like he has better things do do, reading paperwork in the early light. Although, he does have a good amount of work to do, fixing up everything that was damaged in the attack, and riot afterwards. Others, like the High priests of Zits and Lord Terrance are looking are Garnet as if she was a pile of filth someone had just told them to move, And Lady Lavender is not looking at Garnet at all, and is instead talking with Master Steeldust. I can't see what they are talking about from here, and wanting to talk with Holden anyway, I walk over to the empty seats around Holden and Garnet, and start talking with Holden about the modified crossbow plans. He seems to perk up a bit, and looses track of what we are here for. I can see Oliver being a bit appreciative of that, as really Holden is out of place in this situation. Over his shoulder, I can see that Lady Lavender is still talking with Steeldust, and reading her lips, I can see that she is using some disgusting language talking about the Bard's guild, and how they should not be allowed to exist. That woman is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. It appears that Steeldust does not want to be a part of this conversation however, as he shortly gets up and talks to someone else.
Melfina had come over to sit in the middle, muttering something about getting a good view, and Aurane had gone over to check in with Lady Constance and Lady Diligence. I take the chance to whisper to Melfina What I noticed from Lady Lavender, then everyone grows quiet as six guards, three in front, and three behind, guide Warrenthall into the arena. Seeing enough of this type of thing, I don't need to watch the dead man, so I watch the crowd instead. All of the major power in the town is here, or nearly so, and whoever is behind some of the things happening in town should also be here. They as Warrenthall for any last words, and I glance his way, but nothing came out of his mouth. For a second I had thought he was looking for someone in the crowd, but looking back at those gathered there, I gleaned nothing, and heard the Snik of the blade, and a thump, and the deed was done. A loose end, and a local high ranking member of the Crimson dragons gone. But who benefits the most from it?
With Warrenthall dead, the council and temple leaders get up to leave, and while we could take the time to talk to them, it just doesn't seem the time, not do I know what I would say. Silence fills the arena behind us, Silence is the only thing we will get for the answers we need, and one of the people leaving has those answers.
We spend two weeks getting ready to leave for Ravenswood. In that time I am able to finish the commissions that were set up during the festival, and teach Leona a good bit of the trade. I could have gotten work done a bit faster on my own, but it wouldn't have been nearly as fun. Max is able to complete the daggers for Melfina, complete with chains from my design. She should be able to reach much farther, than normal with them now, and they are very fine quality. Rorin was able to get our supplies together in good time, and he ran a tremendous fundraising event for local public works, to rebuild from the damage. Aurane was able to get most everything done, but had some problems with the pricing. Due to the damages, raw materials went way up in price, and I was lucky enough to already have what I needed in stock.
Marda and Melfina were able to volunteer with the militia and do some patrols, and we all decided that they should also see into the information we had gathered, see if anything connects. Marda, working near the docks, found the sailors to be less than thrilled about any bards moving in to town. A good amount of bards used to be sailors, keeping the crew entertained, while also working on the ship. But with talent, comes price, and eventually the performing sailors didn't want to work, just entertain. Dead weight on a ship. A rift had grown between them.
Melfina, on the other hand, was able to follow Lady Lavender around, learning her routines. She lives in the uppity part of town, and at several points she had tried to approach Lord Ravenswood. He made every attempt to avoid her, clearly not wanting anything to do with her. Is that corruption seeking it's own kind, and being rebuked, or is Lord Ravenswood on the up and up? When she goes to talk with Gormely however, he seems to tolerate her. Not sure what to make of that. He may just be looking to play some pranks, and not caring who he pulls them on. Or he may be into what she is offering. I'm not sure what accountants could do, but I wouldn't want to mess with the hunters guild. That could be bad news. Melfina also saw her talking with the Leaders of the temple of Zits, something about organizing the dismissal of the Bards guild altogether. We are going to have to make good time getting to the forest and back to make sure nothing else happens before we get back.
With the acquisition of Mittens the magical murder mystery kitten, and all of our supplies, we are set to head off I worry about what may happened while we are gone, but we need to take care of what is happening to Marda and Melfina's home forest. It will be good to see what all is going on in the world again, and see what else can be done.
Chapter 16 Answers that make more questions
I awoke to the aromas of Pancakes and eggs. Bacon brought that distinct smokey scent that is different that any other smell in the shop, and for a few minutes I was able to just lay there and not worry about anything but the wonderful way my bed felt, and the coming meal that would taste better than most before it. Willing myself out of bed, I dress, and stubble out into the work area of the shop. Dani is there, with Max just finishing setting out breakfast, Leona joins us and we sit to eat. Blessing murmured to the gods, we eat, and I pull out of my pocket the letter in which Lilith had given me. I had completely forgotten about it until last night when we had seen her, and Max had run off. Well, Walked off. If he had run of, there would have been a easy path of destruction to follow. When Max reaches out for the letter, and keep a grip on it and make sure he really wants it. When I let go, and he reads it, various emotions cross over his face. Looks of deep thought, then concern cross his face, and he smirks as he folds it back up, to place in his own pocket.
Looking to Dani, I tell her that her tower is very effective, and I can practically feel my head still rings. Looking at me stunned, she pokes me to make sure I am still here, and not some phantasm. I also tell her that her friends have escaped the city using the means of the guild, and the tower has some very interesting features. A very guarded look came over her face, and I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I simply wanted to let her know that her people were safe, but she seemed to be... Angry? Maybe alarmed? I can't tell.
She asks Max for some privacy, and he leaves the table. I expect her to start yelling at me, but when I hear her, it is in my head. Lips not moving, she is just sitting there, looking at me with such a fierce gaze I am worried she is wondering how best to kill me. In fact, I don't think she has to think about it, she probably knows already. She asks me in this strange new way if Lilith had shown us the bottom of the tower, and after struggling for a second I Think I respond. I'm not really sure what thoughts she can hear or read, or just has knowledge of. I”m not sure if she could understand what I was thinking about, and I quickly try to focus on the conversation at hand, and not the piercing eyes, or any other... features.
I ask her what she is going to do now, and she says that she has to report back to her people and check in on them. I ask if there is anymore information about the attack, and if she needs anything to let me know. I am aware of various ways she can talk to us without being there. She gets ready to leave the shop, beckoning her Accordion to her, and it floats over to her as she exits. I clean up the dishes thinking about just how much power I just witnessed. Deciding that I can think about that while working, I clean up, and set some stock to heating in the fire. There is work to be done.
Breathing easy, and with the steady rhythm of the hammer, Leona and I slowly shape the first bar stock, and we leave each other to our thoughts. Dani has a good amount of power, and she was just casually throwing it around. I used to hunt people like that. I didn't enjoy it, I was getting paid for it, but it was something that was just done. But now that I have talked with them, eaten with them, cared about their safety... Hmm. And they do have a good amount of power. Frightening really. Those men outside the tower died with no chance to do anything. Fear of that kind of raw output, unchecked and controlled. That is what leads people to launching an attack like last night. And I felt that power. It rocked us to the core, even knocked one of us out. Is it better that those with that kind of power are away from the general public? One person without the control needed could kill hundreds. But, Dani and her friends are just trying to get by, and to be attacked for just trying to scratch out a living. And those who have a small amount of power, scared to use it should someone they know turn on them. And what about me? These powers that I have been blessed with now, do I have to worry about people fearing me? Am I putting Leona and Max in danger? Why do we differentiate between divine power and power from within?
I realized that I have stopped hammering, and Leona is giving me a weird look. Telling her that this metal is reacting odd, I set it aside, and reach for new stock. The order is for a Manica, or the armor for only the shoulder and arm. Kinda odd to want just that piece, but for what they are paying, It will be the best. As I start bending over the bit for the vambrace, I can't help but try to think about who is bending the ear of those we have stood against. The kidnappings, the murder of a guild leader, and the attack last night. We were told that the leaders of the accountants, infrastructure and the Hunters guilds were a bunch of shifty bastards. And While we have been active, we have been trailing behind the motivations the entire time. We can investigate things further by asking the mushroom folk in the sewers, and by asking Holden Cockswell, or really his assistant, what was going on in the steam guild, maybe they were angering someone by what they were doing. Maybe infrastructure didn't want things to change, and steam guild was pushing too hard? Yeah right.
I work while I think, and get a whole project done, and start on a second when I hear a wet meaty thump against a wall of my shop. It startled me out of rhythm and my thoughts, I started looking around, as do Leona and Max, and a small winged... creature flies up to sit on a window sill in the wall where the noise came from. At First I think it is some sort of bird of prey, but the longer I look at it, the more I see that there are characteristics of the creature that make it look more like a pigeon. It looks like some insane being has decided to mix a falcon, or similar bird of prey, with a pigeon, and created this monstrosity. The hideousness of this poor creature has caused me to nearly miss the message strapped to the creature altogether. I take the message of the bird, and it starts to flutter and hop onto my table, just generally causing a ruckus. Reading the message, it is from Melfina. She is asking where I am, and requesting me to come over to the estate. I hurriedly scrawl a message out, telling them that I will start heading over, grad the grotesque bird, attach the message, and chuck the infernal thing out my window. I'm not sure where Rorin got the thing, but it flies just like a rock, and bounces off the ground before it takes to the air again.
Doning my armor, and grabbing my weapons, I tell Max and Leona where I am going, and head out across the city. Destroyed carts, and charred buildings shows the damage from the previous night. I would bet that most of the carts had nothing at all to do with what the attackers were doing last night. Like the destruction in the residential area last night, and the people trying to attack the estate, I get the feeling that these were just crimes of opportunity, and innocent people lost livelihoods because of it. It is going to take some time to clear this all out, and I can see that people have already started, but an air of mistrust is also in the air.
Getting over to the estate, I can hear Marda singing in one of the rooms, and Aurane is bent over one of the tables working on paperwork. He is looking a little disheveled, and I remember him saying he was going to get up early and go inquire about what happened with the guards. When I find Melfina she looks tired as well, as if she had been up all night. We all gather together back in the room with Aurane, and we go over what the others have found. Aurane says that he stopped by the city guards barracks, and found that they would not give him a whole lot of details, but they would be releasing a statement soon. Really they are still trying to figure out what had happened when he was there. As we are going over this, a special delivery shows up at the estate for us, a dispatch stating that the second in command, a one Jake Warrenthall was captured as one of the traitors, and will be executed in the morning. After reading this, Melfina, Aurane and Rorin would all like to talk to him, but before we can do that, we need to go see the Marquis. We get ready, and head over to the Sanctum.
When we get there, the usual monks guarding the gate are there, and I jokingly wave to them. Once waves back before he catches himself, then he quickly goes back to his job of guarding the gate. As we enter and head to the office of the Marquis, there is a stoic looking Halfling, in a slightly different garb than the rest of the guards, waiting outside the closed door of the Marquis' office. Older, Salt and pepper hair, an insignia of a higher class then the normal monks, Marda says he is Jericho Rockfoot, a Guardian Hunter Monk, and if the Marquis wasn't in, this is the guy we would be talking to. We tell him that we have been summoned here, and he tells us that we will be able to go in once the Marquis is done with their meeting. Rorin tries to get in using his station in the city, and as it fails, I decide to try out one of my new powers, and, muttering something under my breathe, an imaginary bat starts flying above his head. I have no idea how long that will last, but about five minutes later when the door opens, it is still there. The people leaving the office are unknown to us, and Aurane whispers to us they they are all members of the city Inquisitors, and Melfina says the others are the Sanctum's internal investigators.
As we are waved into the office, I notice that all the files the Marquis normally kept out for references are gone. Not put away somewhere, but Gone. The rest of the office looks disheveled, as if Platoons had been marching in and out of it for a few days. The couch has a slept on look, and the Marquis looks like he had been doing the sleeping. He mutters something about a rough night, and a rough festival. Apparently they had increased security as well but that didn't work very well for them. They tell us that we are going to be sitting in on the execution as representatives of the sanctum and some of the city factions. I'm not sure why they would choose Me for this, but I suspect something more may come from this, and I want to be there to help if that is the case. There seems to be a lot more anti-bard sentiment than was thought, and people can be touchy. I know that folks like Max and I are really only tolerated, and we tend to keep to ourselves, or regular contacts which suits us just fine. I have always liked the same food at the same stores anyway, I don't need to go out and try the next brand new thing.
A knock comes from the door, and the Marquis straightens their attire. Jericho presents us with a message from a falcon, saying that we are going to need written authorization to interview Warrenthall. We are immediately gives said authorization, they tell us that Warrenthall is being kept in the military post on the East side of town. They are aware that many members of the old Crimson Dragons faction was rehired as City guards, and we are to find out what we can of the other members, and where they are. The head of the Witch Hunters guild, a “Vandrin” needs to also be looked into. When asked about this mysterious person, we aren't even given a description, as very very few people know what they actually look like. Apparently this person isn't seen much publicly. Vandrin probably isn't an old member of the Crimson Dragons, nor should most of the city militia, but Warrenthall should be able to give us some information. Apparently he hired a good amount of people, and all of them are suspected now. We also need to find out how many temples are involved, and what land owners. Really, how far down does the hatred for magic users spread. Some of the old Crimson Dragons did not take up arms, and have not been detained, but are under guard, and none of the prisoners are in the current Witch hunters Guild. Marda and I decide we can talk to the retired Crimsom dragons, while Melfina, Rorin and Aurane talk to Warrenthall.
We head over to the fort, and decide that I will lead the talking the retired Crimson Dragons, while Marda will try to act tough. While the three others head to the Prison, Marda and I head to the holding cells, where we find a fair amount of older retired military personnel, most of which would have outranked me when they retired. Gnomes, Halflings and Older Humans are the vast majority, but One old elf in particular seems more talkative than the rest. Most of the people here didn't want to be witch hunters, and don't like the current Crimson dragons. The older Elf says that he doesn't mind current day casters, but what he did when he was in was for the greater good. Casters during the war were bad news, and the casters today are not even close to what it was like. None of the folk here have been active in the last fifty years, and really they are only under guard to make sure they aren't involved. It is remarkable that an Elf is anti magic, as most of their race can cast minor things nearly from birth.
Meeting back up at the front gate, we tell the others that we didn't really find out anything, but the others did get some information from Warrenthall. Not as much as they wanted, but some. No one knows who the faction leader is, and most of his orders come in the form of dreams. A dwarf named Ronald Rump got him started from the Tipsy Tavern. He knows nothing about Vandrin. He was sent a list of what duties to put his people on, and those people had their own duties they were told about in secret. He had seen members of some church groups at events, and even some Council Members, like Lavender Thatcher, the Leader of the Accounting Guild. Priests form the temple of Zits was another. Apparently he did a lot of despicable things, and Melfina did something to him to the point where Aurane had to heal him to keep him alive.
As we get back to the sanctum Poor Jericho is still there, looking as if he has aged a couple years, and hasn't slept during those years. When we all get into the office, Melfina slaps down a pair of human testicles, and starts ranting about what Warrenthall had done before the Crimson Dragons. All vile things, all morally bankrupt. I'm surprised he got away with them in the Dragons, as If he had been in my unit we would have just killed him and left his body for the gnolls. The Marquis takes one look at the organs on his desk, pulls out some clear liquid in a bottle, drinks some of it, and pours some on the slimy pile on the desk. I ask for a sample of that liquid, and wow, does it burn. And Burn it does. He lights the balls on fire, and once they are out mutters about needing a new desk. They dismiss us, telling us that the execution is at dawn, and we head out of the sanctum back to my shop.
A large wagon near my shop had come in with the rest of the festival goers. A woolly bovine creature stands nearby, and an old woman sits behind a small table. If she was standing, and not stooped over, she would be very tall, at least as tall as I am. A small pig is sitting near her, and the whole scene is just out of place in the city, but it also seems very practiced, and comfortable, as if anything different would be wrong. Wrapped in shawls, a voice comes out from her, and she introduces herself as Madame Xihroni. She introduces us to Sven, her yak, and Boris her little pig. Asking if we have come for fortunes or wishes, we all look at each other, and I say that we have come for fortunes. Not sure really what to do, and since I brought everyone over, I figured I would go first. Putting one card down she looks up and tells me through the cards that she turns over that I am ethical and hard working, and that I have come into new power, but my potential is not fully unlocked. With the final card, she says that tough times are ahead, but they will be followed by public celebration. I'm not really sure how she knows all that just from some paper cards, but there have been more mystical things happen recently, so I take it as is. I hope the celebration won't be too public, and I don't have to stand in front of people. Sure, it would bring more customers to the store, but I have never really been that popular with everyone.
She is also offering a reading on one question, and while the others get their fortunes read, I try to think of something to ask. I don't really want to be caught off guard like I was yesterday at the temple. Once I think of one, I wait for everyone to get fortunes, and I sit in front of her again. “Are the Crimson Dragons being used as a Pawn to get us looking somewhere else?” She thinks long and hard, pulls the first card, and it is the Queen of Hearts. They are not a ruse, and they are a source of inspiration for the masses. That's rather unsettling, as a massive group like that would just fuel more violence, and cause more problems.
With all of our questions answered, and fortunes read, she stands up, and tells us that there is a corruption in the forest, and here in the city, and while we are not powerful enough to deal with the powers in the city. Turning her wrist, she shows us the Arch tattoo very similar to the arch we have seen. Those of us who are strong in faith should bring our most pious drinks to the Ravenswood, as we may find corruption in nature itself, and she finishes stating that she is going to take her caravan elsewhere, most likely to see us again at some point.
I wonder what Marda is thinking, as she was living in the Ravenswood, and now there are problems there too. I guess we are just going to have to look into going there, but first, we have to watch someone die, and it seems that some of us are going to enjoy this more than others. I just wonder how the guards are going to feel with me being fully armed and armored. At least one person is going to die tomorrow, I want to make sure that those that are supposed to live do.
Chapter 15 Headaches.
The cacophonous blast echos off the walls of the buildings and the city, and slowly fades, replaced by the cries of the wounded, and the moans of the dying. I look about and see six people with various injuries, and a final seventh who lies dead. Using the new talents that Daja has given me, I point to the two in most danger, a warmth coming back to the cold skin, and bring them back from the brink of death. Getting up out of cover, I go over and heal two others while Aurane heals the rest. Flesh is joined back together, much like a new weld. I am too busy to see what Melfina is doing to the dead, but knowing her, it has something to do with Blood. Quickly gathering together, we all decide to head over to the main stage that Aurane has built, as he says that Dani was supposed to perform there tonight. I was about to just go over there without my gear, but Aurane wanted to go to his shop and get his armor on. While I want to say I go with him so he is not all alone right now, He makes a valid point that we should be ready for anything tonight, and gear would help that. We tell the others to be careful, and they head for the stage, while we head for our shops.
Making our way there, we don't come across any more injured folk, but panic has definitely taking the city. Small groups of people are running this way and that, People are asking what is going on, and vendor carts are in various states of disarray. Some are on their sides, some are abandoned, some, the vendors are trying to gather everything together and leave. As Aurane and I near our shops, we split up and I tell him to meet me at my shop.
Max and Leona aren't there, and I can only wonder about where they are. Hoping they are OK, I rush into my room, and tear my Vest off it's stand, Inserting the metal plate back into it, I secure the straps, and tighten it all up before closing the pocket in the vest where it sits. I should really just keep the damn plate in there if I am going to keep needing it, just force of habit that I left it out. Throwing on the bandolier that holds my axes. By the time I slip the last hand axe into it's sheath, I am going out the door and Aurane is walking up to the shop. I lock the door again, and we head off to the stage, passing mayhem in the streets once again. The one thing we do not see is the city guard, but I am sure they have their hands full somewhere else.
The scene at the stage is carnage. No one I recognize is there, Dani or the rest of the group, and it is hard to discern what has happened here. Bodies lay about the stage, and at first glance, I can't figure out how some of them died. A few are fairly obvious, as one is missing a head, and others look like they had been chewed on by several small creatures. Then Aurane points over to a couple of bodies behind the stage, and I can see evidence of Melfina's work. A horrible, necrotic blight have taken a chunk out of one of them, the other has been splashed by some sort of liquid, blood dripping from ears and eyes. Aurane is able to find a trail of blood that leads back to the direction of the shops, and we follow it, still not seeing any guards. Not sure about the condition of any of our allies, we follow the trail hurriedly, and we find ourselves standing in front of my shop again. Opening the door, expecting to need to heal my companions of whatever wounds they had endured, I find instead Dani sitting in Max's cushioned chair, Marda and Melfina standing to a man bound to one of my dining chairs, and Leona is serving tea to Rorin who is sitting on my bellows stool.
I stand in the doorway, mouth open, and wave of relief spreading over me, and I move aside to let Aurane see. As we both enter my shop, Max comes in from his room, once again wearing his armor, ready for anything as usual. I notice a goblin, sitting behind Dani, absolutely festooned with jars and bottles, some have liquids, some have possibly dead animals, and one looks to have bees it it. I ask allowed why there is a goblin in my shop, and in an unfamiliar accent, he answers that his name is Jerkytin, and that we can call him Jerry. He is apparently an alchemist, and was called in to make the show more spectacular. Dani tells us that the Bard's guild had called in some reinforcements after getting info there may be an attack on the guild. She didn't imagine that any attacking force would dare attack the innocent people themselves. Now that we are all together again, we can get down to what all happened. Melfina says that most, if not all of the assailants had Red Dragon tattoos, and Dani tells us that the Crimson Dragon is nearly as large as the undertow, and are mostly Mercenaries and sometimes they are employed by cities. A good amount of the people come from dawn's reach. There are really a lot of casters in the world, most of them with so little talent they can get by without being noticed, and that they are just trying to live normal lives. Stronger casters are taken by the undertow, sometimes with help of the bard's guild, to live in other places. Worried that if someone attacked Dani, they may also be trying to attack the Babblebrook Inn, I tell the others we should go check it out. Humming a small tune into her tea, Dani closes her eyes while the rest of us are getting ready to go. Before any of us can even start to turn, She somehow talks with Bridgett, and apparently gets a response telling us that the Inn is fine. I knew bards could do magic, but it is a little odd to see it this close. No holy symbols, no asking some divine entity for power. It just happens.
As we have a captive, and I have seen enough of what happens when we try to interrogate people, I pull Leona out of the shop, and we wait outside. I can tell that she has been frazzled by tonight, and I quietly talk to her, trying to calm her down, and telling her that she has made amazing progress. She should be able to help me design and make the buckler for Aurane. Right as she opens her mouth to say something, My whole shop shakes, an incredibly loud voice coming from within. I open the door, see Rorin and Melfina staring each other down, and without even asking what that was about I simply say, “Don't. Ruin. My. Shop.” Closing the door, I get back to Leona. I don't want her to be afraid of anything, and she is old enough to be embarrassed by any coddling I would want to give her. On the other hand, I was told to protect her, and teach her. All these damn problems that keep popping up are getting in the way of that. Where was the damn city guard?! This isn't some story book, where some silly heroes have to save the world. People are dying.
Aurane opens the door and gestures for us to come back in. The man, whoever he is, is unconscious in the chair, and I get filled in on what we learned from him. He was drinking at the tipsy tavern in Dawn's Reach when he was recruited. Some sort of pass phrase, “The Dawn is bright, The Night Approaches”. Bunch of drivel if you ask me. Marda says the Crimson Dragons was probably looking for expendable people, and I am agreeing with her. This guy looks like he can swing a sword, but may not be able to hit anything besides a target dummy. Dani says that while the bard's guild isn't official, they do have an old guard tower over near the Ashforge estate. Aurane goes to find some mode of transportation so we can get over there, and comes back inside a few moments later with a Falcon for Rorin. The Estate is under attack, and the residential district is on Fire. Leona, getting into her armor, is ready to leave, and not wanting her to be in danger, I ask her and Max to stay here and guard the prisoner, and more Importantly, Dani. She agrees, giving me an unreadable look, and we make sure they will be OK before we leave, climbing into rickshaws and racing across the city.
On the way over, Melfina and Marda compliment each other on the various tactics and spells they used. Apparently, Rorin caused a large sphere of darkness, like the one in his house, and raced up and dragged Dani out of Harm's way, then punched the crap out of anyone who dared get close enough. Melfina meanwhile had sprouted her bone wings, and honestly, I'm glad I missed that. IT was down right terrifying the first time, and after everything else tonight, it would have kept me up. She also summoned her floating scythe, and those little bone demons that rip into people. That would explain some of the carnage. Melfina does compliment Marda on the decapitation, and continues to describe it in detail, how Marda went around, dealing slashes and cuts, then trying to stop someone by hooking them with her blade. It stopped him all right. The blade hooked around his neck, and the opposing forces removed the head. One of the last fellows alive was hit by the necromantic blight that helped us find the trail.
We pull up to the estate gates, rioters trying to get through to the manor house. As if throwing things from his hands, the gate is suddenly aflame, and Melfina adds to the chaos by clutching her holy symbol, quickly telling everyone to leave. They scatter. These people must have just been taking advantage of the lack of city guard and the destruction to try to steal things. As the last of the dregs run away, the fire around the gate vanishes, as if it were never there, and Rorin rushes up the the door to make sure the staff are safe. Garfield tells him that all should be well, and we get back into the rickshaws, to get to the tower.
Maybe a Dozen men are standing around the tower, dressed much like our captive back at the shop. I ready myself for battle, but notice a small figure come out onto the guard tower's balcony. The diminutive form starts to sing, and while I am to far away to understand the words, it seems a mournful lament of a song. We are all transfixed by that lone performer, singing her song from that tower, When a wave of energy pulses out from the base of the \tower. A visible ring, expanding outward, coming towards all of us. It reaches us, and the worst pain I have ever felt ruptures into my head. I nearly black out from the pain, falling to my knees with nearly everyone else. Melfina drops, unmoving. Spike tumbles dead out of the harness, killed by the shock wave. I quickly crawl over to Melfina, her pulse fading. Somehow gathering the wits to concentrate enough, I am able to Heal her. Pulling her from the clutches of death. I see the assailants, those who would have attacked the tower, all dead. Some, they eyes have ruptured, all with blood coming from ears and nose. It is then that I notice blood dripping from my snout. I didn't even know that could happen...
Marda is sitting on the ground, cradling her small pseudodragon's body, who also succumbed the the pulse. The limp body of my distant cousin looks so insignificant in even her small arms. I can't hear her crying, not sure if the ringing in my ears is stopping that, or if the crying is silent. The door at the bottom of the tower opens, and an Elf walks out, unhurried by the recent events. Stepping up to Marda, she grabs the tiny dragon from her arms, and humming a tune, Sora stirs in her arms. The small lizard perks up almost instantly, and coils around the neck of the Elf I had met while on the way to the tunnel. Lilith. The others told me her name was Lilith. She bends, and brings life back to Spike, who immediately tucks into his shell. Getting to my feet, I ask if the tower is going to do that again, because if it is, I would like to leave. She says it won't, but we should go inside. Melfina is clutching her turtle, and praying over it, and when done, seems a little troubled, but satisfied, and we all walk into the interior of the tower, noting that fortifications have been improved upon, adding new ones, and strengthening old ones. Garnet, the diminutive elderly gnome woman in charge or the guild is walking down interior steps, and once she reaches the bottom, she apologizes to us, saying that the chant had already started when she saw us, and it could not be stopped. Stopping to touch both Aurane and Melfina, some vitality comes back into them, and she looks at us all very seriously and tells us that water will help. Lilith wants to show us some room, and while Garnet doesn't agree at first, she reluctantly agrees. Lilith says that what we are about to learn to put us all in danger, that we can't tell anyone that is in the immediate company. This info cannot go to the sanctum, or the City Council, or Max or Garfield. Aurane backs out, saying that he cannot choose to know something he may or may not have to tell people, and instead of risking it, he would prefer not to know.
Lilith takes the rest of us into the tower, and Down, Far Far underneath. We walk down stairs for 10, maybe 20 minutes (definitely not looking forward to going back up those stairs. Behind secret shelves, and hidden passages, and finally we reach a large Circular chamber, with many intricate sigils in circular patterns all within one larger circle. Lilith explains that when a street musician gets too good and develops some magical ability, or some sorcerer has too much talent to hide anymore, they are able to get those people out of the city by using this circle. It will teleport them away, somewhere safe. Most of the people have already been moved out of the city by way of this circle, and only a few remain at the tower and the Inn. Rorin asks Lilith what is stopping us from telling Aurane, and I am too lost in thought to catch the answer she gives him. I try to think of what this means to us, and as far as I can tell, It doesn't mean anything to us at this time. We can't use it, We don't have any control over it, and at the moment, I happen to like most of the people who control it. If we find someone that needs help, we can tell Lilith, Bridgett, Garnet, or Dani, and if we need shelter, we only need to find the nearest Arch, and we can get places like the secluded tower we stayed in between the Hydra fights.
We go back up through the passages and stairs, and Aurane and Garnet wait for us at the top. On the way back up, I tell Lilith that we have a prisoner at my shop, being watched by Max. They were talking about the strange behavior of the guards, and it turns out that most of the guards were kept inside the barracks, and there was a large group of turncoats in the guards themselves who are in the Crimson Dragons. Lilith wants to do a sweep of the city, and wants to get the prisoner and see Max. Aurane is upset by the turncoat guards, and wants to go hunt them as traitors to the city, but we all decide to go back to the shop. We are stopped by Guards a couple times, but Aurane is able to get them to leave us alone.
We get close to the Shop, and Max sees us waving in greeting, but his face changes when he sees Lilith, and he just walks off. I look in to see how Leona is doing, and she is just batting at the captives head, almost fascinated by how it bobs around. I try to go after Max, but I can't seem to figure out where he has gone. By the time I get back to the shop, Lilith is ready to go with the prisoner, and leaves. Dani, asleep in Max's chair, is going to be spending the night. I briefly wish I had cleaned the shop better, but... that would have taken weeks. Aurane tells us that he will sleep tomorrow, and get a report of what rogue guards are left in the morning. But he will be going after them. After drinking some water, I collapse in my bed, drained of energy, and weary from the long day.
Chapter 14, The Night The Sky Lit Up
Back in the city! With the returning of Mittens, it seems that the only thing left to do is report the status of the mission. It seems like ages since we were gone, and at one point, I may never have been able to come back. The sound of the carts, and the hawkers peddling wares. The citizens going about daily tasks, and town criers announcing the news of the city. More carts than usual were in the city, and announcements of the Harvest festival explain why the city seems more busy. It may have also been the fact that we were away, and in such a small group for a couple weeks, but I really notice just how many people are here. I may have never been able to see all this again, and now with this Mark on my chest, I am not entirely sure what these visions mean. I will have to make a time to talk to High priestess Hearthforge, let her examine the mark, see if there are any answers she can give me. She is the leader of the temple to Daja right? She should be able to decipher the cryptic messages I have gotten so far. The festival may not start yet for another day, but already ale and food carts are selling their specialties, making what profit they can. As we weave through the city to the Cerulean Sanctum, Marda mentions that she wants to find someone selling Pumpkin ale, so I guess I better start looking. There are so many carts, one of them has to be selling it. Closer to the Sanctum we find a cart that seems to be less busy, and we pause for the moment needed to get the desired beverage. This close to the sanctum I start to notice more and more of the monks from the sanctum are out around the grounds, acting a security. Every year, people try to get onto the Sanctum Grounds, and every year the monks have to keep them away, not really interested in festival goers.
As we approach the gates, I can see some of the monks noticing us, rolling their eyes and sighing. I swear, you come up covered in grim and gore once, and they don't take you seriously anymore. Good grief. We are ushered in, and to the office of the Marquee, where the door stands open. Instead of waiting for someone to show us in, Melfina just continues in, and the rest of us follow.
Priestess Hearthforge and Priestess Diligence are also sitting inside the Marquee's office, and apparently they had been together to discuss if there was any news of us. Now that we are here, we can tell them all ourselves. Acknowledging our presence, they inquire about our travels, and about the Hydra. As we produce the blood and teeth from the slain Hydra, they both ask about buying the harvested parts. Melfina with reasonably part with 5 teeth, (at 50 gold each!) but she is not willing to give up any of the blood. After that deal was made, we tell them of Odathwyrm, and the mysterious shapeshifter, of which we were not able to recover anything from the bodies. I can sense some disappointment from that last fact, Although I'm not sure if it comes from my companions, the people we report to, or from myself. The marquee mentions something of a reward, and as they go to fetch it, I politely ask High priestess Umbra if I could talk to her before we all go our own ways. The Marquee brings in a small chest, and we are given a Platinum piece, a diamond we are told is worth about 300 gold, and one much larger. And wrapped in paper, away from the other things, is a vial of black and yellow liquid, which has separated. We are told that these have been recovered, and tested, and that if we were to shake the vial, then trow it, the mixture will explode if exposed to air. We all look at each other, and promptly decide not to give it to Rorin. He may have given some halfhearted protests, but I am already thinking of several alchemists we could talk to, and possibly recreate this potion if we needed to. I can see that Aurane is also going over contacts in his head, and without saying anything, a simple eye contact is all we need to be on the same page.
With nothing else needed to talk about, I ask Umbra to a corner of the room, and ask her to look at the Brand that has shown up on my Chest. I have a feeling that Daja is wanting something more of me, but I don't understand what it could be. I wanted to know if Umbra has seen any markings similar to mine, as she is after all the one who is supposed to be in charge of the temple, and the one who speaks for Daja. Running her fingers over the brand, and clutching her holy symbol, she mutters something, but evidently whatever she was trying didn't work, as a crease appeared upon her brow, and she asks me to come by the temple, and see her in the office tomorrow morning for a ritual at first light. I can over hear Aurane talking the Diligence, inquiring if an acolyte was able to do their duties, and she responded yes, they were. So, Elon's body is still secure.
As we divvy up who will carry what reward, With Aurane and Melfina getting a diamond, Marda getting the potion, and Rorin the platinum, we are told that there will be a ceremony for Holden, as he will be taking over the inventors guild, and then there will be a very public funeral for Elon tusk. Walking out of the office, I wonder what will come of the plans that Aurane has for the body if there is a funeral. As we go out the doors of the sanctum, there seems to be a small fracas coming from the grounds as some vendors have been trying to set up on sanctum grounds, and the guards are trying to get them to leave. We all decide to head to our respective homes, and I ask Melfina if she would like to come talk to Max about her custom Knife. We head out the front gate, and the ladies are given something from the gatekeepers. Must be some sort of pass to get back onto sanctum grounds freely during the festival. As the guards are out in full force, it would just make things easier.
More carts full of food and wares are out, people who have been gathering merchandise for this have come out in full force, Most if not all completely oblivious to how dangerous it was just over 2 weeks ago. Had we not caught those responsible for the kidnappings the surge of people would have provided many more people to take. Just like fishing, they would have simply had to wait in an alley somewhere. Well. At least we stopped them.
Out near where our regular cart sits, with cinnamon roles and cool tea, I see a strange wagon, not nearly as large as Holden's mobile cottage, but still something large enough that people would live in this wagon, or more properly out of. A sign, bearing the name Madame Xaroni's Fortune telling. Wishing more than anything to see Max and Leona, I turn into the open doors of the shop, and put the wagon out of my mind for now.
The smell of the forge, which has been growing steadily now, over takes any of the good odors from the food vendors. Home. Order. That is what it smells like. Black soot, matted in fur, rubbed into scales and covering handles of tools is the proper decoration for me, not blood. One is the stuff of creation, of remaking, of progress, and is easily cleaned off. The other, the stuff of Chaos. Loss. Pain. Destruction. And while it can be cleaned, cannot be removed. It stains whatever it touches.
Max and Leona are both there, to my delight, and they both give me a greeting. I set the glaive down in the corner, and take off my axes, then walk over to each of them, and give them a Big hug in turn. It seems to surprise them both, and While Max takes it gracefully, I can sense that Leona is a bit embarrassed about it. Not wanting to show anything on her face, she takes the time to fetch a large sack. Setting it on the table on top of all the tools, it jingles slightly as she opens it, and she proudly displays all the nails she has made. I pat her on the shoulder and tell her they it is a fine job, and her pride shows on her face. Max asks me about his blanket, and Laughing, I thank him for it, and offer it back. He declines, and says I can keep it for a bit, just in case I need it. I hope that I will not, but it is better to keep the blade sharp and not cut anything with it, than let it rust and need to use it. He tells me that the shop had been very busy in the time I have been gone, several commissions have been ordered, most of which I need to work on, but a good amount of the orders are from the festival activities.
I tell Max that I have something for him, and I grab the glaive out of the corner. He looks at it for a second, looking at the craftsmanship, then suddenly the recognition of the work, the blade. He notices that it is his work, and says that he can fix it up, and asks where I found it. Telling him that I found it on a gnoll, he is understandably not happy about it. Asking about the rest of the trip, I tell him about the destruction we found at the camp, but I keep the shapeshifter and Odathwyrm out of it. And I tell him that I died. That sorta killed the mood real fast. A look of concern and confusion came upon Leona's face, Max's unreadable. I didn't want to go into a lot of detail, but I tell them of the first battle with the Hydra, and the fact that Melfina was somehow able to bring me back. I leave out Daja, as I am still unsure as to how that is working for me. I tell them of the killing of the Hydra at it's lair under the mountain, and How Melfina has acquired some of the teeth, and what projects we could work on that with. I gesture to Melfina, who up until this point has been standing awkwardly in the shadows. As Max and I talk with Melfina, we start getting into the design of the project. For this I would make a weapon. Someone Who I know would use that weapon for good, and if need be, I could take that weapon away if they started using it the wrong way. Or at least I can try.
We really get into talking about a design, and what I have thought up. Max wants to use a stronger metal than what we have readily available. Something from the moon metal that falls from the heavens above. I would have been perfectly happy with using regular metal, but he will be the one making it, and he always wants the best for projects he gets into. Before Melfina leaves, I offer to quickly look over her gear, but she says nothing is amiss, so when she takes her leave, I quickly put away my gear and get to work.
I get absorbed into working the metal, shaping it both hot and cold. Leona is able to Hold the larger pieces for me, and it allows me to explain my workings. She has heard most of it before, but I find it soothing to talk through my regular workings. When not helping me, she is working the bellows for Max. We get back into the rhythm of working together easily, and it really shows how much Leona has absorbed. Even our various ticks we have, she will adjust grip on tools when we do, turn metal before we ask, and seemingly read our minds when we need a different hammer. Any time she would want to start her own commissions, I would happily approve. She just needs the confidence to ask. I go to bed tired and sore, but it is a familiar welcome pain.
In the morning, I head to the temple before dawn, the predawn glow illuminating the sky and the city in ways I don't normally see. At this time I would be getting breakfast ready, or still asleep. Arriving at the temple, I can hear the workings going on even at this time, but not with the fervor I normally would hear at a later time. I wonder if these workings are from the previous night, or someone getting up even earlier than me. An acolyte meets me in the main hall, and takes me to Umbra's office, which has been rearranged. The furniture is all pushed against the walls, and dwarven runes have been marked onto the floor. Telling me to sit in the runic circle, she told to be ready to ask three questions of Daja. Absolutely flummoxed at her instructions, I wasn't sure what to say. After a few minutes of quick, nervous, panicking contemplation, I told her I was ready. With a quick snap of her fingers, the incense around the circle flared to life. Pouring water onto the ground, she quickly chants in dwarven, and gestures for me to ask my questions. I speak out into the smoke.
“Do you have a higher purpose for me?” An anvil rings out across my mind, and something in me tells me that is a positive answer. “will I grow stronger with your help?” another Anvil ring, another positive answer. “Is the Undertow growing corrupt?” This time, a dull thunk, more of a bad strike, or metal too hot. No.
Umbra murmurs that she finds the answers interesting, and that she hasn't heard the name of the Undertow for a long time. It only occurs to me then that she was the conduit for that. Maybe I should have worded the questions a bit different. No matter. She was the one who sent me on this mission in the first place. She gets up off the floor, and tells me to help her out all of her furniture back. After her office is cleaned and put back the way she likes it, I am dismissed. I feel somewhat foolish I didn't think of better questions. Something that could have really helped me. Caught off guard like that, I asked what came to mind first. Shaking my head, I make my way back to the shop, planning on making breakfast for the others, and looking forward to spending time with them today. I need to get some work done too.
Breakfast of eggs and sausages followed by a day of solid working. Festival goers come into the shop, some asking fro proper work, and some not sure what a proper custom piece is worth. Someone tried to offer me 5 gold for a months worth of work, and only after the smoke started rising from my nostrils did Max shoo him away. A couple hours into the afternoon, I let Leona go to enjoy the festival, telling her to come back at dinner time, and we can all get something together. I get more work done on my projects, and Melfina comes over to tell us that the others want to have a meeting at the estate later tonight, and I tell her I will be there.
One of the customers we had today was just finishing up some sort of fried stick of meat, and after telling Leona about it, we all wish to find this strange delicacy so we head out into the festival on the way to Rorin's estate. More meat carts than I remember line each road. Ale wagons, trinkets, baubles, and all sorts of knickknacks are being sold, and Leona's curiosity makes it so she wants to see them all. Max stops for a moment, and finds a book of Mazes that he gets really excited about. Like, happier than I have seen him in a while.
While we have been distracted a little, it was really nice to enjoy the day working then with my odd little family. But because of our detours, it seems that the rest of the group have found the Fried meat sticks already. Marda may even be on her third. I notice Rorin finishing one, and the stick that was in his hand vanishes. I may never know how he does that. Max instantly buys four of them, and thinking he got some for Leona, I watch in amazement how he eats two of them before I can blink. They are pretty good.
Not wanting them to be bored while we talk, I tell Max and Leona to walk around and enjoy themselves for a bit. Sending Garfield away for the night, we all gather in a sitting room to talk. Melfina says that she has been going around the city, and has noticed more than normal foot traffic coming from the Babblebrook inn, and how Marda has a match coming up in the fighting tourney. I try to speak of the additional traffic at the inn, but no sounds come out. In fact, I can't hear any sound at all. I look to the others, and with a slight grin on his face, Rorin wiggles his fingers, and darkness envelops everything. Not being able to see anything, or shout an alarm, I try to get up and navigate my way out. Blindly searching for the door, I run my knee painfully into a hard object. Running my hands over it, I find it to be a table. Picking it up and throwing it out of my way in pain fueled anger, I have no idea where it hit. I slowly find my way out of the room, feeling past furniture and into the hallway when suddenly the Darkness vanishes into brilliant light, and I blink a few times looking around. Rorin, leaving the sitting room, completely naked, and very hairy, cheerfully tells me he is going to bed, and leaves us for the night. I go back in and finish my thought, reminding every one that the owner of the Babblebrook is part of the undertow, and they may just have a wealth of information with the city jam packed with everyone here. A whisper goes through my mind, and I think of Dani playing to this huge crowd, how she would probably enjoy that, and we all decide to send a message, by way of Melfina and Marda, to see what is happening there. Max and Leona come to get me, and we all head out to enjoy the festival together. We find out that Dani is not playing tonight, but I may be able to see her tomorrow night if I can find the time.
In the morning I awake, not as early as the previous day, but still up To hear a Loud explosion go off in the direction of the square. The concussion hard enough to shake the large wooden doors of the shop, it wakes the other up, and I tell Max to get the gear out in case we need it, and I go to find out what happened. A small cloud of dust still hangs in the air around an area where people have gathered. I certainly wasn't the first one to get here, and Healers are already on the scene making sure no one has any lasting injuries. I see that Aurane has already arrived, and I go over to greet him. It seems that some of the fireworks for tonight have had a mishap, and that no one was hurt. I ask If this is a common thing, and they reasure me that everything is going fine. As the rest of the group shows up, we swiftly head back, tell Max that everything is fine, and we head to the fighting pits to see Marda's first fight.
Marda is joined in the pit with a human member of the city guard, Cassandra Bitterspire. Wielding a great axe, Cassandra and Marda meet up in the center of the ring, and Marda is first to hit. She goes in for a quick tripping attack, hooking the sword behind the leg of her opponent, and pulling the leg from under her. As she falls two swipes from the swords lick in to the guard, and she tries to dance away, but a wild swing from her prone opponent hits her in the side. The metal dance continues, Marda's swiftness too much for the guard's large axe. The skill of both fighters is incredible, and the weapon knowledge they each possess allows them to block abnormal techniques, But Marda's Unique swords, and the way she uses the hooks on the end, she is able to take her opponent down. Healers rush in to make sure there is not lasting damage, and the first fight is done and over with. I take my leave, and go back to do some work in the shop before the next bout.
Although not fighting myself, I rush back to the arena after working for an hour and a half. I want to cheer on Marda for her next fight. It turns out that her next opponent is a Woodelf named Guinevere L'ora. With another greataxe. Once again, Marda tries to use speed to her advantage, but something is different about this fighter. After taking two hits, they give off no reaction, and this may have thrown Marda off, as she misses the third swing. Then it is their turn. With a mighty swing of the great axe, I can now see Why the attacks didn't seem to phase Marda's opponent. They simply didn't feel it. A berserker, I have seen these type fight once or twice before, and they were a fright to behold. Not caring for pain, or even feeling most of it, they will take blow after blow, and be able to give it right back and then some. I'm sure Marda sees this, and she is trying to dance her way around this woodelf, but eventually the blows from that greataxe are just too much. To our dismay, she goes down, and the Clerics rush in to heal the damage.
We all go and get fry pies of various filing to lift our spirits, and go to find the games section of the festival. Marda, Aurane and I go to a people tossing game, and While we get Marda pretty far, we don't do well enough to win an prize. The annual Arm wrestling tournament is on, and While I can't use my right arm, (they don't find that joke funny anymore) I can still use the left, Rorin and Aurane also get into the contest, and the First round I go in against Rorin. I guess Something has happened, maybe I'm just too tired from work yesterday and today, but Rorin pins my arm after a long bout, and he advances to the next round.
Rorin goes out in the next round, but Aurane keeps going and going, and eventually he gets to the final round. He gets second doing very well all around, and he gets a voucher to the Aftermath cafe, where we all go to get some drinks. While not being able to do everything I had wanted today, it just feels like time flew by while we were having fun and enjoying our time together. Joking in between rounds, exploring various mystery foods, drinking ales, and enjoying the street performers, juggling swords, breathing fire, and doing slight of hand tricks. Maybe I should become a performer. I can do all of that too right?
We sit at the bar of the cafe for a few hours, and I am content enough to just enjoy it. While out on the trail, you have to worry about wild beast, or ambushes from those wanting to take our things. Now, with every one enjoying the festival, it is nice to just sit back and relax with people you have fought with, traveled with, and kept watch together. We stay at the cafe long enough for the fireworks to start, we start hearing explosions, and waiting to see the fireworks, but instead of the large colorful flowers normally expected, we see a Large image of a dragon, a bright crimson against the night sky, and my heart starts beating a bit faster. That symbol is known to be that of a group of mage hunters who were disbanded from the cruel deeds they did to those who could cast spells. As the image fades from the sky, everyone standing around looking at the sky, drak dots start flying through the air, and people cry out just in time for some to take shelter from the rain of arrows falling from the sky. We are able to take cover, but other are pierced through by the shafts, and as we run out to help them we find notes rolled around the arrows. Taking one of the notes, Rorin reads allowed, “You traitorous bastards! How could you let the bards come into our city, while we fought and died for you!”
Chapter 13 The Long and Winding Road
We Walked out of the tunnel entrance. I had half expected, when walking in, that we would be running out of that opening, maybe even not coming out. One of us almost didn't. Melfina had collected up her blood, and her teeth, and any other souvenirs had been stowed, and we had simply got up, and walked out. Looking a bit closer at the teeth, they could maybe be used as a decorative handle for a knife or dagger, or perhaps as a defensive additive to something. As the light of the day once again hit us, I closed my eyes for the briefest of moments, just to feel the light. We didn't have any more leads as to what had led up to a shapeshifter posing as Elon. It makes sense as to why, to get information, and be in a place of some sort of power, but what was all behind this? Maybe something can be found in the main tent.
We head over to where the fake Elon had set up his tent, and where all the main plans should be for the entire project. The tent itself has been damaged, some of the tent poles have been snapped, and there are tears in the material. The inside is a mess. Papers strewn about, all the boxes and chests smashed by the hydra. We are able to pick through the carnage of plans and specialized tools, and I manage to find some sort of plans. I can't really tell for sure what it is at a cursory glance, but I will find more time later to look. We did find baseline sketches as to what the plans are for the railroad, but nothing that appears to my mind as a critical plan for the project. We decide that maybe the remaining workers had taken them when they fled the camp. I am able to find various coins equaling to 30 gold, and paper vouchers for 50 more gold when we are able to get back into town, but nothing else. We head to where we had left our mounts, and gathering them and our remaining supplies together, we head back in the direction of the city.
We ride through the afternoon, our own thoughts occupying us, small talk was made, but nothing major, all of us weary from nearly losing Rorin, and my...event. As the evening comes closer, we find a clearing that we can find camp in, and we start setting things up. I try throwing my blanket up, trying desperately to find something to distract me when my eyes fall upon Spike. It seems that he was resting on Melfina's pack, and tried getting off, only to slide down, and land on his shell. I remember as kids that is how we would sometimes play, finding two turtles and trying to pick the one who would flip over first. My thoughts came back to the present, and the magical tent was once again in front of me, and I finally figured it out. Whimsy. I had to think of something whimsical to distract me, and that would make the tent spring to life. Thinking back on playing with the turtles, that wasn't a very nice thing to do, and sometimes kids don't really know better unfortunately. But that means I will have to find someone whimsical to think about. Maybe Aurane or Rorin? They have both done some odd things, but I don't know them very well. Melfina? No. I don't think she knows what the word whimsy means. I know nothing of Marda. And Spike... I think of spike and think of the specter looming above him, and that thought blocks all whimsy feeling out of my mind. We finish readying our camp, eat some leftover food from our supplies, and Marda and Rorin take the first watch. I head into the tent and grab some hot chocolate before going to my room. I glance at the door of unspeakable horror, and pass it as fast as I can without spilling my drink. I don't wish to dwell on the threshold of that door, lest it's essence disturb my slumber. I do still have dreams in the night, involving me throwing bolts of force or light at my enemies while telling my friends to get up, healing wounds with a gesture.
I wake up feeling warmer than usual, but I must have just been using too many blankets. Aurane and I get ready for our watch, and I grab my tools for my nightly ritual for cleaning my equipment. As Aurane and I get situated and settled for the last watch, I get my tools out and go over everything, making sure to clear the blade of my weapons for any nicks that may have been done during battle. I ask him about his fighting style, and if he has thought about doing anything differently. A large two handed maul sits next to him, and I remember some of the warriors I have known. Some of them have used a hand and a half sword with a small shield or buckler which would still allow them use of the second hand while providing a bit more protection. He seems to like the idea, so we talk about that for a little while. Finishing the work on my gear, I offer to go over his Maul, see if there is any work that needs to be done with it. A Completely wooden hammer, not a whole lot of my metalworking skills can be used in this case, but any good crafter knows basic tool work. The handle is worn smooth, but still in fine condition. The head has a few splinters from use, but is from a solid stock, an is firmly secure. Lighter than any metal hammer would be of comparable size, it could probably be swung faster and easier, yet still do a tremendous amount of damage. I consider offering an upgrade to his weapon, but he seems fond of it, and it is serving him well. Returning it to him, we finish the watch by talking about how work has been for the both of us before we were called upon for the job, the early morning silence beyond the firelight oppressive to the attitude.
Once every one is awake, we get ready to continue our journey back. I feel stiff in the saddle. The last few days of adrenaline and fighting have caught up with me, and it seems that Rorin is also having trouble. Eventually we all agreed we needed to stop for nature's call, and we all dismounted and spread out a bit for privacy. Before I could get anything done, I heard Rorin give a shout. He was running away from where he had been standing, without even taking the time to do up his trousers, and crying something about peeing on the wrong thing!
I draw my axe, and take a step towards him, but I can't see what he is being attacked by. I try to stay still to keep from attracting the attention of whatever it is. Marda comes over to where Rorin and Melfina are standing, and draws her swords. Melfina casts a spell at.. whatever it is she sees. I have no idea what effect it could have had. Aurane has moved closer to the others and prepared his weapon as well. Rorin and Marda both attacked something, but due to undergrowth in the way I couldn't see anything. It looked like they were attacking the ground, even punching it really hard, but that would be silly. I draw my one of my hand axes, and stomp on the ground a couple of times just in case, but it doesn't seem to do anything. The wraith materializes out of spike, and swipes at the ground, which must have done something, but I need to get closer to see it. I start getting closer and Marda swipes at some sort of mound on the ground, but I still can't see what manner of beast she is attacking. I figured it can't hurt to throw my axe, but as I pull my arm back it starts to heat up a bit. My prosthetic arm is heating up. That distracts me, and I hurl my axe at the ground, and it nearly hits Marda. Whoops. Judging from the look she sends my way, she both noticed that, and did not appreciate it. I'll apologize after I figure out what is going on with my arm. As I stretch out my arm to look at it better, make sure nothing is on fire, I can see Melfina has spread more necrotic energy into the ground, just like she had with the Hydra, and Aurane has brought his Maul down into the ground, looking as if he is driving in a massive tent peg. As he pulls back, and She straightens back up, the ground follows her arm up, and before I can blink the ground simply opens up, and swallows her whole. Rorin, taken aback to see our compatriot disappear like that, strikes at the ground with his staff again. Hitting the forest floor around us, I see no reaction, but as he goes in for punches, I can see what has eaten our companion. It seems to be a large plant-like creature, one I haven't seen before. My arm, extended out, I try to focus on the force affecting my arm, and two blasts of force shoot out of my hand, and one of them slams into a nearby tree. The second one hits the mound that was attacking us and I can see that it did something to hurt it. I look down at my arm, to make sure there is no damage, surprised as I have never had it have this reaction to anything before. I need to get my head back into the fight. An odd mist is dissipating, and Spike, the turtle is sitting on the ground under the wraith, in said mist. Well, that is... special. I was thinking that it had been in the special sling in Melfina's equipment, somehow it had gotten out. Interesting. The wraith reaches down, and just... Rips apart the ground. As if it was paper. And sitting in a small, now open gooey pit, is Melfina, looking rather surprised at the chain of events that just happened in the last few seconds. I step forward and help her up, asking if she is OK. She stands up, covered in dirt and some sort of white plant goo, and states that she is fine. As I reach down to retrieve my thrown axe, I feel Rorin jump off my back, and he propelled himself towards Melifina. Before I can straighten up, I hear a smack, and find Rorin sprawled out on the ground, and Melfina stalking away. We get ready to head out, the goo slowly drying and hardening on Melfina, and as we ride on to find a campsite, the group once again turnes to small talk, then nothing. Finding a suitable site that we all agree upon, we set up camp, and me my blanket fort. Melfina goes in saying something about cleaning off, and I jokingly tell her not to get all the pillows dirty. I feel like the glare sent my way should have done at least as much damage as the blasts I created. Marda and I agree to take first watch, and I take out the plans I had found. It seems to be plans for a crossbow, but one that would be heavier and fire larger bolts than normal. I am not sure what sort of projectile would be required for this modification, but it does merit some further examination. We pas the watch telling stories about our times in the army, stories about goofy comrades and things we have seen. The sounds of nature, even in the night, can be heard, unlike last night, which was eerily silent. Our watch ends and we head to bed, ready for the next day.
More dreams come to me, but they are filled with mixed messages, showing me things I have never been able to do before. Next chance I get I may have to try to figure things out. In the morning we gather our things gather our mounts and head out. A peaceful ride, we don't encounter anyone else on the road, possibly because anyone heading to the worksite would be waiting to hear news of us. About mid morning we decide to stop and stretch the legs, give a break to the mounts. I get off mittens, and walk to the edge of the road, but before I can make it there, four large birds, beaks looking wicked sharp. Standing a little taller than me, they start advancing towards me.
Drawing my axe, I try to make myself as large as possible, and give off a loud shout, trying to scare the creatures off. Just wild creatures, I don't want to have to kill them if it isn't required, but I'm not sure what these things eat. Three of the four seems a little dissuaded by my atempt to scare them off, but the largest one is still coming closer. Before I can decide what to do, the Wraith comes forth and cleanly decapitates the one in the lead, a lighting bolt from my left, and Melfina from my right. The lightning instantly cooks one of the birds, Melfina grabs the closest bird to her, and deadly energy spears out from her hands and kills it. A large spiritual hammer materializes, and smashes down onto the last one, it's neck bending terribly in 4 places, and it drops lifeless, Aurane calling “Bonk” from behind me. I stand there, briefly shocked at what just happened. But it is done. The others start gathering any usable meat off the bodies and I look around from where the Birds had come from. I find a nest with 5 large eggs inside. Well. I guess we are going to have some new meal options. Hm.
We finish up what we intended to do here, and mount back up, and keep heading back in the direction of the city. Late afternoon we came across the front part of the long supply caravan. We continue on, trying to get to the middle where we can report our success to the leader of the caravan, or at least someone in charge. While passing by various laborers, I inquire about the people from the work camp that hopefully made it back. It turns out that they did, and in good health. We ride on to find the leader of the caravan, Aurane saying his name is Jericho Tinkerbottom. When we get to Jericho's tent a huge wagon, a cottage on wheels really, is sitting nearby. With no one around, or coming to greet us, Melfina gestures that we should go inside. When we walk in, we find Isabella, and a Human and a Tabaxi that we don't know. Before introductions can be made Melfina says the Hydra is dead. The three figures before us are pretty happy with that fact, and we are introduced to Holden Cockswell, the human, and his assistant Oliver Tabert. WE inquire about the owner of the large wheeled house out side, and come to find out it is Holden's home and workshop. Apparently he travels everywhere with it so he doesn't have to be far from his own space. In fact, even in this tent only a few feet away he seems a little anxious. The suggestion is made to confer with him insdie his... Domicile, and we make our way in. A cozy place, there seems to be rooms for both Oliver and Holden, and enough room to cook and work, seems to be an efficient style of doing things. Oliver offers us Tea or Beer, and while Melfina refuses both, I order tea for her, and while Oliver is busy pouring drinks, I tell her it is more for politeness than anything else, and she doesn't really have to drink it. I inquire about the projects that Holden has worked on, and he tells us he has worked together with Elon in the past, and knows about the major parts of the Railroad plan, but nothing of the smaller ideas. Holden seems distant and wooden, almost like he doesn't know how to talk with people. I try to get him out of his shell, and show him the plans I had found. His eyes lit up, and he started getting a little more energy, telling me that it is some sort of launcher, could probably be used for a grappling hook, (who would need a thing like this? Ha). I thank him for the information, and ask what needs to be done next. Instantly he goes back to the wooden state he was in before. The mountain just needs to be drilled out again, and that will allow the track to be laid down, and everything will be set. Melfina inquires to see if anyone else has been abducted from the city, but Holden and Oliver can't tell us anything as they live outside the city. Holden doesn't seem to have anything else he wants to tell us, and we can't think of anything to ask, so we head back to Isabella, and let her know the caravan can head out.
We spend the night with the safety in numbers of the caravan. Not wanting to show of any magical items, we decide to use normal tents. Aurane struggles a bit, and after some threats of divine anger, his tent is finally up. In the morning, most of the caravan is gone, most of them must have worked through the night in order to get everything ready.
The days following were rather uneventful other than our travels. We did manage to befriend a large firey bird, and possible 2 of it's offspring. It seemed to follow us through a few days travel, and at night some of us fed it. I was weary of it at first, but after the third day it didn't seem to want anything. I tried to communicate with it, but it didn't seem to respond in anyway that I could tell.
We pass through Smallville, and so far the folks that disappeared have not returned. Elana doesn't seem worried about them as much as she was. That night we find a bit of trouble. Just inside inside the pillow fort tent, Melfina, Aurane and I are getting ready for bed, drinking hot chocolate in the common room, and we hear some talking outside. We all head to the door, and over hear that some men are telling Marda and Rorin outside that they should join our campsite, and when refused, they press a bit harder. Melfina gets out of the tent, and I stay near the entrance. The new comers seem a bit taken aback by Melfina's appearance. I poke my head out, use a new found ability to extinguish their torch, and tell them to go away, They leave. This close to the city, they may be bandits taking advantage of people who can't defend themselves. During our watch Aurane and I don't see anything during our watch at all.
We finally get back to the city, and present our papers to get in. Taking Mittens back to PETA, I feel kinda bad leaving him. I can't afford to keep him right now, but I may want to visit him if I can. He was a good mount, and while nothing overly special happened between us, I spent the better part of two weeks with him. He was a good... big cat thing.
The next step we can take is to head over to the Cerulean Sanctum, and report back as to what we have found and killed. Maybe they will have some news for us too. We will have to find out.
Chapter 12: 10 heads are better than one.
He sits, wearing a resplendent robe, in a large chair, looking at us over a thick aged book, peering as if expecting an explanation. We stood rather dumbfounded for a small time, and I spoke up, apologizing for intruding in his house. Lowering his book, he looks at us square, and tells us he is expecting new recruits, that we were sent by someone named Evangeline, but we were not what he expected. Lilith? That same woman that gave me the letter for Max? Raising his hand, he reveals a mark on his arm, that same mark we were shown of the undertow. Does he mean that this Lilith sent us here to become part of the undertow? I have enough stock in the fire, I don't need more things to work on. Best to find out if we can stay here, and get done what we left the city to do. Aurane seems to have asked him a question, and I only catch the end of an answer, something about Lilith doing what she wants sometimes. He tells us to have a seat, and watch out for his sister, and we move on to the next room. A large statue of a woman, small spatters of dirt on her clothing, her eyes, hard, and glittering like agates. And, like me she was missing her Right arm. Who ever the sculptor was, this woman had meant a great amount to them, and the right arm had not fallen off the statue, but it had been sculpted without the arm. Rorin, Melfina and Aurane all sit, and I find a nice large two person couch, something that should be able to support my weight. Marda, not seeing a place to sit, looks over at me, and I pat the couch next to me. She walks over to me, and While adjusting to make room for her, she appeared before me, and in a fluid motion, dexterous as she was, and just sat down in my lap. A woman, small as a child, but a grown Halfling none the less, had just plunked herself down into my lap... I... wasn't really sure what to do. I decided just to leave her there, as it had been One hell of a day, and there were not any other chairs to sit.
I looked to our host, and asked for a name, and he responded his name was Elladamril. As he answers, he takes a small plant off of a shelf and sets it on the ground, a small budding fruit just coming out. The fruit must be for spike, but as I look, the small turtle is nowhere to be seen. I didn't even notice when he wandered off. Looking at all of us, he asks us who we work for, and if he should just kill us all right now. Oh. He said that, with no weapon in hand, but telling us just as Max would tell me that a buckle was loose, or that the sweet tea was ready. Almost with... anticipation. We quickly blurt out what we are doing here, I myself exclaiming that I was just a simple blacksmith, and I have no Idea what I am doing here! I died earlier for Daja's sake! Taking all of our explanations in stride, he looks us over like a predator does, wondering if it should eat a particular part of a meal. Making up his mind, he announces we can stay here, and he will show us some rooms. As we go deeper into the tower, we pass a few rooms, their purposes evading me, one room has spike sitting in the very middle, as if taking a nap. Many of the rooms here have multiple cots, and this tower seems to have been used as a safe house at one time or another. Finding our own rooms, I deposit my gear down on the floor, and gathering my mind, I go to find Melfina to ask her something that has been bothering me. Knocking on her door, she opens her door, and stands in the door way, obviously not wanting me in her room. I had hoped for more privacy, but I take a quick look, and not seeing anyone, I go ahead with my question.
"Melfina? When I died, I thought that the specter that followed you around was part of your religion, and as it was present at my death, I fully expected it to take me to whatever destination I was bound to go. However, it was nowhere to be seen. What is that specter, if not Death's friend to guide those who have fallen? I thought that was it's role in battle." Melfina looked at me, fierce eyes examining me, and answers, "That specter is a spirit that lives in the turtle that I carry around. it does not have to do with my faith, but had been with me for nearly as long as I can remember." If that specter does not have to do with her god, then what was the shadowed figure that stood over her? I look to her again, and say, "When you brought me back, I saw a shadowed figure over your shoulder. You were so bright, and they were yet so dark, I could not hardly see them.... Was that...." I trailed off before asking if that was her god. Feeling the weight of my arm grow heavier, I don't really want to think what it would be like to be touched by two gods on the same day. Shuddering a bit, I turn to go. Remembering my manners, I turn to her again, and thank her for bringing me back to life. A small noise causes me to miss what she replies, and I look to see Spike, the small painted turtle, who carries the most horrific embodiment of death inside him... Has just vomited on the floor.
I head back to my own room, away from everyone else, and take off my arm. Looking it over, I take out my small cleaning kit, and look to see what I can do for it. Scuffed, and slightly dented it does need some work. I have been too abusive of it recently. Of course, I died earlier today, so the rest of me has been under a lot of abuse. I wonder if my wounds will leave scars, and while most of the time magical healing doesn't leave any, I feel a strange itching sensation up near my right shoulder, on my chest. Maybe there is some residual magic, or Melfina's strange healing ability has a side effect. I saw the way it knit skin together before. If it is still bothering me in the morning, I'll ask Aurane. he may be a Mason, but he can still heal. Mortar still holds things together. Good scents wafting into my room pulls me out of my own mind, and back to where we are. While we had made some plans for the Hydra on the way here, We should solidify them over whatever dinner we can manage tonight. As it turns out Elladamril has made us some sort of soup, and we are brought into a large, once magnificent dinning chamber. What would have been a once Transcendent room, has been dulled down by natural wear, and extra decorations, drab in comparison to what could have been. Our host is not talkative, reading a book, and not paying any attention to us. I turn to my compatriots, and we finalize our plans for the Hydra, deciding on making the beast run after us, and hopefully we can wear it down before engaging it in melee combat. I know I would not want to be hit by those heads all at once. Again.. I do bring up Garnet the tone deaf, and that brings Elladamril out from behind his book, and he says he doesn't really have a problem with how she does things, just as long as she is helping others. We tell him that it was she that helped point us in these directions, and he seems a bit annoyed, like a small child has just told him a useless fact. While the food was marvelous, the atmosphere was soporific , and while Melfina followed our host into the next room, I excused myself to my room. Once again taking off my arm, I treated it as I normally do before sleeping, and I make the room ready for the night. Before closing my eyes, I hear a growled curse, a shattering of glass, and nothing more. I curl up, and let my dreams take me. And they take me places I didn't want to see again.
THonk- the sound of hot metal being hit, the small flash as hot scale flies off the metal stock. THonk- I work my forge, shaping a large plate into a shield. I am already planning to put Daja's sigil on the front. Max working across the forge from me, working on the first sword he would sell, the decorative pommel would be inlaid with a couple emeralds... How did I know that? He is making it as a display piece..... THonk- my parents stand in the doorway of or home, arms out, as I run toward them. I love them so much as they let me go work at the village blacksmith's today. I want to show them the nails that I was allowed to keep on my first day. I can already imagine dad using them to use in a key place to hold up the house... THonk-I nuzzle against my mother's neck as I hug her and my Da goodbye. We break the embrace and she hands me one of Da's blue tunics, a bit old, but it will do until the army can get me my own equipment.... THonk- In my fury I breath my fire right at the gnolls. How dare they use My weapons! I cared for those, I worked on them and put my heart into them. as they flee and drop the blades I have worked so hard on, I see my captain cut down their leader. THonk- the demon, it's four arms, holds my arm in it's pincer, laughing down at me, as it rips my arm apart with it's other hands. the merchant we were sent to confront already dead inside, along with most of my squad.... THonk- dazed, I lay on the straw mat in the hut. I can hear The old shaman calling to Daja. "Make this one whole again! His is good stock, he just needs to be reworked!" how can I remember that? I was unconscious, and delirious.. I feel the pain of those weeks return... I see Daja again, she is working at the forge, heating some sort of metal. taking it out, she raises the hammer... THONNNNKK- force vibrates my whole body. It Hurts!! Images flashing before my eyes. My parents, my axe flying through the air, my children. Every strike brings new images. THonk a giant ship flying through the air, a black blade in my hand glowing as if just out of the coals, but not hot to the touch, Leona laughing with her father. Daja picks up the project, and places it back in the heat of the forge. The forces on me leave, and I am able to take a few steps forward, before she plucks it back out of the fire, and THonk-I feel it again and see my compatriots all dead around me. I am head of the The temple forge at Cherwood, people coming far and wide to study under me. The visions faster and faster, I can't see them all, as Daja folds the metal in on itself. The visions pass, as done the pain, when the metal is thrust back into the fire. The process repeats, the sound, the pain, the visions, but some fade, not to return after each folding, and some are made stronger, last longer than before. The Dwarven figure stops, and sets the hammer down. Holding the project up, as one does to examine the work, and see what needs to be rectified.
I wake up. I feel... Worked. Both tired and restored. But as I get up, start moving I feel more and more rested. I wander out of my room, and find aroma's floating through the air of eggs, and toast, and various meats, and I wander down to the dinning room area we ate in last night. Finding Fried eggs inside of Sourdough bread, and cured meats, some sliced and hot, some waiting to be torn into. We eat with renewed gusto at this start to a new day. As we get ready to leave the tower, and gather our stuff together, I still feel an itching on my chest, and seeing that I can't look at that part of my chest, while he is no doctor, I ask Aurane to look at it. Undoing the buttons and ties on my vest, and pulling the armor Plate sewn into said vest aside, I let him take a look. His soft human fingers touch my scales, and with an odd look at me, mutters in questioning tones about possible necrosis. Apparently some sort of Brand has appeared on my scales, even though fire should not effect someone like me. and this new scar upon my self spreads from where the Diamond touched my chest, to where my metal arm connects to me. I look to Melfina, who is peering over Aurane's shoulder, and Ask her What did she Do!!! Denying anything, she says she doesn't have to bring me back next time, and a small amount of pain emanates from my upper chest as Aurane has pried off one of my scales while I was distracted. That hurt! Declaring that it doesn't look infected, or problematic, I am allowed to re-secure my armored vest back up, and we finish our preparations, and head out to get the mounts, hoping they are still there.
The Moorbounder seems to have caught something in it's massive paws over night, or maybe multiple somethings? Small piles of fur and feathers sit together, but a lack of bones has me somewhat concerned. Not really sure what to do immediately, and seeing that the creature is seemingly unfazed but the passing of the night, I'll worry about it later. The horses seems reasonably fine, maybe a little upset but I am not an expert when it comes to horses. Never really understood them. Going over what we knew about killing the Hydra again, we know that we will need to burn them, or cauterize the wounds, So we have the oil. We know that Elladamril did not really want to help us, and the oil was the best we were going to get from him. Marda proposes making some arrows we can light on fire with torches, or whatever we may have. Of course, none of us has a bow, and most of us don't even have crossbows. Marda says she may have a solution to that, and she pats a bundle behind her on the horse. When we do finally reach the work camp, it had been decimated. Tent cloth and tools are scattered around the clearing in front of the tunnel entrance. Any wagon carrying items needed for the project have been reduced to heaps of splintered wood. What we don't see is bodies. Either the workers who were here when we left... yesterday (gods above! Was that yesterday?), either left or were eaten. We find some tracks leading back into the tunnel, and Aurane and I scout out the first 100 feet or so. We are not sure just how far this tunnel goes in, and we need some idea of how many torches we will need. I had wanted to light a torch and leave it every 80 feet, and that plan would have had us running out of torches it seems. We come back out, and Marda has unfurled the pack that was resting on the horse, and it has enough weapons to arm a small squad. I guess her life style has made it so she is prepared with any weapons she may need. Anyone not having a crossbow grabs one, and a few bolts. I give Rorin the oil flask I had been given, as I don't really want to be near the beast. Passing around a couple fire arrows to everyone, and a few spears she has prepared for the same reason, we turn into the tunnel, light torches, and head into the darkness.
Rorin, Aurane and I all hold torches aloft as we walk down into the tunnel, with Rorin leading the way, as he seems to be able to step quieter, and move faster than me, even with his shorter legs. We want to have a rabbit for this beast, something it can chase, and hopefully not catch. Wall sconces line the walls, some broken, some missing altogether. Walking for over 20 minutes, the entrance becomes a small bright dot in the distance, and we can only hear our foot steps and a light sound of water ahead, dripping into some pool of water up ahead. I can only imagine it is some sort of lake, where the monster resides. When we do reach the lake, the tunnel had obviously come directly into the natural formation around the underground lake, as coulombs and rocky spikes grow from the floor, and dangle from overhead. The walls of the chamber come to the very edge of the lake, and there doesn't seem to be a way around the lake without being practically in it. I try to get Rorin's attention, and I set Aurane and Marda to watching the lake. I try to quickly grab as many torches as I can, and get the others to pass them around and light them. Getting this thing to chase us doesn't seem like it is going to work very far, but we may be able to hit it from afar before it catches up with us. Before we can get the torches spread out, and everyone into position, Bubbles start to come from under the water.
We all move at once. Melfina, Aurane and I all start moving back, Melfina whipping out a torch from her pack, but after only 20 feet she drops it at her feet, and readies her crossbow. Aurane stopped close to her, and clutching his shield in front of him, Holy hammer glowing on the front, he readies to cast some sort of spell. I stop 10 feet beyond them, take an extra torch, light it with mine, and drop it. I glance back to see that Rorin has barely moved from where we were talking, and he holds a flask of oil, ready to throw. Marda has disappeared, and I hope that she is somewhere safe. The specter has come out, the turtle having no qualms about killing a large lizard. The sounds of the bubbles stop. As the specter moves Forwards towards the lake, Aurane yells out what “What the Fuck is going on??” and I run back another 30 feet, and Huck another torch, already lit, another 25 feet away. Dropping my torch at my feet, I turn and ready my crossbow. The weapon feels a bit unfamiliar in my hands, but I know how to use it. I can see bubbles coming from the water again, and I try to see where everyone stands. They are all where I last saw them, and I see Marda, crouching behind a stalagmite, holding two daggers. The only reason I can see her is because the light from our torches is gleaming off the blades. Aurane had said he may be able to burn the creature if someone could get some metal inside of it.
Then the beast comes out of the water. Heads scanning around, pale green scales gleaming in the torchlight,the clawed feet gripping the stone floor of the cave. As it comes up out of the water, Rorin throws a flask of oil at it, and Melfina hit it with a ray of sickening green light. The scales of one of the heads may have gotten a bit greener, but it is hard to say in this light. With the heads weaving back and forth, and remembering the last time I met this thing, I can't bring myself to fire. And I hate it. I need to be helping my team. They brought me back from death, and so far the only thing I have done is run away from the danger. As I watch in horror, the hydra focuses on Rorin, and darts forward and the heads sweep forward and in a blur of scales and teeth, Rorin is on the ground. The specter grows larger, and more imposing, and it snaps me out of my stupor. Melfina and I get off a shot, mine goes wide as the heads weave out of the way, but hers, a flaming bolt connects with the body. The small bolt sticks out of it comically, the flame not igniting the oil that Rorin hit is with. With held breathe I watch as Marda darts out from her hiding place, uncorking a potion of healing, and grabs Rorin. Force feeding him the tonic, she pushes herself to the limit and stabs the creature with a dagger, and splashes it with one of her oil flasks. Eyes flying open, Rorin grabs the torch next to him on the ground, Springs up into a standing position, and lights the oil. As the flames start roaring up on the front, illuminating the monster, maybe making it a bit more scary, he turns and sprints away from the thing, as a Lighting bolt flies from the open hand of Aurane. The white hot light arcs just over Rorin, and impacts the Hydra. The energy arcs between the heads, and the whole thing briefly twitching for just a moment. Angered by the pain, the heads dart down once more, attacking the specter who has wandered a bit closer, and Marda, who rests just in front of it. The pain must have agitated it, as some of the heads collide while it tries to bite it's targets. As the attacks end, Marda is bloody, but still standing. The Specter pulls back a skeletal hand, claws forming on it's fingertips, and it gouges out a large chuck from a neck. Lighting my arrow, and running at the beast, I take the time to aim, and I feel the influence of my amulet, and fire right when I feel I should. The Flaming arrow leaves my weapon as a crescendo comes from Melfina's lips, a bubble of rotten power forms in the flesh of the hydra, and it spreads around the necks, a blight under the scales. My bolt hits the creature in the middle of the blighted skin, making scales slough off. Pulling her swords from covers, Marda swings up into the heads, blades going vertical above her, once, twice, and on the third swing it severs one of the heads from its neck, leaving a neck swinging around, possibly in agony, the only thing coming from it is blood. Stopping his reversed advance Rorin pulls his small grappling hook from his belt, and throws it, catching a head. With surprising strength he pulls the head down onto a stalagmite, the point impaling just behind the jaw. As it comes to the base of the stone cone, the head is separated by the rock from the last remaining strings off meat connecting it to the neck, and Rorin runs to Aurane, who had called for him. Running behind Aurane, the Head still trails on the end of the rope behind him. Gripping Aurane's hips, Rorin peaks out from behind Aurane, and a healing wave flows through the shorter man from the taller. Rearing back, the Hydra heads whip forward, and try again at Marda and the specter, but both remain standing after the assault. In retaliation the specter reaches both hands out, and grabs the head that last bit it. Holding onto it, the claws sink down in the the flesh, beneath the scales, the skin dying from the touch, scales falling off. As the hands sink into the middle of the neck, the last rotten shreds pull away, and the horrible visage of death claims yet another victim. Wanting to get in closer, and needing to get there Now, I pull my axe, and start running forward, and concentrate once more one the speed of the wolf, and the flight hawk, letting me run faster than normal. I get up to the creature, and swinging around, I use my momentum to hit as hard as I can. Nearly severing a head, I swing again, and cut the rest of the way through. Knowing that fire is necessary, I urge myself to go farther in this moment, and breathe fire onto the hydra, once more wreathing it in flames. Hearing Melfina finish another prayer, I see her suddenly appear next to me, her form moving faster than any of us could move. Reaching out to touch the creature with her hands, a blast of necrotic energy rocks out from her hands, completely withering a hole in one head, and it nearly removes another. Rearing up, in pain , the entire beast flails out, and Aurane takes his chance. Lighting blasts over all of us, into the torso. Sparks of lightning dance over my scales, and tickle down my arm. Melfina gestures, and some of Marda's wounds pull shut, roughly knitting themselves back up. As a spiritual weapon comes into being above the creature, and her wounds violently knitting back together, Marda leaps up into the air. Bringing her blade onto a neck, the sudden weight of the diminutive woman makes the head dip as the neck is pulled down. The blade grinds against the scales, and catches one that that has been loosened by previous attack, and it sinks in behind the scale, and finds the soft flesh. As the momentum brings the small figure down, the hook of the blade slices into muscle, and swings her back into an arc, allowing her to strike the top of the next neck, cutting enough to partially sever it. She falls upon a third head, which is writhing from the necrotic wave pulsing through the great monstrosity, and cleaves through a great chunk of meat opposite the blighted skin. The weight, too much for the remaining weakened flesh, and loss of blood, another head falls to the ground. The spiritual weapon, floating above the last head, comes out of the sky on top of it, handle up, and rams into the skull, slamming it into the cave floor. As the jaw clamps shut, and reverberates off the ground, the hammer pivots and the head arcs up, then back down, nearly a full circle, and with a mighty crack, the final head snaps off, skipping off the water of the lake, and out of sight.
Panting, holding my axe above my head, we all stare at the still body of the hydra, necks bleeding, eyes starring out into the cavern that was it's home. Melfina tucks her knives away, and she starts examining the heads to find what she can scavenge. I turn away from the gruesome remains, and head over to the lake. Wondering what may be inside, I stick my head underwater. I figure, anything else that may live in this water is going to be small enough not to hurt. Looking in, I can barely see something in the bottom of the water. Before I can jump in, Aurane comes up and tells me he can make it so I don't have to get wet, and holding his hammer aloft again, the water parts, and a aisle of land is revealed so we can just go down without having to hold our breath. As I am tying a rope around a sturdy, non gore covered stalagmite I hear behind me as Rorin shouts, “hey guys, Check this out!” I look over my shoulder to see him disappear into the pit of the lake! Walking over to the edge of the lake pit to throw the rope down, I see him running back up the slope, jumping from ledge to ledge, and then back up to the shore line. Holding gems, and old manacles, he simply hands them to Aurane, and keeps walking past. Marda pipes up, looking at the manacles, saying they may be anti-caster manacles, to stop them from casting spells. We gather our things up, torches, and rope, and Melfina with her hydra teeth, we start walking, from the natural cavern, into the artificial tunnel.
Chapter 1: The journey of the Legend
Umbra Hearthforge has summoned me. The High priestess of the Forge God, Daja, has summoned me. Just an armor smith running a Business. She says there is some matter of importance the city needs me for. Maybe the council Guard needs me to repair some armor? I figure some of the smith-priests could manage that, but I think it would be a good thing to stay in the city's good graces. I walk over to the temple, a good time to stretch my legs, ease my arm and back from the work I had been doing. I had been showing my Apprentice various ways of attaching straps to shields, and she is coming along very well with all the work we had shown her. Last week Max had her working on simple blade working, and her natural Strength made work quick and effortless. When she keeps her cool, she is an excellent source of help. Otherwise...
My mind comes back to the task at hand as I mount the steps of the Temple. I can smell the coal burning below, which keeps the forges going, faintly hear work being done inside. Many Smith-Priests would be working on various projects inside, some of them great works. As I enter the temple I see Marcus Varathus, a priest I know. He seems to be a little surprised to see me as I am almost a half hour early, but we exchange pleasantries, and he says we need to wait for another person. My many years of the army has helped me learn to wait properly. I pass the time waiting calmly inside, the interior of the temple being magically cooled, it's a pleasant wait. My eyes closed, head resting on the wall behind me, I simply absorb the atmosphere. Maybe it was because of this lax feeling I don't notice when our other guest has arrived. Almost as if every shadow in the temple is hugging him, there is some mysterious darkness around him, even though the temple is well lit in the middle of the day. I pass it off as my eyes re-adjusting to the light, and Marcus introduces me to Rorin Ashforge, a name I had heard in the past, and someone I had met a few times in the past. A dwarven man, he wears mostly brown. With heavy bracers, wrapped around think arms, larger than normal for his kin. A belt with a small hook sits on his belt, with a fine rope coiled up, and clasped in a leather loop next to the hook. Sturdy, and looking like he can take care of himself, His expression is that of one participating in just another business meeting. His family was deep in the smithing guild, and has a lot of money, so I know he may have participated in this type of meeting many times. I know he had left the city a few times, but I had never been close to him, or done very much with him. Marcus Led us into the office Of Umbra, and my mind once again wandered into what she wanted with the Both of us. Maybe it was something as simple as a smithing project after all. Me to work the project, Rorin to fund it? Ha. Doubtful
Sitting in her office, also Dwarven, she is middling years, for a dwarf. Wearing a slightly finer tabard than the rest of her priests, it has no burns or smudges that one expects from smithing wear. She greets us, and starts to explain why we were summoned, and while obviously leaving out some things, what she does tell us is a little more than I had bargained for. It turns out a couple dozen people have been disappearing. Taken more like it. All young people, most if not all under the age of 30, but as of now, nothing has really connected them. We are to talk to a prominent young inventor by the name of Elon Tusk. He has been working on some sort of engine, working with steam and all manner of mysterious things he calls Science. I'm all for new ideas, and better ways to work, but some things... anyway, we are to head over to his workshop for an appointment after normal working hours. Max may not be happy. I was supposed to work on getting that scale mail sorted out properly today. I hope this will be resolved soon. As the appointment is in a couple hours, we decide to head over to the lovely aftermath cafe. The smell of bread wafting through the air always makes my mouth water, and want for a delicious bread bowl makes me hungry. We talk with the proprietress Maven, and we also meet Aurane Velaryon, a Cleric and stonemason here in the city. A Human man, a clean shirt under suspenders, he wears simple style, but finely made day wear. A black bowler hat tops his head, strong jaw and mustache under his nose, and a hammer pendant around his neck. He and I Have worked on a few projects, and his office and home are near to my shop. A friendly sort, and always looking out for the good of the city, and proper citizens, and a hard worker, he joined us in our meal, and told us he also had an appointment with Elon this evening. It seems one of his contractors has gone missing, and because he has contacts and is somewhat known in the city, he has been brought into this missing persons problem. we all have skills that can help in this situation it seems. Rorin is a prominent family member, has money and must have some sort of other skills we haven't seen yet. I have tracking ability from my old days in the army, and know some people in the city too, although not as many as the other two. I'm not sure how helpful I can be....
After we eat we head over to Elon Tusks workshop, a sign on the front saying Locomotion. We enter the building, and are greeted by a secretary who gives us a hassle about an appointment, and while that is going on, two women come in. A tall pale Human enters next to a Halfling who walks with the grace of a warrior, someone who knows how to handle themselves with speed more than bulk. They both wear armor, and seem to have recently traveled. I don't recognize either of them, but then again, I certainly don't know everyone in the city. They seem to also be here to talk to Elon. Our host himself comes out into the room, a Half orc man, a bit taller than me, who seems a little disheveled with his vest slightly askew, the rest of his outfit slightly off. A man who normally cares for his appearance, but gets very deep into thought, and his passion for his work. After a kerfuffle with his secretary, leads us back into his office. stacks of papers litter every surface, and parts of the floor. Various bits of machinery scattered around, and under papers. in the corner I can see a large tank of water, and inside I see large, long creatures I am not familiar with. Having heard of various water creatures, it may be an eel or squid. Elon tells us that many people are going missing at night, all of them walking alone, all within the last 20 days. We are to look into the disappearances and report back to him, who will in turn tell our respective leaders what is happening. He states that the two ladies are from the Cerulean sanctum, a faction in this town that keeps to itself, and any information it may have is not shared with just anyone. We decide to walk everyone home, including Elon, and meet up at the Ashforge estate in the morning. As Aurane and I live rather close together, and the two women, Marda the halfling and Melfina the tall Human, are rooming together, we are dropped off first, at our respected residences. Tomorrow, we shall meet to discuss what needs to be done.
The Journey of the Legend part 11
He's Alive! He's Alive? No. This cannot be. this must be someone pretending to be him. I know some illusions can make it seem like people look different. And we are looking for someone who we Know can make himself look different, so I quickly need to think of a way to find out. Illusions, if I remember correctly, can't be solid. that would take something else entirely. Greeting Elon, I extend my right arm, as if for a handshake. When he grabs my hand, I Lock my prosthesis, not hard, but tight enough that his hand cannot escape, and I pull him in for a hug. I reach around to his back, feeling with my real hand, feeling for something that doesn't belong, like a long cloak, of evidence of scales. Nothing. It feels just like Elon should. But how? We Need to ask him questions. I still cannot believe this to be Elon Tusk. As we all agree to tell him in private, he leads us to his private tent, so we can talk. Firecrotch goes to check on the workers. When we are alone, I break it to Elon that His Eels are dead, and when he seems rather distraught, I continue to tell him that He himself is supposed to be dead, as we found his body. Melfina steps in, withe the desire to check him physically, and when she is does, he seems to be as solid and beefy as he always was. Asking him various sorts of questions we can think of, like who it was that sent me to him, and what the name of the first secretary was, we are absolutely stumped as to how he came to be here. Melfina suggests we find Odathwyrm, as we know he was moving in this direction, and he was supposed to be ahead of us. Taking the vial of Blood she has from him, she wipes it under her eyes, and as her eyes light up Elon seems a little out off, but mostly about who we may have told about his demise. When we tell him who all we have told, and get to Danerai, he spits out an oath of some sort in that beautiful language that Dani and Melfina both share. Once Melfina has located her quarry, who is only about a mile away, if that, we decide to take Elon to go find Firecrotch, so we can protect Elon while We hunt down this White coward. As we get closer to the camp, we start looking around for Firecrotch, and he spots us as we spot him. When he looks at Melfina, he starts to run away, and Marda, sensing something, maybe from Melfina, gives chase.
As Marda takes after him, I glance over at Melfina and see that her head is slightly cocked, which I certainly have never seen from her. Almost like a lizard trying to look at something it hasn't seen before. obviously something is wrong, and good Ole Firecrotch knows something more. As Marda catches up to him, and hits him three times with her swords, I can see his image shimmer into that of the White dragonborn, Odathwyrm. Ah. That would explain that. As we take off after him, I can hear Melfina Bark out "Dragonborn!" and in her godlike language, she extends her hand, and the from we are chasing freezes. Slightly behind me, Aurane calls out to his god, and his large spiritual hammer appears next to the held figure. It seems I am not the only one with harsh feelings to this guy, as the large floating mallet swings down in a large arc, and hits him right between the legs. This must be something very painful to most races of this world, but to dragonborn, it hurts just as much as being hit anywhere else. Still, it appeared to be a hard wallop. Before I had started running, I had gathered my energy, and concentrated it into my movement, so I would be able to move faster, hit a bit harder. covering the distance, and moving in front of Odathwyrm, I reach out my hand and grab just above his collarbone with my right hand, clamping down just a bit, to hold him in place. I know he can teleport, as he has done it before, but I don't know how it works. We need him to to answer questions, and right now, paralyzed as he is, he shouldn't be able to do anything. Apparently, the spell wears off at that time, and coming back to, his points a finger at me, and I am covered in brief flames. While it is hot in there, I have had more burns from grabbing hot metal, and it is nothing a good night can't fix. But as I am preoccupied by the warmth around me, there is both a loud thunder crash, and the wall of pressure that would accompany such a loud sound. The very force of the pressure was such that it nearly knocked me off my feet. A ringing in my head, pain in my nostrils, and I can feel I have blood flowing from my snout. My captive is no longer there, and my right hand clamps down upon the nothingness of thin air. Now facing just my companions, I see that Rorin, Marda and that odd Specter are all running to chase down our culprit. I turn to see him 90 feet away, and getting ready to run again. With both Melfina and Aurane giving off a quick chant, and first a streak of energy whizzes past me, hit Odathwyrm in the side, then an honest to god lightning bolt connects with him, and he is left standing, but slightly smoking in place, the tips of his crest straight out. Sprinting after him, I push myself to be able to take a couple swings before he teleports away. Using my momentum, I swing as I get up to him. Glancing back before my hit connects, he casts something that stops my axe from hitting, and it bounces off, just short of his smug face. Using that force, I slide my hands up the haft of the axe, nearest to the head, and twist my body, bringing the butt of the axe handle into the back of his head. the force that blocked me before is not enough to stop me, and with a mighty Thwack He goes down, unconscious.
Melfina binds him with ropes, and we take him back to the tent we were in before with Elon. remembering that casters need to wiggle fingers to cast spells, we bind his together so he can't move them. Not wanting to be part of the interrogation, I step outside, and try to shake off the ringing in my head that is still going on. I could take the break, and I have enough nightmares to deal with, I don't need to relive more. I'm worried that my arm may have taken more damage, and I take the time to check it. It turns out that I have more time than I thought, as the others are going to wait for him to wake up naturally. After making sure neither my arm, nor my axe are overly damaged, I settle down to close my eyes. I don't want to hear the screams. It turns out that there weren't any screams. I wake up as the others come out of the tent in a hurry, and I sense that something is definitely wrong. They start looking around, as apparently ,as soon as Rorin stuck his thumb into a wound, the guy smirked and teleported away. Now we don't know where he has gone, or how far. Worrying about Elon's saftey, we move back into the camp proper to find him. Damn. I could have focused on him, and been able to track him, or I could have been watching Elon! IF I had been thinking clearly, I would have thought that far ahead, Rookie mistake. Next time we meet this guy, we kill him. I should show these kids how to do it proper like, when I was in the mercenaries. As we find Elon, he seems a bit upset with us mucking this part up, and the fact that we let this guy get away again. Deciding to take Elon with us, Melfina Uses her ability to track our quarry, and he goes to his tent to don some armor. While he is putting on his leather armor, he is continuously muttering to himself about us, whatever it is that the specter may be, it comes out to loom over Elon, then sticks it's Arm Through Him! Ok, none of us were expecting that, nor did kwe know it could do that. It quickly got Elon thinking about something else though, and we had to settle him down a bit after that. All of that took much time though, and we have come to the conclusion that we can't get out there before dark, and we don't want to be out there where the hydra is after Dark. Melfina goes, and sits on her feet, meditating. Once she is finished, nearly dark now, and she tells us she was trying to memorize where our target was going, so we can follow him better in the morning. We take the time to set up in the camp, and before we go to sleep, we ask about the Hydra which we are supposed to kill. Elon says it has attacked the camp a couple of times, and the heads keep growing back. It probably has nearly a dozen by now. ok. something with that many heads is a problem. I suggest to the remaining workers that in the morning, when we leave, they go back to the supply trains, so if the Hydra attacks when we are gone, they won't die. They start to argue with me, and I tell them if they travel hard and fast, they will make it back before nightfall, then I walk away.
In the morning we start out with our mounts, and for some reason everyone looks at me to guide them over the path. If it was plain forest, I may have been able to maybe suggest what plants not to scratch yourself with, or maybe what trees are the most comfortable to take a nap against. As I was responsible for maintaining all the equipment, most of the time I was lead through the woods, and only learned some things from what I picked up from others. While I was able to guide them through some of the terrain, the bigger rocks I just kinda left them to whatever they could manage, as I had to worry about my own mount. he didn't really seem to like this place. Aurane seemed to take over near what seemed like the halfway point, and I'm not really sure what it was, but the time he has spent on large stone structures may have helped, as he was able to direct people over the larger obstructions, and around some that we couldn't properly navigate. Well how about that. City cleric has learned to branch out from his element. I feel kinda proud of him. He helps guide the whole party to a clearing, and Melfina points us to a valley, with a lake in the middle, and there on the shore, nearest to us, is a prone form. The large specter in it's terrible, cloaked form, Immediately moves closer to Elon. Rorin moves quickly and silently, up to the prone form. Raising his staff, he brought is down swiftly to crack the prone form in the face. Snout. I can see now that the prone form is in fact the form of Odathwyrm, a member of my race who must be killed. I was worried that the from may have been fake, or a trap. But no, there he is. We just have to get rid of him, and I'll be able to go back to my smithy... no. We will still have to find out why those people were being taken. I feel my feet moving forward, past Elon who has already moved up, holding a long length of pipe defensively, as if to ward away and attacks. The specter is close enough to him, and seems to have been glues to him for the last few hours. Good. That means we can be about our business and hopefully not have to worry about him. I consciously start moving my feet in a diagonal, about 30 feet behind this guy, so he has less space to teleport, as he seems so apt to do. The enemy Dragonborn takes the time to look over his surroundings, and gathering heat and light in his claws, throws a Fireball at my friends who have not had a chance to move yet!
I watch in silent horror as there is nothing I can do to stop the roaring ball of flame hurtle through the air, and explode in the middle of the group, obscuring the area in fire. If I had instead chosen to engage him.... If I had gotten in close and hit him maybe the bastard may have not had time to do that. Maybe I could have killed him before he would have been able to get away. I look as the flame, fueled only by magic, goes out, and all of my friends are still standing, but they are not looking well. Damn my hesitation. Melfina walks forward, and throws forth that beam of sickly green energy, and when it hits our foe, he vanishes. Just like under the Temple in the city. Damn. Where did he go? Aurane and Marda, both hurt from the fireball, move away from each other, to make sure we can't get hit as a group again. Elon, holding his pipe vertically, mutters something, and I feel power infused into me, like I could swing more accurately, and hit harder. Elon has somehow blessed me, and as I search the ground for any depression where this cowardly cousin of mine has fled to, I see bubbles coming up out of the water. Gesturing first in the direction of the depression, then at the lake, I call out, "One of my cousins Flees like a coward, and another one rises out of the lake! Like one big family reunion!" Rorin is already heading up away from the lake, and as I start to run toward where I think he is, Odathwyrm appears back into my vision, hurling two balls of sickening energy at me. I manage to avoid one as it goes wide, but the other hits my side, right where th arrow hit me yesterday, and a shock wave passes through me, spreading pain into all of my joints as it goes. After hurling his blasts at me, he turns and flees 30 more feet down the shore line. A bolt of lightning passes me, toward him over the water. Aurane was probably holding one to be ready when he appeared, but it fell just short, the magic dissipating before hitting it's mark. Hoping and parying that the Hydra will be attracted to something else other than me, I watch as Marda moves closer, but she couldn't possibly make up the distance right now, as it is over 130 feet from her. I can hear the hydra come up out of the water, and I turn to look, and it is right next to me. Pale blue-green scales cover the entire thing, it's many heads, each one as large as me, are focused on my being. As the teeth flash, and pain racks my body, there is nothing I can do. The pain disappears, and the void of death takes me.
The void. Nothing here. Thought exists. Huh. I sense no presence of the Specter the has loomed over us in battle. What is that thing anyway, if not death it'self coming to take those away from our battle? Those I have killed are not here, tormenting me, as I have lived through, and feared. There is nothing here that can harm me anymore, and I can finally rest, not worrying about the nightmares of the world I have left behind. now all I need... wait, there is a light ahead. I can recognize the glow of the forge anywhere. Yes. That would be nice. The steady beating of some metal, the feel of the hammer in my hand again. I wouldn't have to make armor, or weapons here, but would be able to just shape things as they come to me. I head towards the welcoming heat of the forge, I see someone sitting at the forge, in an ancient metal rocking chair. Faltering just a moment, I keep walking forward, but slower. I have no idea how long I have been here, but this is the first other being I have seen. She is Dwarven, strongly built as most of her race is, and she just looks, weary, but solid, as if Forever. Maybe she will let me work in peace. I get closer and she smiles up at me. I nod to her in acknowledgement, and reach out for the tools. I have my real hand. not my metal arm, but the arm that I lost oh so long ago. I stand there agog, while I look down at that. and I hear her say, "This is not the right time for you to be here." As if telling a puppy that it needs to settle down. I let my hand fall back to my side. "Yeah. I strayed away from the team", I say. Opening her mouth, "Don't Squander my gifts" she says. "Think about why you are here", she continues, "think about what got you here. Max, and the shaman who saved you. Your companions have gotten you here. Without them you would be in trouble." "You are right" I reply, "I have strayed too far from the team." Standing up, and shaking her head as if talking to a child who doesn't understand his lesson, she says,"I don't want to see you around these parts again for a while. You need to protect them, and protect the shield I have been given. She guides me to the forge, taking my arm, my metal arm once again, and as we get close to the forge, it grows bigger. She guides me into it, and I feel.. Burning
Burning in my chest, and in my limbs as I start to breath again. 2 figures stand over me, both winged. One, golden and pulsing with power, the other shaded, but no less powerful, both touching my chest. Heat burns into me, from the point they are touching me, to my metal arm. The light of the glowing figure and her wings begin to fade, and I find Melfina standing over me, her wings dissipating. The shadowed form behind her has disappeared into the bright day. Coughing I manage to get out "Family reunions suck." Looking around, I see a corpse, some sort of humanoid wearing Elon's armor, and when I ask about it, I am told that we have to leave. After what has jsut jappened, I may be weary, tired, and unsure of a lot of things, I am not about to argue. They say we need to go, we Go. Aurane tells us of a tower that should be nearby, and we start heading in that direction.
On the way to the tower I ask my companions what happened while I was... down. They tell me the harrowing story of what happened. Apparently the Thing the looked like Elon muttered something about finally showing his true colors, and attacked Marda, Aurane and Melfina with divine magic of some sort. Melfina cast a spell that made her move much faster, and hit Odathwyrm with a guiding bolt that took his face off. Literally from what the others tell me. Then she went down to grab my body, to try to retrieve it from the hydra. Aurane Hit Elon with a lightning bolt, and his spiritual hammer. Someone named Evangela, who has a description very similar to Lilith, took my body from Melfina, through some sort of spectral door, and appearing next to Aurane, gives him a Diamond, with the intent on bringing me back to life. Apparently, she then disappeared. It seems she really wants me to deliver that letter. Marda killed the Not-Elon by climbing up him with her swords, using the collarbone area as a grabbing hold for a hook, and cut off his head while looking him in the face. Melfina took another hit from the hydra, and she went down, and Rorin was able to save her from the hydra with a potion. There seemed to have been a bit of drama trying to get Me, the Diamond, which I guess was needed for the spell, and Melfina all together, but they managed.
As we get up to the tower, Melfina cocked her head to the side, as if listening to something, and she tells us that there is a side entrance, and the main entrance may be a bit tough to go through. There may be some traps. We decide to leave the mounts close to the entrance, but there isn't much we can do about them, and I worry for the moorbounder, and the safety of the horses. We need shelter for the night, and I have no feeling to object tonight. as we get around the side of the tower, we find an entrance, which is locked. Taking out some small tolls, Rorin is able to pick the lock, and none of us question, again, his strange abilities. As it is pitch black inside, Melfina casts Light, and as she casts her magic, wall sconces also light up, as if in reaction to the magic she has cast. We find a few more doors, and after each door there is a tinkling of a bell, and a string along the top of the wall. We get through some doors, and happen into a lone Zombie that Melfina brandishes her holy dagger symbol at, and the thing just disintegrates! most of the time, I have to hit things a few time for them to go away, and she just waves her daggers in the air and they go poof! Strong stuff that clerical magic. the room after the Zombie is a kitchen, and while it was dark when we get in, once there is light, it seems almost... warm. Fresh food is still there, and I grab a bit as we move through. The final room we come to seems to have been a dinning room at one point, but makeshift bookshelves line the walls, and a arm chair sits in a corner, with a very well dressed, colorful man, with scales going down his neck, and feathers on the back of his head looking at us. "Welcome! I see you have found my home! Pleased to meet you!"
The Journey of the Legend part 10
While we get ourselves ready to move on, We explain to Elana that people cannot go out once the moon has come up, and when she asks why, we give her the letter that Harold had given us. Hoping the letter would explain more, we set about getting supplies for those at the Grove. Taking our tonics and the lesser healing potions, we head to the center of the small town trading out the potions we were given, and pay for the rest of the supplies we want to get. Able to gather enough food, hopefully, to last the lycanthropes a couple weeks. As we gathered the food stuffs, looking very carefully for some well desired parsnips for Gertrude, Rorin crafted a letter to Garfield requesting him to bring another shipment of food for Gertrude the rest of the month. When we finally head out of town, we come across Carrolin full on Giant crow form, and we drop of all the food for her. Looking back, I see Hank in his Wolf form, and we head onwards toward our destination and leave Smallville behind.
As we travel on, we talk about simple things, not really talking about anything heavier than the local atmosphere. While some of us are enjoying the fresh air, Aurane seems to be missing his city streets. After spending a good portion of my life wandering about the wilderness, then the last couple of decades back in civilization, I can understand how he feels about the city. But the task at hand seems to have brought some pep back in my step, and I can feel myself more alert, and more energetic. Several hours into the days ride, Wagons, and encampments of people around the wagons start appearing on either side of the road. The wagons , full of large steel beams, crushed rock, and materials that look like they are required to make a special type of road. As we run into more and more encampments we realize that it really is just one long camp, with all the wagons being pretty much the same stuff. I look over to see that Aurane seems to have forgotten about the wilderness around him, doing calculations of what could be built, how to lift everything, and the general engineering and logistics of what is going on here. Even away from the city, he can still find his Element. A few merchants are seen passing here and there, walking amoung the encampments selling small wares like toiletries that were forgotten, or used up already. We passed a few miles of these carts, and as the sun starts to drop we find a place away from the wagons, and we decide to set up camp. about 150 yards away, and with trees concealing the view, I think it should be ok to set up the pillow fort.. If I can. I'm not really sure how it was set up the previous time, and I think I may need to puzzle it out. Aurane and Melfina mention they are going to mingle with the members of the encampments, see if they can find any interesting information, and Marda and Rorin take time to stretch their legs after a long day of riding. We secure the mounts in the area between the encampments and us, the moorbounder a little bit away from the horses, and I go about attempting to use the blanket.
After a few failed attempts of me just flapping the blanket up and down, and feeling very foolish, I try one last time. As I whip the blanket up, over my head, I look around to see if anyone is watching and laughing at me. As the Blanket is flowing up, I see Marda taking in the late afternoon air, and I remember being at peace like that as a youngling, with my village friends going out into the woods around my village, pretending on going on adventures. Simpler times. Suddenly , the Tent is in front of me! Jumping up and down a couple times in excitement, I regain my composure, and try to think about what happened. In my distraction, I missed what it is that causes the blanket to activate. Or maybe it is a distraction. Maybe I have to not think about it, then try to deploy it. Curious. I poke my head inside to see if it is the same set up as the previous time, and it is. complete with Scary door. Well. Now that the tent is up, I can go about my normal routine, and I get out my tools to check on my gear. Marda and Rorin ask if there is anything that needs to be done, and directing them to gather wood for the fire, and start the prep work for food. Marda takes off an experienced hand at this sort of thing, and surprisingly Rorin goes about the task with no trouble at all. I know he went out alone, but he seems that he relies on Garfield a lot while in town, maybe as a cover. Of course, after having The majordomo's cooking, it may just be for the delicious food. Either way, the two were able to make quick work of gathering wood, getting the fire ready, and starting the stew for the night. Sharing a bit of my spices, I leave the food prep to them, and go about checking my own gear, and Marda's. Her swords are a wonder to behold, the grace U shape on the ends beautifully done, and the swords themselves in excellent condition, not needing any work on my end. I check my armor for wear, my breastplate coat may need some work when we get the time to work on it, but all the straps are firm, and while wearing thinner than I would like, the fabric is still sturdy. The plate inside is fine, but I take the time to polish it, as getting dirt and rust off would take more effort than caring for it for a short time. If I can keep it clean, I don't need to work as hard. My weapons get the same treatment, the handles worn to comfortable level, I make sure that they won't become slippery in my grip during battle, and that the metal blades are clean as well. After my gear, I look to Rorin's staff, but as it is just wood, I have nothing that can be done, past checking for splinters and making sure it was solid. I notice the leather grips on the staff are nearly as worn as my axe handles, Which explains a few things about what he can do in battle, but raises more questions. Where was he that he needed this staff, and how long has he been using it?
Melfina and Aurane come back to camp, with information about our fugitive. Apparently, he came through here, but had another appearance. Looking like a pale human, he came through here and left in the same day. it was definitely him, as he was wearing the same cloak, and acting really shifty. I offer to look over their equipment, and Melfina hands me her weapons, and her holy symbol. Making sure her daggers are in good condition, I find some blood remaining on her holy symbol, and I figure it is better to let her clean that off, so I advise her to do so soon to prevent rusting. As we eat, Melfina and Aurane talk over what they saw in the camps, the bard name Daisy, and an interesting time with the chief of security. Aurane also talks of the great amount of Engineering that this project is going to require. We comment on how all the game in the area has gone away, and how it is quieter at night because of it. We determine who should take what watches, with Rorin and Aurane on first and Melfina and Marda on second. I can take 3rd watch on my own, and I head into the tent and get some sleep.
As I get up for my watch, I grab my tools to look over them, and make sure they are in good condition. Just busy work, to keep the living nightmares out of my mind for the time being. While tending my tools, I start to hear faint noises in the woods, and shortly after I start to hear familiar yipping and quick grunting I have not heard in many years. I drop my tools, and pick up my battle axe in the same motion as getting up, Raising my battle axe above my head, and bellowing into the predawn air, "Up axes and clear the fields! The Black legion stands! Gnolls on the way!" Rolling my shoulders, I take a defensive stance to wait for someone, my comrades or people from the other camps to get to me. However, the first creatures to get to me were the Gnolls. 3 of them charge up to me, spears flashing and flickering towards me. I block the first Gnoll who comes to my left side, my axe handle stopping the swinging spear, and I twist the axe to viciously lick the side of the gnoll. Shifting my weight, I come slightly closer to the second gnoll, coming within the arc of the swing, which makes the haft bounce pointlessly off my armor. The 3rd gnoll attempts to lunge at me from afar, and I the the top of the axe head to parry it down into the ground, letting my momentum carry my body down, and two arrows fly past us, probably not going to hit me anyway, but with me ducking, it was a clean miss. Spotting a larger gnoll with a Longbow at the edge of the trees 30 feet away, I can see it is probably a pack leader. Appearing from no where, Rorin is next to me, and slams into the one on my right with his staff. The butt of his quarter staff slams into the lower ribs of the taller creature, and the dwarf spins and rams his elbow into the other side of the gnoll, grinding into the ribs and organs, wounding the vile creature. Aurane emerges next, and chanting while he swings his hammer, he summons his spiritual hammer next to the pack leader, and hits the gnoll to my left. Marda darts between the legs of the taller folk around her, and flanks around the gnoll still standing far off from me. Chanting in that beautiful language, Melfina comes out of the pillow fort last, Grasping her holy symbol in her hand, and reaching out withe her other hand a grisly green bolt snakes it's way to hitting the gnoll in front of me. Thinking of the clockwork amulet, I feel time is just right, and without looking, I Contemptuously backhand my axe into the enemy on my left, killing it. I swing my axe to the other side of me, burying the head into the chest of the gnoll on my right. Deciding my comrades can take care of one last gnoll, I simply walk past him, toward sthe pack leader. The remaining gnoll tries to bite me, but I jam my metal arm into it's face so it cannot properly gain a purchase, effectively stopping that attack. he does manage to nick my arm with his spear, but it is a minor wound. Two more gnolls come out from behind the tree cover, and fire a couple arrows each at me, one painfully hitting the meat of my upper leg. As the pain hits me, I stagger and turn just enough For the last arrow to hit my side, between the plates of my armor. I feel sudden fire as it pierces me, but the angle should be that it didn't hit anything vital. I have two clerics with me anyhow, but we need to take care of these guys before anything can done done. As I come up to the pacl leader, arrows sticking out of me, a gurgling yip, and tearing noises can be heard over my shoulder. Risking a glance, I see that Melfina's mysterious wraith has appeared, and appears to be eviscerating the helpless gnoll from the inside. I can see the wraith's ragged arm reaching into the torso of the gnoll, elbow deep up near the creature's shoulder, and slashing out viciously with sharp claws just above the belly, bringing with it gore. I turn back, grinning, The Pack leader is running out of pack. As I square off ready for the attack, He is able to hit me squarely in the chest with his glaive, and even with the armor, it hurts. he goes in for a bite on me as I reel from the blow, but I fend him off with my axe, the blade barely missing him. I can't even hear Rorin as he sprints up to the archer on my right, and he delivers a mighty blow to the creatures neck, and a jab to the stomach, doubling the creature over, which still loomed over the quick dwarf. Aurane's voice can be heard, coming to a crescendo,, and the eyes of the leader cloud over in divine blindness, and a look of panic comes into the creatures features. he is helpless to block as the giant spectral hammer comes down to hit him in the back again. I ready myself to remove this creature from the world of the living, and as I raise my axe, Marda darts past my leg. tumbling through the gnolls long legs, her swords slice through the muscle supporting it's weight, and as it starts to crumble down, she slices up the fur covered back, killing the horrid animal. Melfia's spectral scythe appears next to the second archer, and I hear more joyous chanting, ending in mirthful tones as the pack leader's body begins to rise back up, blood instantly blackening and congealing, putrid divine energy enveloping the recently dead corpse, it walks up to the archer next the the floating scythe, and the two magical abilities team up to carve into the hapless creature. Hmm.. Killing gnolls with their own friends. Appropriate. As the pack leader's corpse drops once again, the remaining blood comes out of the body, like water squeezed from a sponge, and starts flowing to the general area of Melfina. Well then. That is distirbing. Pulling the arrows out, I walk over to the remaining archer, I tuck some pain away for later, and ignore what I can't store away. Grumbling out in gnollish, I tell it to run. As it turns to flee, Rorin swings into it's neck once more, and I cut into the back, like chopping a tree. The limp form falls, and I think of it no more. Melfina's turtle, Spike, comes out of the blanket fort looking grumpy as if being woken up before it was ready. As Spike crawls out of the Blanket tent, it falls to the ground, an old ratty blanket once more.
Turing to the others, I tell Rorin, Marda, and Aurane to head to the larger encampments, see if they are in trouble. Meanwhile, Melfina, hopefully the wraith and I will stay here and make sure our campsite is secure. The others soon return, saying that a larger band had indeed attacked the encampments, but the leader was here with us. Over 30 gnolls. Curious. Melfina and I move the bodies away, including one that the moorbounder got to, some of it was eaten, (gross), and we collect up the weapons. Closer inspection shower that the spears and bows are simple, nearly crude items. the Glaive on the other hand, is an old relic with a familiar black blade. looking for the maker's mark, I find a familiar M on the base of the blade. Max will not be happy if I was to tell him where I found this. It's not in great condition, but give it some work, and it will be good as new, maybe even better. We eat breakfast, and I tend to some wounds, and gather myself together to get ready for travel.
As we get moving, we find more of the supply encampment stretching on for nearly half the day. None of the wagons seem like they are preparing to move on, and a couple people wave to us. I ride over, and they warn us of some sort of "Dragon" ahead, and I respong by telling them I am looking forward to seeing a cousin. leaving them, and eventually the wagon train behind, we come to an area where Once again, there is no sound. no birds chirping, no animal calls. About 4 hours after leaving the last of the wagons behind, we decide to make camp, and recover what we can. We know that a hydra is around, and we want to be as rested as possible. I try to set up my blanket tent, without thinking about it, which is much harder than I thought it would be. Trying various tasks to distract me, I would be gathering wood together, and as I dropped the pile in my arms, I would spin around and fling the blanket up. Nothing. I tried suddenly getting up while patching my vest, nothing. I even went to take a short walk around our chosen site, then rushed over to flap the blanket back up in the air. Rats. The others have started to put up their tents, and with one last attempt, I flick the blanket up. As the blanket raises above my head, I see Aurane trying very hard to set up his tent, and I remember learning to put up my own tents for the first time. lost in thought, I don't realize that it had worked, and the Blanket has formed into the now familiar tent. We decide to take the same shifts as the night before, and I trun in for the night, after enjoying my mug of Hot chocolate, complete with pillow shaped marshmallows.
I get up for my watch, and Melfina informs me that a Visitor had come in the night, and Elvish merchant of some sort whom we had met the previous day, and the woman had come and gone. I take out my tools, and start working on my gear by the light of the fire, as I didn't have time to work on it before sleeping. Trying to set up the Blanket had taken a lot of time. Sitting by the fire, I start thinking about the battle of the previous morning, and I consciously shrug off the thoughts, and because of that, I am caught off guard when a woman sits down next to me. She asks me what I am doing here, and she calls me the Legend. She knows that I have traveled these lands, and farther lands than these. Asking me why I have come back out into these lands, I casually reply that I would rather be at the forge, but someone has to show these youngsters how it is done. She asks me to give a letter to Max when next I see him, and I reply I can, and I ask what name I should say. She responds Lilith, and gets up and walks away. As she leaves, I notice that my moorbounder did not react to her at all. hmm.
I watch the sun come up in this silent area, cold and still and the others slowly rise and come out for Breakfast. We gather up the camp, douse the morning fire, and move on. we arrive at our destination a few hours later, and the Familiar face of the dwarf Firecrotch. We comes up and greets us, exclaiming how things are going well enough here, and asks us if we are here to see Elon. Unsure if he sees the bewilderment on our faces, he points over his shoulder, and we see the familiar face of Elon as he walks towards us.
The Journey of the Legend part 9
Once I got the Moorbounder under control, and we started back on the road, I started thinking about the previous night. What had that structure been, and How had it been created from the blanket Max gave me? Why had it taken the from of my parents house, and Why in the Hell did it have that horrible room in it? Thinking about it for a few minutes I couldn't come up with any answers to my own questions. I would have to ask Max, and see if he knows anything. but I won't see him for 2 weeks. As if able to hear my thoughts, Melfina rides up with Marda, as they are on the same horse still, and she asks me about the room she saw in the cabin. At first I tried to deflect the question, pretending that she had asked about the common room of that mysterious pillow cabin. After she asked again, pressing harder, I finally admit that due to events in my past, I had come across scenes like the one observed of mutilated bodies. after seeing that type of thing enough times, I had vowed not to make weapons for general use, and only make them for special orders for people I trusted. I for one would not be responsible for the death of defenseless people. But what about all those I have killed in the last few days... No. they were Taking innocent people, and if they had the chance, they would have taken, or killed us. As sad as it was, they were not defenseless innocents.
As turnabout is fair play, I ask Melfina about her scars. She had seen mine, and knew of my career, but we know nothing of hers. She says she has earned some of them in the last 8 years, but she can't remember anything past that point. She doesn't seems to want to elaborate more, so I turn the conversation to our other task, the Hydra. never needing to fight one, I'm not really sure about how to kill it, and I wonder if either of the two women know how. Unfortunately, after comparing notes, they don't know any more than I do. We know that it can quickly heal itself, but we don't know what would stop that from happening. Also that it has lots of heads, and is kinda lizard like. I guess we will have to figure it out as we go. I observe to Marda that she clearly has military bearing and experience, and I ask her about it. Apparently she was an instructor for the standard military of Dawn's reach. I briefly wonder if she was there when I was, but she continues on saying that she only served for 5 years. Knowing that Dawn's reach was a rather elitist city, very militaristic, and with terrible slums, she probably left as soon as she could. Since we are talking about each other's history, I ask Rorin what he did when he left the city, all those years ago. He simply responds that he walked about the land, finding his own way in the world. Turning back to Melfina and Marda, I see that they have ridden ahead, so I turn back to Rorin, and start talking to him about improvements to his cane.
We continue on this way, chatting about our favorite eateries in the city, or where to find the best foraging foods in the wilds, until a town comes into sight. As we get closer, figures start to appear, both small humanoid and larger beasts. It seems the smaller figures are Halflings, and the larger beasts seem to be dinosaurs. I have not seen many of the creatures, but Having heard that Halflings use the creatures as Beasts of burden, as both of them seem to be rather stubborn, we must be coming up to some sort of Halfling village. Soon enough, riders appear on the road ahead of us, riding fierce looking bipedal dinos. these must be Raptors of some sort. I had heard more stories of these creatures than seen them. They are probably here to keep the peace as people move through their village, and not wanting to make a bad first impression, I address them. Not seeing any military insignia, or any that I recognize, I speak generally, and ask them if we may enter their town. Asking what our business is, we state that we are heading out to the Incantori mountain range. The Halfling speaker addressing us is a young female, and with a quick examination, every one of the guards are young and younger. They can obviously see our weapons, and I can tell that her eyes linger on the Blackened Blade of my axe. After a few moments, they acquiesce to us entering the town, and guide us in. All the guards use the same equipment, spears with no armor, and seem to be a light cavalry. With 5 guards in front of us, and 8 behind, we ride into the village, where they take us to a Barn where we can leave our mounts, and equipment. The leader of the guards asks us to meet her at the inn in town once we have situated our gear. Melfina and Marda seem to be working on a small space for Spike, and a smaller creature that Marda was concealing. A small, dragons head pokes up out of the straw pile they had made for the creatures, and the form of a pseudo-dragon pops out, fluffs it's wings a bit, and settles down, to look at everyone in the group in turn. I can feel a sort of greeting in my mind, more of an idea of a known presence, and in draconic I greet it back. It is clearly able to understand the language, as another idea of Welcoming comes back to me. Huh. Neat.
The horses are left in the barn, and we leave the Moorbounder outside tied up on a long lead, so it can't bother the horses, or get away, and we head over to the Inn to meet up with the captain of the guard, and we can all tell that the inn was not made for taller people. as it is the only inn in town, prolonged time standing in this place is going to hurt my neck. We enter, and ignoring the stares we get, I immediately head for what appears to be a stage, and sit on the edge of it, so I have Some room at least to stretch my legs out. a Couple of my compatriots have similar problems with the tables and chairs, and by the time we all get situated, the Halfling we met earlier has appeared. Wearing well fitted breeches, billowed blouse, and everything about her has a look of someone who has worked for a while. She introduces herself as Elana, captain of the town guard. She explains a few things about the town, like the fact that they still worship the old god of the harvest, and how everyone in town is required to serve on the town guard for at leat a couple years after they complete schooling. The problem she wanted to talk to us about was the fact that people and livestock have started going missing. The problems started about two months ago, and while only 3 people have gone missing, several chickens and goats, and a duck-billed dinosaur have also gone missing, and a little town like this needs all the help they can get. The captain says our food and drink will be paid for, along with a free stay in the barn, if we can help out, and we agree. Rorin pays for the food anyway, as he feels that the town needs all the help it can get right now, and we all get our various meals. Over a lovely bowl of pumpkin chili, we discuss details of the areas the disappearances have happened. All of them taken at night, no blood, nearly all of them were taken on the outskirts of town. We inquire about the White Dragonborn, whom we are pursuing, and he passed by this way 3 or 4 days ago. She says He had a very distinct cloak, but he stayed a very little amount of time, and has not been seen since. We leave the inn, and Melfina hangs back to see if she can overhear anything, and we head back to the barn. the sun is coming down, and we will have to look around tonight to see if we can find anything. As Melfina is getting back to the barn I head out to check on the moorbounder, and we both hear something on the far wall of the barn. She heads around the barn the long way, and I head over to the moorbounder who is looking at something in the woods. Knowing the look of a predator who has detected prey, I move slowly, and talk quietly to it. As I step out into the moonlight, I feel raGE! People Using MY Weapons Against Others?!! Creatures Killing For the Fun of IT? I will destroy Everything!! MY Fire Will Consume All of Those Who Ever Dared To Kil Innocent Life! Wait. I have done that. I.. I don't need to kill anymore. I... Don't know what came over me.
Shaking off that terrible feeling, I head over to mittens, and together we peer into the inky black treeline. maybe being able to make out a figure, I wait there, giving Melfina time to get around the barn. As she comes around the barn, She seens me staring into the trees, and I spot her out of the corner of my eye. I motion to her that I am going to walk out, wide of the barn yard, and try to get the breatures between me and the barn. I pull on mittens' lead, but he doesn't want to go anywhere, so I leave him, and walk alone away from the barn. I can hear what soujnds like a wild boar, but thinking that even this little town has enough large Dinos to keep most boars away, I am thinking this creature is something else. I call out to the void, to try to see if the creatures can be reasoned with, but no responce is given. Damn. I call out again, saying that while I may not attack, I will Defend my self if I am required. An honest to gods Boar walks outof the woods, it's attention on me. it reminds me of the last time I saw a boar like that, and I think back on sergeant Stubbs, and his companion, Bristles McTuskface. I can see that my freinds have come out of the barn, and while they all look briefly disgruntled, they are all within range to help if needed. Waery of possibly more people in the woods, and thinking about stubbs, I am caught off guard as the boar bolts, but Melfina is paying attention, and with a voice of command, one that she is expecting to be listened to, she points at the boar and speaks, Stop! While there is a little hesitation, the boar does not infact stop. Trying once again, and a little preturbed, she once again commands it to stop, and this time it comes to a grinding halt. Aurane Comes up with a rope, and while he blocks most of my veiw, it looks as if he is giving the wild piig a massage, but as he steps away, it seems that he has successfully tied the boars legs, and has it neatly gathered up. As we gather around the boar, a voice comes from the darkness, telling us we need to let the boar go. While we try to negotiate with this strange voice, Rorin has slunk off. After agreeing to untie the boar if the creature will show himself , and after untying the boar, a werebear steps out into the moonlight, and the boar it'self turns into a wereboar. Ah. Ok, some things are making sense.
Apparently, Harold, the boar, and Jarret, the bear, and one other are the missing town's folk, and have been, "Bestowed a Gift" by Jalivair, the old god of the harvest. This gift is to have a stronger ability to defend the town in times of need. When this Gift was bestowed on them, they felt a strong surge of anger, them became lycanthropes. That must have been that rage that took me earlier, and looking around, I can see the others making the same connection. Two other people from this village were turned the same way, 200 years ago, and we can go talk to them, and see what can be done. AFter a short hike into the woods, we arrive at the Lycan camp, and it turns out to be a natural area of trees that have formed a small hut. as we meet Hank and Gertrude, I come to realize, as Gertrude is gesturing to branches that are doing her will, that this must be a druids grove. Having worked with druids in the past, and having them tell me all about groves they wished they could make, (cause that's kinda the only thing they really Want to do) I can tell that this place was sacred. That and the fact we has to remove our shoes before coming in. We ask about the White Dragonborn, and he was observed getting some water in town, but then leaving. His cloak was something from the caster wars, given to people who learned magical arts, and possibly may be magical itself.
We inquire about the needs of the Lycanthropes, and what we could possibly do for them. I am somewhat surprised that the others are taking this so well, as Lycanthropy is looked down, Wrongly, in the world, and if they aren't rich or successful, some people see them worse than dirt. I am happy that my friends don't see that way, as it could solve some conflicts later on. When this happened 200 years ago, more than just the 2 remaining here were turned, and when the others went back, no explanation was given, and those that went back died shortly afterwards. Gertrude tells us that they do need some supplies, she requests parsnips in particular, and where to leave the supplies os that they may be retrieved . Melfina asks if the old couple knows anything about the Undertow, and Gertrude's old mentor was part of the undertow, a Rinn Moonweaver. Harold gives us a letter to give to his sister, Elana, and to tell her that the missing people will be back, and that they are happy and fine, and we head back down the hill to the town. Waking up late, as we were up into the early morning talking, we wake up to Elana waiting for us outside the barn. She has a lovely tattoo of a duck on her back.
The Journey of the Legend part 8
As We leave town, Marda wants to be in the front, and as she and Melfina are sharing a horse, they lead the way. I notice that Aurane is in the back, and I wonder how many times he has left the city, if ever. As we travel on, we notice that there are huge cart tracks in the road where Elon's team must have dragged the equipment they meant to set up. there are other people on the road, and as the day passes on, a few start to drop off here and there, to make camp, or to return to their homes outside of the city. there is very little talk in the group, some small polite conversation, but we keep to ourselves throughout the day. Each of us coming to terms of what we are getting into, and thinking about why we have left this city. I try to think of everything I can about this Hydra we are to face, if I am going to fight it, I may as well be prepared. I'll try to ask Melfina and Marda, but they seem to be talking to each other right now, and I do not wish to interrupt.
As the day becomes late afternoon, many of the travelers around us break off in a larger group, not necessarily together, but staying near to each other for need of safety rather than camaraderie. We decide to venture farther, as we still have time and energy to travel, and we desire speed over company. The moorbounder Mittens seems to have no problems with me, or my companions, although he was frisky at the start of the trip. Maybe getting back out into the wilderness will be good for man and beast. Some thing about this trip has me on edge, as if I have been in the city for too long. It has been quite nice making armor to protect those who would fight, instead of Weapons that could be placed in the wrong hands, could be used to kill innocent lives. and the smell of the fresh woods, the smell of life. I had forgotten how nice the woods smelled. I need to leave the city more often. Melfina calls out to us, pulling the group out of their own thoughts, when she says we she find a place to camp. We leave the Road, and eventually she finds a nice clearing in the woods where we can set up camp. once again, my thoughts go back to the time I was in the Army, camping most every night. I look around and see that most of the group can set up their own gear, Marda and Melfina setting up well used, but sturdy tents, Rorin's tent is a bit more gaudy than anything I would have seen in the Army, except maybe for a visiting General. I see that my thoughts were confirmed about Aurane, seeing that he is having trouble with his tent. He needs to stop using that ridge pole as an upright, and he should be ok. I remember a new kid in the axes that tried that a couple of times. always had a funny shaped tent. Heh. I can't help but think of that kid, or me when I first joined with the company as I take the old Blanket Max gave me and try to spread it out over my bedroll. as I fling it up,
I suddenly find myself on my tail, my tent resting on top of... another tent. this one looks like the material that made up the blanket, complete with patches. Not entirely sure what just happened, I poke my head inside to see what became of my bedroll.... and I find my self inside my parents cabin...almost. It looks just like the home I grew up in, where I felt the safest, complete with the oven where my mom baked sweet bread, and the chair my dad would sit on and smoke his pipe, but Everything was made out of pillows. And the hallway was about 40 feet longer than it should be. I pull my head out, and look around, and find myself back in the little clearing, my canvas tent sitting on top of this new Blanket-tent, and my comrades looking at me, in bewilderment. I tell them what has happened, and I invite them in to show them. Inside the new pillow-fort-cabin, we find everything is made of pillows and blankets except for 6 mugs of perfect hot chocolate. Hmm. Odd. I start looking into rooms, and find that the hallway is longer because there are more rooms, more than enough for a room a person, and they all seem to be premade for them, as if someone has already thought about their needs. Maybe while I was spreading this blanket and thinking about the others, I somehow did this? What exactly had happened when I spread out that blanket? How could this new space have taken the form of My parents house? As I open a room near the end of the hallway, group in tow, I look in, and in absolute horror close it as fast as I can. In a small state of shock, I rapidly tell the others they are not allowed in that room. That Had Not been in my parents house at all! I had spotted Piles of Bodies, limbs and parts. A vision of my past made out of pillows and blankets in soft, gruesome detail. Whatever the Hell that was, I wanted my new friends to not be any part of that. At that point I abruptly ended the tour, again warning everyone to stay out of that room, and we headed back to make our meal and decide who should be on watch and when. With Rorin on first, and the two Clerics on 2nd, I head to my room, and try to get some sleep before I have to get up early and play my own role in watch.
I lay awake thinking of this place, and realizing I have No idea how it came to be, or if I could even replicate it, and it feels like I have only just drifted off Whn I hear the yelling. Quickly attaching my arm, and grabing my axe, I barrel out of my room to hear Aurane yelling about us being under attack. The rest of the group, in various states of being awake are out of their rooms and we all sprint out of the house, in time to hear the other cleric yelling about" Magic Bad!" The wraith we had seen in battle before seemed... reluctant to fight, as it was hovering over my tent. Melfina was nearly 30 feet away battling a large cat. Not afraid of Large animals, as I spent many as watch sitting next to them with the Axes, I run up to it, and quickly find out this is no normal wild cat. It seems to have a large eye on the back of the tail, and it seems more a Stalk than an Eye. Whatever this thing is, it probably bleeds, and it will probably die, so I swing my axe down and connect with it. Feeling the energy of the fight, and being somewhat grumpy that I was so rudely awoken, I breath fire down onto it, my axe still in its body. It didn't really seem to enjoy that, and Marda comes in and slices into it with her wicked swords, and Rorin hits it with his staff, and punches it, the skin of the beast rippling with the force of his impacting hands. Aurane Brings his hammer down, and continues to insult the monsters heritage, and as it is still alive, and has an Eye where it shouldn't be, I tend to agree with the young city cleric. This thing is not natural. The massive eye on it's tail focuses on Melfina, and she cries out in pain, while the thing jumps at me, flashing teeth. Not having had time to put on any armor, and needing to defend myself somehow, I throw my metal arm in the way of the massive jaws, and I am able to block the bite from coming down on anything soft. but as I block it, I feel some sort of force going through my body, as if I had tripped and landed on all of my bones at once. I'm going to be feeling that for a few days I think. It moves as if to flee, and we all take the opportunity to lay into it, I cut a large gash into the back , near one of the rear legs, and Marda gets one of her hooks around the neck of the beast. Marda and I stopped it from leaving, and Rorin stopped it from Moving again. He leapt into the air a couple feet, bringing his staff down on the skull in a massive overhead blow, that smashes the skull, and forces the head post the hook of Marda's sword, partially decapitating the creature.
All is silent in the clearing, but for our hard breathing after fighting, and Melfina speaks up saying that this thing is probably left over from the caster wars, as it was made to hunt magic. That would definitely explain the new tent, but I still have no idea how it works, or even Why Max would give me something so Valuable! I guess I will have plenty of time to think on this as Marda and I decide to just take over at this point, as I settle down near the remain of the fire and I go to restarting it. It isn't hard to get it back up, as I breathe the damn stuff, and using the light, Marda starts attempting to salvage some of the skin from the beast, but from all the cuts, tears, and the lack of real light, she gets enough for a pair of nice gloves. I hear a small scratching noise, and feel a tapping on my side, and a small.. Raccoon-crow... Thing is tapping at my scales, attracted by the fire reflecting off of me. Gently swatting at it, it eventually leaves me alone, although it may have taken one of my scales as a souvenir. The rest of the morning passes without incident, and we find ourselves, all packed up, trying to figure out how to take down this tent, when it just falls to the ground, slowly drifting down, and when it hits the ground, its just back to the old, patchwork, threadbare blanket Max had given me. After removing my canvas tent from atop it, we find an iron pot someone had left inside was sitting on the ground, along with my bedroll, which I had forgotten in the sudden surprise of the blanket tent thing appearing. We pack up, and get back on the trail, and after an incident where my mount let out a startling cry, and suddenly attempted to climb a tree with me still on it's back, we were back on the trail.
The Battle Below the Broken Tower
Sergeant "Stubbs" Brawnanvil lay in the brush, looking out over the plain in front of him. He could see the Gnolls were up to something, and it looked like they were about to leave the site they had used last night. He looked back at the rest of his squad, and saw that the Corporal they were all waiting for was still in his trance about 30 feet back in the thicket. "Damnit. he had better hurry up" muttered Stubbs. The taxbaxi Corporal was in the middle of seeing through his animal companion, a large Hawk. The rest of the squads had always found it funny that Sylvester had a bird for an animal companion. Stubbs thought of his companion, Bristle McTuskface, a wild boar he had traveled with for many years, but who had been killed by the hyenas several days back. Stubbs wanted nothing but to run out and avenge his friend, but now was not the time. The Goliath and his large cat were off to one side, and the werewolf and his direwolf were over on the other. The werewolf was nearly a godsend, but he never said anything. The rest of the company had started to call him quiet, as he only said what was absolutely necessary, and even then went without sometimes. And he always stayed is his hybrid form. No one had seen him in his regular form, whatever that may be.
Stubbs was pulled out of his thoughts as Sylvester unwound from his position. Looking up, Stubbs could see the hawk coming back to them so he made his way back to the Tabaxi. Sylvester opened his eyes, and told his sergeant, "The Boss was right sarge. they did summon some friends. And made new ones. Seems they killed the cultists to summon some demons, and turn the remaining hyenas into new gnolls. And now they are moving towards us." "Shit" stubbs replied. "Just what we need, more things to swing weapons at us" "There was something else", added the Cat-man, and when he told the sergeant what else he had seen, Stubbs promptly told him to keep quiet about it, he would tell the Captain.
Captain Quarion Silverfrond looked at his makeshift camp, and sighed. This was not going to end well. 2 weeks ago they were out on routine patrols, far out in the plains, and had almost literally tripped over a Gnoll warband nearly 400 strong. He had 38 people in his small company, and some of them weren't normal fighters. Sure, they had offensive spells, but one squad of 7 was a unit of the Black Maces, who specialized in healing. He had them along in case one of the small villages they would come across needed aid. Well, they had certainly provided aid. He had started with 60 of the best the Black Company could have offered, and through running skirmishes, laid traps and tireless effort of his magic prowess and his unit's abilities they had lead and killed some of the warband across nearly 250 miles. His men were worn out, and running low on supplies, he had been forced to leave some of the spare armor and weapons to keep the extra weight from slowing him down, much to the vehement protest of the unit armorer. He had tried to avoid all the known villages he could on his route, so not to bring innocent people into the warbands murderous path. And through that march, he had killed probably 150 Gnolls, countless hyenas, and a troll. He had lost 18 men and women, and 5 more had taken damage to the point were even the healers couldn't afford to get them back into fighting shape. Now, he was up against a High cliff, where the only visible land mark through the trees was a tall, broken tower near the top of a mountain, probably a relic from the caster wars where some mighty wizard has sat and read his books. His pauldrons were off, and in the care of the armorer, who was fixing them after that Troll had gotten a bit too close. If not for the superb craftsmanship and upkeep from the young Smith, the captain would have suffered a great deal more than a bruise on his shoulder. Still, he better get them back soon, as the Gnolls probably were not going to wait much longer, and Sergeant Stubbs will bring the word.
As if his thoughts had materialized the dwarf, Sergeant Stubbs came out of the brush into the makeshift clearing they were using as a camp. Calling to the rest of his Squad leaders, Captain Silverfrond started walking over to see what Stubbs had to report. Just as he had thought, Stubbs confirmed that Demon ritual that had stopped the Gnolls for the night, and learned that the Gnolls had found the weapons the Black Company had left behind, and were now using them. "Damn. nothing to do about that now, Don't let Druss hear, he won't be happy. When will the gnolls be here?" Stubbs looked around and replied, "about 20 minutes sir". Many of the men around were sharpening Weapons that didn't need sharpening, or faking sleep. No one was eating, or laughing, everyone pretending that a battle wasn't about to happen, but not even fooling themselves. One of the Druids appeared to be in deep conversation with a tree.... but hey that is a druid for you. Kooky bastards.
The Captain opened his mouth, "OK, get the men ready. Paladins and clerics of Zitz, if you could have some prayers for those that want them, you have ten minutes. Remember Folks, Area of denial. Those who can grow spikes, wait until the bastards are within 50 feet, then Hit them on the spot. it will slow them down, maybe even kill some. I want the spikes on the sides of our clearing. Make them come in a column in front of us. Clerics, us your guardians. Stay behind the Swords if you can, but we need your spells in the front. Ranger squads, use your area of effect arrows on groups. Make your abilities Count. Stubbs, Get Quiet on that other troll. Both of them are going to be Damn well impervious, but we need someone to occupy the troll. The trees are too thick for a mass arrow volley from them, and their leader knows that, but watch out for closer bow work. If we can do it, so can they. Use whatever spells you can, and we will get through this. It will be a fantastic story to tell to everyone else when we get back to base. now go get everyone ready, and Someone find that blasted Armorer!" "-you mean me Boss?" a voice spoke up from behind him.
The captain spun on the spot, and looked at Corporal Panathalax, who was holding his pauldrons. "Yes, Corporal, you." the captain replied. "I need my pauldrons as the enemy is coming, and my shoulders are cold. They need to be covered." "Well Boss, maybe if you learned that you could Dodge, I wouldn't have to fix your armor all the time. You would think all these years in the Company would have taught you something." Suppressing an urge to shout at the Dragonborn, he took a deep breath. Through gritted teeth he replied,"Thank you Druss, fine work as always. I want you near the back using your bow. Ah- I know you would prefer to be up front, but we need you to keep up the equipment, and Mythic Max isn't here to watch your back anymore. He is, Finally, Retiring, and until we find you a replacement, I need you away from danger. I also need everyone I can get killing these bastards, so you get to use a bow. Go find one, and be quick about it. maybe take Quiet's, as He will not need one this fight." The captain turned, and gathered his own weapons up, getting ready for the fight ahead. The Armorer, who had gotten only a couple sentences out, opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and simply said, "Great. good talk"
5 minutes later, the sound of the Gnolls could be heard over the now constant chanting of the Paladins, who were thanking their various gods for the coming battle. The gnolls were clearly making as much noise as possible to try to intimidate the Company, and as the sound came closer and closer, the various spells that were to be cast were prepared. Without any further preamble, the gnolls came crashing out of the trees, and with the Battle cry of the Black axes, "Up axes and raise the field!" arrows flew, Holy Chants were Yelled at foes, Demons Bellowed, and the final incantations of spells were thrown into the general Bedlam that was the Heart of a fight. Large Vicious Spikes suddenly grew under foot of the closest Gnolls, tearing and ripping at vulnerable flesh, small winged creatures, rings of celestial toads, spectral cats, and what appeared to be happy little mushroom men surrounded the clerics, and attacked the evil creatures, slowing them down. The captain could see Gnolls were starting to fall, but not fast enough. seeing it was the proper time for his job, he drew back the string of his Greatbow, given to him by his father before he left the caves where his Drow brethren lived, and thinking of the very furry of The God Kubo, fired his arrow into a group of gnolls, putting effort into the shot, and a Bolt of Lightning flew from his bow, striking what must have been a gnoll officer, and electrical energy flared to other gnolls nearby. Drawing another arrow, he planned his next shot, and saw that the spikes were working, making the gnolls come from the front. one whole side of the clearing had grown massively, probably the work of one of the druids. Thunder could be heard over head, and two of the druids, brother and sister, were laughing and pointing, where lighting would strike, obviously taking turns bring the Wrath of Nature itself down upon the creatures. Small fairies were zipping around, causing tiny havoc to the gnolls, who, distracted, were easy targets for the Swords. But members of the company were falling too, and the gnolls were gaining ground. Javelins and arrows were starting to come in, and while some were stopped by gusts of wind, others found their marks. Company bodies began to fall. Quarion sent out a hail of thorns from his bow, but was then forced to draw his melee weapons. Axe and sword in hand, he gutted the first gnoll that got to him, and started the grim task of staying alive. Soon, The Avenging yells to the Gods could no longer be heard, meaning the Paladins had probably fallen, and only a ring of spectral toads remained, protecting the cleric owner, although both a spectral hammer and mace could be seen, meaning at least two of his clerics were alive. Quiet was wading through the enemy, slashing with his claws and taking no heed to any attacks he was hit by. The Troll he was supposed to have occupied lay in a charred mass near a large flaming sphere, which was lighting nearby things on fire, and randomly nudging into gnolls going in various directions. Suddenly, a javelin flew past the captain's arm, and the Sphere went out as a gasp came from behind, and the person controlling it was killed. The Flind came out from behind his troops, and simply flowed through the fight. Quarion stepped us to stop the leader of the gnolls, and lost all seance of time as his men fought, and died around him. Chaos Roared in the clearing, and the fighters, concentrating on the battle, heard silence. Suddenly, from the back of the fight, a different commotion could be heard. A great Bellowing beast, "Those are mine you great furry Bastards! Give them back!!" and a gout of flame caused some to stop and look. The Captain, being too occupied on staying alive, hadn't noticed at first until The Flind he was fighting got an odd expression on his face, which gave the Captain just the opening he needed.
Unbeknownst to most of the company, the Gnolls that had been transformed the previous night were going to try to get ahead in the ranks quickly. They had the bright idea of trying to sneak in, and steal the supplies, which would bring food to the warband, and take food from the enemy, thus making the group look good. They had been provided by the warband with some weapons they had happened to find, and sent on their merry way. So, while everyone was fighting, the group of brand new, still wet behind the ears, Gnolls waited until the scary spikes were gone, and the thunder had stopped coming, to sneak into the back of the fight. they had not counted on the Armorer, of all people, seeing them.
Druss was too busy to be scared, but had he been less occupied, he would have been pretty angry too. The captain had left a whole bunch of weapons that he had worked on, plus some perfectly good armor, in the ground, where no one was supposed to find them. Druss had wanted to make sure no one would find them, and use them for nefarious purposes. Better to break them or melt them, than let anyone else find them. But, the Captain had said there wasn't enough time for that. so in a hole they went. Now, he was fighting for his life, killing every gnoll that came up to him with his Battle axe, custom made to his liking, and he just wasn't having a good day. Then to make matters worse some of those furry puss-gobblers were trying to sneak in the back of the fight and get the supplies. Ohhh Nooo. Not today. And... wait a minute. were those his weapons they were holding....
The extra food, weapons, armor, tents, blankets, and everything else the Company had needed to traverse across hundreds of miles, had been placed in a very small cutout of the cliff. Too large to be a nook, but not nearly large enough to be a box canyon, the gnolls had found it, and Druss had followed them in. The Gnolls, too greedy to notice the lone fighter coming after them, were surprised by the incoherent screaming of this Large Lizard like man. None of them had heard of a dragonborn, let alone seen one, but had ideas of what lizards were. So when this Large, angry, axe wielding Lizard-person started to breath fire, that was enough new stuff for the day, and dropped their weapons as they started to flee.
The Flind, an unnatural Leader, Blessed by the God of the gnolls to lead his kin in warbands, had heard of a dragon, although one had not been seen by his kind for a very long time. So when his cohort started running in all directions, yelling about an angry, Fire Breathing Lizard, a few things went through his head. First. That must be a Dragon. Second. There are some areas on fire around him, maybe the dragon is fighting for these vile beings he has been chasing, maybe they happened upon the dragon, and chose this spot to reveal it's presence. Third. Well, he didn't get to a third thought, because that is when Captain Quarion Silverfrond slashed the blade of his shortsword through the Flinds skull.
With the death of the Flind, the rest of the gnolls fell into a mix of confusion, shock and terror, and either ran, or were cut down where they stood. The captain looked around, when the gnolls were gone, and saw only 7 other figures standing in the clearing, with many of the company moaning, or motionless on the ground. One of the figures was a small female gnome, sitting astride a Direwolf. With the past twenty minutes feeling like a whole day has gone by, the captain blinked a few times before realizing that the direwolf was suppoed to belong to Quiet, and Only Quiet had been able to even touch it before. So who was this... Gnome? The small figure raised a finger, and pointed at the Armorer, who was still raving about "His Weapons". "That guy is a fucking Legend, Yo." Quiet said in her tiny voice, and lowered her hand, and went to see who she could help.
The Journey of the Legend (part 2)
What a night it was! I found out that people were being taken, I met 2 adventurers from the Cerulean Sanctum, and prominent members of the city. Learned that the City wants me to help find these missing people... and I escorted people home last night as if I was in the army again, looking for trouble at every turn, as if the city has suddenly turned into a danger zone, where evil lurks at every turn. I have known to always watch out for cut-purses and the like, rather rare in this city, where crime is squashed as soon as it is found. I was too tired last night to put that into words, and as I walked over to Rorin's estate (think of me going to an estate to interact with the owner as a comrade!) the thoughts congealed through the morning fog. I met up and walked over with Aurane, exchanging pleasantries and talk of current events in the city. Neither us of really talking of what we learned last night, Almost afraid broaching the subject will cause a hole to appear and make us disappear as well. We make our way over to the estate and meet the two women we met last night outside. I learned last night their names are Melfina the tall pale Human, and Marda the halfling. They both are carrying their weapons now, Marda, a pair of Hooked swords which are a smithing marvel (maybe Max could make those, I couldn't even if I wanted to craft weapons like those), and Melfina a pair of daggers, and a large crossbow on her back. We walk up to the front door and, after knocking, are greeted by Garfield and a strange small black and white bird. Garfield I have known for a while as he is my apprentice's uncle, but this strange bird I have not met. we are told his name is Oswald, who...Quack-honks (?) in greeting, then waddles back down the hall. Garfield and I greet each other, and I tell him we are here to see Rorin. He leads us to a dining room where Rorin seems to have just finished his morning meal. We all sit down, and the ladies tell us that they went scouting last night to see if they could find anything. When they left everyone last night, on the way back to the Cerulean Sanctum, they went by way of the park, to see what they could find. a good amount of the disappearances have happened.
As it turns out, they saw a few people who seemed to be sneaking around, near the park. both parties seemed to be aware of each other however, and those sneaking around left quickly before anything could be found out about them. but we know now that people are being stalked, then taken by these groups, then taken gods know where. The two of them decided it was best to report to us what they found, instead of just the two of them looking around. We decide to go back to where they had spotted some figures, and see if we could find some clues. As we head over to the last place the figures were seen, I try to remember all the things I picked up from my previous life. Even as the unit amorer, I would still pick things up from the rest of the unit. How to stalk our enemies, how to find trails, pick up clues from the environment. But there were others that were always better than I was.... wish I had them with me now. I wish some were still alive....
We arrive at the location where Melfina and Madra saw the mysterious figures, and we start looking around. Together, we find evidence of 4 individuals, and a trail that leads to the Babblebrook Inn. that doesn't seem right.. I guess I have never made good friends with Bridgett Bablebrook, the Half-elf inn keeper, but I have had many a fine meal there, and she was always nice enough in the past. I never picked anything up from her, nor a reason why she may be mixed up in something. It may just be that people are taking the Inn as a gathering point, and plotting things there. While not the best place to plan something vile, it is easy to have a conversation and not be overheard by too many people. When we get to the Inn, and enter, the various aromas that are wafting from the kitchen make me wish we could stay for lunch, but work needs to be done. I ask Bridgett if anyone was in here late last night, anyone out of the ordinary. We start to talk about various patrons, being careful not to say anything about disappearing people. we were instructed to not go blabbing to everyone about people being taken, it may start a panic. She said there was one guy in who she didn't recognize, but the description was very nondescript. Human male, dark hair, slim athletic, basic scruff.. doesn't narrow it down much. I feel aware that some of the patrons are paying less attention the their food, and more attention to us, but I'll let the others in my group worry about them. Apparently some have already left, because I turn to my party members, and see that two of them have left at some time. I keep talking with Bridgett for a small amount of time, and several of the patrons who were listening to us have left by the time Melfina and Marda get back. the rest of the group have descriptions of those folks who were listening to us, then left in such a hurry. Bridgett tells us the names of some of them, Caleb - a red head human boy, An Elven girl, who we don't know the name of, and Oliver - another Human, blonde this time. Oliver, as it turns out, works down at the docks nearby, and we should be able to find him there.
As we made our way down to the docks, I had a small amount of time to think. I didn't like the idea of kids getting involved in shady stuff like disappearing people, and the sooner we can get to the bottom of this, the sooner I won't have to worry about kids doing that. I've seen enough kids dying in unnecessary fights, I don't want to see more. We get down to the docks, and I see a few people I know. I come down to esquire about getting materials, or shipments of such, and recognize a dock master, and while we aren't on first name basis, I still am able to ask him about Oliver. As it turns out, he has some pals that he hangs out with down here. Tyler and Jasper, who we happen to find nearby. Jasper says he isn't working today, and has in fact picked up a Night job. We figure out where the Oliver lives, and Roran and Aurane decide to go over to the residence, while the girls and I decide to go talk to Elon. I want to see just how fast people are going missing, and we come up for a plan to ask, using the phrase "missing shipments" Elon should be smart enough to know what we mean.
We went over to Locomotion. and learn that a new halfing girl was taken, and we let him know we have some new leads. As previously decided, we head back to the estate, to wait for Rorin and Aurane. When they get back they tell us of how and where they found where Oliver lives, and what they found there. Apparently he lives in a slum house, and the rooms he has rented were empty, and no one had been there for at least a day. They show us a coin they found underneath a Mattress. Melfina lets us know that it is the symbol of the thieves guild called the undertow, But that hasn't been around for over 100 years. Melfina also says she noticed a strange painting on the wall at the Babble brook, or part of the frame was a little odd, as if it was hiding something. We are thinking that all this may have something to do with that place after all. I really want that to be wrong, but we have to take any lead we can at this point. We decide to try to investigate. We will all go down to the Inn in smaller groups, Rorin will offer to buy the painting, if we can't get it, Rorin will try to take the painting, I will be on distraction duty if it comes to that, and the others will investigate what is behind it. Ok. it's a plan. I'm not really into it, but right now, we need more information.
We go down the the Inn in smaller groups, to see if anyone is watching us, and when we get there we sit and enjoy a meal. We start drinking, and after a few hours, Rorin makes his move. Pretending that his drinks have been hitting him hard, he starts asking Bridgett about the painting. She seems a little put off about the questions, and simply says it's an old family painting, and it's not for sale. He keeps talking about it, saying price is no matter, he must have it! she keeps saying no, and so He simply rips it off the wall, and we can see now that the painting was on hinges. I don't get a good look at it, as Rorin runs out of the bar, Bridgett is dumbstruck that one of her patrons would do such a thing, I grab her Hand and pull her towards the door, as I start chasing Rorin out. Bridgett however doesn't want to leave her Inn, and I let go as I leave the Door. Really! I didn't think it would be this bad! We need to work on our Plan Execution. I can't really distract her anymore, and I need to recover that painting if I'm ever going to be allowed in this place again, So I chase after Rorin, who has dropped the painting and run home. As I get back in the Inn, Melfina has opened up what appears to be a hidden safe that was behind the painting, or rather ripped it open, and Bridgett looks like if she could turn people into toads she would. As I open my mouth, Bridgett yells at everyone to get out of her bar, In a huge loud voice, that seems to come from everywhere. everyone that is.. but Melfina. putting the painting on the bar, as quietly as I can, I leave the bar, along with everyone else, and the door locks behind me. Thing is, I was the last out, and I didn't touch the door. At all. After sheepishly waiting outside for a few minutes, the door opens again, and we are told to come back in. It closes again, and we find out that Melfina told her what we were doing and Bridgett was once in the undertow. They were trying to get natural magic users into safety, mostly the bards college, and she agrees to talk to her contacts, see if she can learn anything herself. Aurane fixes everything with his mending magic, and Rorin owes Bridgett 30 gold. We agree to go back top the estate in the morning, and as Aurane and I head home, I think to myself that it is time to get the old Axe out, and to get ready for trouble.
The Journey of the Legend part 7
Once Vlad leaves, We start to talk about what needs to be done next. As I have been drinking with Dani, Max and the apprentices, I"m feeling pretty good about things, mostly the company around me. Just a slightly warmer feeling. But we decide that even though the Ladies have just got back from The Sanctum, we need to go inquire about the files the monks would have prepared for us. Or said they were going to anyway. We get the carriage ready to go out again, with Garfield's help. Sort of. He has been drinking a bit too, and it may have taken a few extra minutes, but we get everything ready, and make our way over. The Silent Monks say nothing, of course as we are lead into the Marquis' office, and as we enter he starts covering up files, putting some away. While I still think we can trust him, it would be nice if he could return that feeling. Asking for the files, he hands some that were on his desk, and we can see that the files are from just about everyone. However, all the files have ink over most of the information. All we can see is the names, which we already had, and the condition they were in when we brought them here. Not much else. Great. Leona's file has some more info in it, but again. Some of it has been crossed out, but it Does say That she had silver chains for security. Probably not good. These guys probably know about her, I mean, they Know my secrets, why wouldn't they know hers. Damn. I'll cross that road when I need to. not before. The files don't have any other leads, but we are given the name of the White dragonborn we are chasing after. Odathwyrm, the Majestic. The rest of the Organization doesn't know who he is working for, and he seems to be in charge of this operation. As we are thinking Odathwyrm is heading for Elon's worksite, we find out where it is, which is the lowest valley of the Incantori Mountain Range. An area I have probably been before, but I can't remember when, or if. Apparently, the work team has been having a bit of a problem with Wildlife. But the team does have a new leader, a Holden Cockswell. A shy fellow, Human Male, who lives outside the city
Having some new information, and a new lead to go visit this site, so we start heading back to the Estate. Arriving, Garfield meets us in the stable, and it seems he has continued drinking. It is confirmed that the rest of the group has also continued drinking, As Danerai is dancing on one of the tables in the lesser dining room, Her accordion playing on it's own, she is singing for the others in the room, and it seems she is introducing them to the flatware in the house. Melfina, grabbing a wineglass, starts talking to Dani in that strange, beautiful language, and once they switch back to common, I tell them I will have to learn that language itself, and she says she will be happy to teach me the Tongue of the Celestial. Celestials! Well no wonder it sounds so magnificent! But that leads to the Question of Where did Melfina learn it? I will remember to ask her later. Right now, we have to ask what our friends will want to do while we are gone. We are worried about their safety while we are out of town, and while we want to offer them the full use of the Estate, we want them to be comfortable with things while we are gone. Max takes the news of our up coming journey heavily, as I suppose we all should. He also says that he would feel more comfortable back at Home, and we all arrange it so everyone will keep regular contact with each other. Kel and Aurane plan on her operating the business with shortened hours, and I ask Dani to keep an eye on everyone, and she says she will for as long as she is still in town. I briefly wonder to myself if we are trusting her too much. What choice do we have? We Need allies who will do something for us, not just point us in the right path. Plus she is cute. Can't hurt to have that around.
We have to take some time before the meeting is supposed to start, and everyone is calming down for the night, so I take the time to examine teh Amulet I found on the oni. It seems to be a small mechanical pendant, and concentrating on it, I feel I can concentrate greatly on the people around me. I wonder if I can use this in combat? While I hope I'll not get that chance, with things going on, I feel that chance will come faster than I would like. I must have been looking at the amulet longer than I realized, because the time to leave for the kidnappers possible meeting was coming up, so we got ready, and left for the temple of Pudge. Getting there with no problem, we take little time finding the right cobble stone which conceals the ladder,and I have Aurane mend the ladder just in case. Melfina, Marda and Rorin go back before me, and Aurane takes up the rear. He lights up his shield, and closes the stone behind him, and we head for the stairs that will lead us further down into the ziggurat under the temple. nearly at the bottom of the stairs, Melfina signals a stop, and I see that she and Marda have craned their necks. Trying hard to hear anything, I can only make out that people are talking ahead. Just low enough for me to hear, but any language they were speaking I would not be able to make out. Oddly enough, Melfina's Turtle, Spike has poked his head out. Her head cocked sideways, Melfina herself seems like she can understand Something that is being said. She passes on the information, and once it reaches me, it has been paraphrased down to: They are talking trash about us, there is another shipment, And there is a lady here in town, that if paid, she will make problems go away. Once Melfina tells Marda the information she draws her weapons, sneaks down the rest of the stairs, and the last I see, she is sauntering into the room to confront those who have talked so poorly of us. I hear chanting come from the room as Marda pulls her swords out and rush in after Melfina. Rorin runs in, followed by myself and Aurane, and chaos greets my vision as I come around the curve of the stair.
Small Demonic winged beings fly around the combatants, horrible things with tight skin, 4 legs and wings that look like rotting leaves. I could see the large, spectral scythe that showed up at the last battle, Along with the very Visage of Death that also accompanied her. Marda had cut deeply into the legs of her opponent, and was standing behind them. Rorin was standing next to the farthest enemy, how he got over there so fast still boggles my mind, but I see the nearest rogue has a slash across his back, probably from the Scythe. My axes ready, I run up to him, and trip him. As he falls, I swing my hand axe down, burying the head of the axe into the upper chest, through the collar bone, and start looking for my next target, but get distracted when all the small demons flying around suddenly dive onto the body, and... Eat it. Barely before I could pull my axe away, they start stripping the flesh from the corpse, the man still breathing his last breaths as he is ripped apart. Averting my gaze, I swing at another enemy, but the vision of those small winged creatures has put me off balance and I miss. Aurane enters, and summoning his hammer, he skirts around the edge of the room, cutting off any possible escape. his hammer swings down, and pummels the opponent closest to Melfina. After getting battered by spiritual weapons, the rogue dips his hand down to the knives on his belt, then one flicks forward, and before anyone can blink, a knife blossoms in Melfina's chest, and with a look of shock, she starts to fall back, dying. As she falls the small demon-like creatures vanish from the air around us, as does the Large, Haunting Scythe. The very image of death, hanging in the air, does not disappear however. and It takes offense at someone hurting Melfina, and takes a powerful swipe down into the assailant, who dodges a death blow at just the last minute. Unfortunately for him, he has dodged right into Marda's swords, and she slips a hooked blade around his neck and pulls back, slicing his head off. Turing to the last armed figure, she asks, "Do I have to kill you too?" Dropping his weapon, the last combatant gives up, and Aurane Immediately goes to tend to Melfina, bringing her back from the brink of death.
Grabbing some rope from my small pack, I go to tie up our new prisoner, and thinking I do a decent enough job, I start going through his pockets, trying to find anything he may be able to use to get away. See, I can learn from the last time. As I am going through his pockets, he gives me a right hook, which I just shrug off. Pesky Bastard. I cuff him with my metal arm, show him how to properly hit someone, and retie his arms. Marda may have helped. Once we find everything on the bodies, and in the pockets, which totals out to some rather nice gems, and coins, Aurnae steps up to our prisoner and, invoking his Deity, casts a zone of truth. Questioning him about various aspects, we get vague answers, or nothing at all. Rorin hits him once, and we ask him about the undertow. I tell him that the undertow isn't what he thinks it is, that what he thinks is a pathetic sham of an idea, and he spits on me. I pull my axe and move to kill him, and Rorin jumps on my back and Aurane blocks my way, trying to stop me. They don't really stop me physically, but I stop anyway. Apparently my comrades are not done with him. Melfina speaks, "Death does not welcome you, do you have any last wishes?" and giving him very little time, kills him with her knife. Aurane moves to bring him back with his divine abilities, and Melfina scoffs
-We stack up on the door to the house. A decent size house in this part of the village, several rooms maybe even a small second story, or at least a Loft. None of us Liked this. going in against possible casters, an Unknown amount of people in the house. We had been watching the house for a few days now, looking to see who came and went, but the window was blocked by shutters and while candle light was often seen in the rooms, no movement was noticed. Only one man had been seen coming or going, and he had enough food for about a dozen people. Grom has his great club out, his weapon of choice as he just liks to bash things into the ground, and Rekx has his hammer ready to break the door in. I had my squad of replacements with me, most of them we had picked up in Dawn's reach as Mercenaries. Able fighters all of them, and loyal to gold, some were not that smart. I had this group for their raw power, and if things got too bad we had a squad of archers across the street, waiting to back us up if we needed it. No One in the Company was willing to admit they had been to Shadowacre, A small Shithole of what could be called Civilization, and fighting in this place seemed to be less than optimal. Plus the fact the the Viceroy of Dawns Reach had only been able to provide us with Rumors of casters coming down this way, and gold, we were not comfortable doing this. But gold is gold. And we weren't Ordered to Kill the casters, just make sure they Are Not Here. So we came here Tonight to finish this mission, and move onto the next job. I signal Rekx to break the door.
As the Goliath swings his hammer, the head lands between the two hinges, and splinters fly as the door explodes inwards. Grom and I rush in and he swings his club at the first thing he sees, which is a teenage boy. I am barely able to stop it with my own sword, and take a second to look around. Everyone in the room is a kid, or at least not anyone mature enough be be considered an adult. They need to not be here if spells are going to start going off. Grom has moved on quick, and I need to as well, so I tell the kids to get out of the house, Now! Two Human twins, a boy and a girl lead the others out, including a tiefling, a Tabaxi, an elf, or Half elf, not sure which in this quick time, and a few cloaked figures. As they ran out the door, I start hearing a ruckus from the other room, where Grom has surely met someone. I rush into the back room, and Grom is fighting an old Drow man. "Druss, We have a runner!" grom manages as I enter the room, and he nods his head towards the back door. Grom pushes the Drow back with his attacks, and opens a path for me to run out the back. As I head for the door, I hear screams from the front, but if there is any problems there, we have the rest of my squad, and Second squad out there with their bows. I have someone to catch.
Running out the back, I can see a figure running around the side of a hovel, clearly making a break for the outskirts of town. Taking off after him, I can only match his speed, until he stumbles trying to go around the corner of the last building too fast. I come around the corner, the woods mere yards away, and hit a fog cloud. Damn! Well, I guess I've found one of the casters. I can hear him, stumbling around in the cloud, clearly desperate to create some distance between us. I hear him chanting again, and as he finishes his spell~ I find myself on the gound. I must have fallen asleep. No, he must have put me to sleep. Disoriented in this infernal fog cloud, I don't know which way I have come in. I have to spend time looking for our tracks. This is taking too long! I can't find his tracks, but I can clearly see mine, and where I fell asleep. The thought occurs to me I can just move out of the fog cloud. Bah! Why didn't I think of that before. Stupid! I have really taken too much time, I don't want to track this guy myself, in the dark, and I need to get back and check on my squad. I make my way back to the target house, and the screaming that started when I was leaving the house has stopped. I enter the backdoor, and find that the whole fight has stopped. Several smashed pieces of furniture are all that is left in this back room, and the front room is the same. I can see through the open frame of the front door, that everyone seems to be gathered out front. I head out to get a report, only to find bodies... What? Where did all these... Oh no. The old Drow was dead, on the ground, arrows through him, and... kids. some of the kids didn't make it. Dead. 3 small bodies lay on the ground, arrows, some half as long as the body they hit. Why? what the hell happend? Something tries to get my attention, but I just don't notice. I find myself kneeling on the ground, unable to move, looking at the kids who will never get to grow up. Hell. It was supposed to be so simple. just a couple of casters that we jsut had to chase away. there wern't supposed to be kids. and we sure as hell didn'twant to kill them.. what happened... I look to my squad, all looking grim, and
~"I Have Seen This Tourture Before, I Have Caused It And Lived It. Nothing Will Change What You Feel Now. But We Must Move Forward. Death Is The Only Thing That Is Sure. We Must Leave Now. "
-I look up to see Melfina standing over me. I have been crying, and I somehow wandered over to a corner. We are still under the temple of Pudge, but it is just Her and I now. everyone else is gone. My mind is fuzzy, and I let her guide me out. Everything seems numb. We get up and out of the temple area, and I let instinct guide me with the others. I have no idea where we are going, or even where we are. I can only think back the that dreadful night. I remember finding out later that Grom and Rekx had been hit by a blinding spray, which gave the old Drow time to run out the front. one of the kids had cast something, just making thunder boom, and the archers, not knowing who the kids were, panicked, thinking the smaller kids were fully growing gnomish and halfling casters, throwing spells at them. The kids had scattered in the confusion, and 5 had gotten away, including the tiefling who had cast the thunderous Boom. 3 however, had not. Nor had the old man whose house it had been.
As the group continues on, I finally realize that we are nearly to the Sanctum. I guess we are taking the prisoner to the sanctum as we couldn't get anything out of him. When we get up to the gate, one of guard audibly sighs. I guess we have been coming around a good amount. Marda informs one of the guards of the attempts to gather information from the captive, as we are lead to the Marquis' office, we are told they are not in at the moment, as it is past midnight, they have gone to sleep. We wait a few blessed minutes, where I can try to think of what is going on, and when they finally show up, in their dressing robe, they say the sanctum can probably get some information out of the thief. They also are worried that this criminal organization is after the new Rail system, and we should check it out if we are going out to hunt down Elon's Killer, and there is also a Hydra in the area. not a fun thing to tangle with, but we will get a bonus if we kill it. As The Marquis decides to go back to bed, I start feeling more myself, and we all notice that we are once again, standing in this office, covered in blood. This is happening way, to often recently. We all decide to go clean off in the baths again, and this time, we all find each other in the same bath. As we soak in the water, we all notice each other's bodies, or rather, our scars. While Rorin and Aurane have bruising, and Marda has a good amount, Melfina has a surprising amount. there seem to even be very large scars on her back, almost as if wings had been there. I recall the large skeletal wings that had sprouted there before, what exactly is this Human? And While the rest of her is attractive enough, the fresh memories of that terrifying wraith, and the glowing eyes, puts any other thoughts about her to the side.
Clean, tired and wanting to get home, we Head back to the estate. While I am feeling better, I am still shaken up from my past episode. As we get back to the estate, Max answers the door, and leads us inside. apparently Dani had left for the night, but said she would be back in the morning. Garfield and the two assistants are asleep, and Max offers to pour us a drink. He is not surprised when I ask for something stronger than ale, even though I don't normally drink harder things. He can tell when I have had problems, and he hands me a Large flask from inside his vest. After taking a couple mouthfulls, I hand it back and head to bed. As I leave the room and head to my temporary chambers, I can barely hear the others talking, as I slowly feel the liquor taking effect.
As we get ready in the morning, Melfina says a prayer is the beautiful language of hers, and as we are about to leave, Max comes to me and hands me a... Blanket? He tells me that his Father had given him this blanket when he was leaving for the Legion, and it served him well. I look at it, and it is... old. I mean, Old, worn, patched it looks like this blanket was around 400 years ago, like before the caster wars. I try to thank Max as best as I can, as this blanket clearly means a lot to him, and we go over to the Temple of Kusco to try to find a steed for me. Most normal horses can't carry me, and it was suggested we go to Kusco to try to find something bigger. And when we get there, we sure do. They are called Moorbounders. A large, tailless, cat like creature, with tusks that come up to either side of the snout. we try the # the temple has, and it is not until the last one that the trainers tell us the beast likes me. Apparently, I am shiny, and it likes that. Great. I don't like feeling like a toy, but that is how it is going to go. I learn the beasts commands, and am told that it has the name of mittens. OF course it does. I guess I better get attached to it, as the Shop will owe the temple upwards of 150 gold if we don't return it in one piece. Great. Another grand adventure.
the Journal of Druss the Legend
The Black Legion
During the time of the Caster Wars, a group formed that Fought the Forces Of Evil trying to rise from the ashes of the War. Forces such as Goblin Hordes and Bands of Bandits. All manner of fighters came to join together in a group called the Black Legion. Those that Could heal or aid people hurt by the battles were put in the ranks the the Black Mace. Those who would fight the main forces and be the front line troops were in the order of the Blackened Sword. The Foresters and Scouts, Those who would be sent ahead to search, or pop in and raid, those who could be highly mobile forces who could travel swiftly were know as the Black Axes. And of course, the Badge that showed the World what they were, was the Jet Black Blade that represented what unit they were in.
The Arcane Casters, and the Forces fighting against them, could never convince the Black legion to join one side or the other, even though they could have changed the tide of war, or so Each side thought. Both sides were convinced that the Black Legion were spying for the other side, but since they were doing good things for the world, they were not stopped, or attacked by either side fighting. Seen as a mercenary force at the end of the war, and with the army forces depleted, many of the Legion were taken into the regular forces as their own unit. The higher commanders saw the Black Legion, now under their control, as a group to send misfits. Because of the choice not to fight in the war, it was not an Honorable unit to be in, and was ridiculed by others. Many times, the Legion was sent into fights where odds were very high against them, and losses were high to begin with. Trying to Prove their worth, the Black Legion Became one of the toughest, and Hardest units, still responsible for the old duties from their origin, and is known to fight bravely, no matter the odds.
The Path of The Legend
The Path Of the Legend
At a Very early age, Druss showed interest in Metalworking. At the age of 5 he became an apprentice to the village Blacksmith, reaching the rank of journeyman at the age of 15. Feeling the need to do More in life, he left Home to join a local Army. Somewhat of a misfit, being a Dragonborn, he was assigned to the Black Axes. With knowledge of Smithing, he was originally assigned as assistant armorer and eventually Full Unit armorer. As an Armorer he not only had to take care of the Units gear, but also had to be able to hold his own in combat, sneak for reconnaissance, cook, and provide first aid. Wasn't supposed to fight much, but needs must.
After Completing 10 years in the Army, Druss joined a mercenary group for 5 years where in a final battle he lost his right Arm. A cleric of the Forge was able to replace his arm with a Prosthetic arm, which he spent a year learning how to use to perfection. He joined back up with his old Armor master for the Army, Maximus the Minotaur, and opened a Weapon and Armor shop in the city of Cherwood, where he picked up an apprentice, Leona, from a local Lord.
The Journey of the Legend part 6
The Marquis, and a few monks, lead us through the hallways into a Large, private chamber, and asks us Why were brought all these people here. Before anyone can say anything, I tell him that we need food, water and medical aid for all of these people. He summons some monks, and the captives are separated into smaller groups, and a monk drags Caleb into the room. Our good ole buddy Caleb! I was wondering what had happened to him. Apparently his whole crew was caught as they were skulking around the sanctum. Well. That's once loose end, we are asked if we had something to do with a small beating the boy had received, which was when We captured him first. The Marquis dismisses them, saying they are going to hold his crew for a while. As they lead Caleb away we notice they are trying to take Lenoa from me, and Kel from Aurane. Ha! I tell the Marquis that we needed to bring these people to a safe, close place, that is aware of what is going on in town, a place we can trust, and that we will be leaving with our apprentices. Apparently we have to persuade these people that we will be able to take care of them when we leave, and The Marquis goes over to his desk and pulls out some files. I can see that he has files on everyone of our group, but he looks at ,y file, and Aurane's. He has it all, or most of it. At some point someone considered me a war Hero. Must have been from that battle with the Army and the time when the Gnolls and the Bugbears joined up and tried to attack that village. all we did was hold them at the pass. Wasn't that hard, our gear was in great shape. We had a good armorer. It also had the information on the shaman who was able to make my arm, much much later. I wonder if they still had information on them now. Aurane's file says he wis Much higher in the church than I had thought. I guess he really likes to work, because according to the snippets I could see, He should have had to do much work, if any. Well. I'll have to treat him with a bit more respect from now on.
An allowance is made to let Aurane talk to his assistant in a side room, and while he does, I take Leona into a corner and tell her she will be alright, and I will not be leaving here without her. I want to make sure she knows she is safe. When Aurane leaves the side room with Kel, I decide I need to ask her what happened to her at the shop, so I take her in, close the door, and ask her. She says that she felt tired after she ate, but wasn't out like Max was. When she smelled someone in the shop, and realized it wasn't me she got mad. Damn. She took a good swipe at one of them, then fell asleep all the sudden. When she woke up, she was in silver chains. This complicates things. Damn! I mad e a promise to Garfield, and I need to see how far this got. I'll put that aside for now though. can't do anything about it here now. Our assistants are taken away with the others, and we are brought some food. Aurane tells us that Kel got a good look at one of the guys who took her, and he was casting some spells, and was a White Dragonborn! One of My own. This cannot be tolerated. It is hard enough standing out everyday, everywhere I go. I had gotten comfortable enough here in the city, and Max and some other friends had eased that, but one of My Own committing these acts, damages the honor of the Race. Damn. I should have stayed in my shop. nothing to do but hunt this guy down. Melfina says she may be able to do something about that, and I hope it isn't the same thing she did with the blood earlier.... today... has this all happened today? I suddenly feel very weary, sitting there in a place where I shouldn't have been, among several very powerful people in this city. After we eat, our assistants are returned, and we get up to leave, and realize that we are all still covered in blood, sweat, and in my case, viscera. Melfina isn't really bothered by this, but Marda prods her to take a bath, and we all go to clean off. Our assistants seem very tired when they are returned, and I am a little worried about that. Recanting something traumatic can be very drained on one's mentality, but.. so can spells. What did they learn from Leona? More problems. Even with their fatigue, Leona and Kel go with Marda and Melfina, and Rorin, Aurane and I all go the bathe, I remove my arm to make sure nothing got into it. I'll have to oil it well again next time I can, but Gods be Damned, this water feels good.
After we Bathed, and get dressed up again, we head out. we have decided to go pick up Max, let Kel get her cat, and take everyone to the Estate where we can hunker down a bit safer. When we get over to the shop Max answers the Door in his full Suit. Yikes. Living with the guy, I had always noticed he took good care of his old gear, and never modified it, just kept it oiled, and out, as if a Display to show our customers what we could do. But I had not seen him put on his Armor since... since that battle in the pass where our platoon held off those Bugbears... that was his last battle. Sure we have been training the cub, but that was always with sparring armor, padded and bulky. He still looked as good as he did the last time he wore that armor, and I heard Kel let out a small gasp. He had his long handled axe, wicked half moon blade, resting next to the door. With the large metal ball on the other end of the haft, so it acted as a counterweight to the long handle and axe head. He could swing the blade with great speed, and even better reach, with the cost of added weight to the whole weapon. But as strong as he was, that was Not a problem. When he saw Leona, he took her in a great huge hug that lifted her off the ground by almost a foot, and her fur stood out, as if she was embarrassed. heh. Max then said he had her armor ready. Good. It was about time she got to putt it all on. She had tried various pieces of it all on as we made it, but had never had it all on at once. We had made it a Lamellar armor, with strips flexible enough to allow for movement, and segmented in 4 pieces that were all bound together in a spiral, with straps and special stitching that if she got bigger, which she might, would still allow for full protection and movement. The stitching would have to be redone, but that was easy. She retrieved her spear and shield, and Max and I got our traveling tools. With these tools, if something happened to our shop, we could maintain most many armor, to a degree, and remake any tools we needed, or lost. With the Three of us in Full battle rattle, and the others with their weapons We turned a good amount of heads and attracted our attention as we headed over to get Kel's cat, then to Rorin's estate.
When we get over to the Estate, Garfield opens the door dressed in... Well, I'm not really sure. I can tell that the outfit is loose enough to allow for freedom of movement. baggy trousers, tied near the feet, and a sash around the waist. A loose vest on the torso, and wraps around his arms. look as if he was about to bare knuckle box someone, but the costume would allow for more than just punching. He too takes Leona up in a great big bear hug, maybe not as big as Max's, but Her Fur bristles in slight embarrassment. Heh, like she didn't have people worried about her. We get everyone inside, and set a room for everyone, and we all prepare to rest for the night.
In the morning, some of us are a little chipper than others. Melfina in particular seems to try socializing with us all, something she hasn't really done with us before, and as far as I can tell, with Anyone for that matter. She seems to be talking to the assistants mostly, and With Kel is almost Short with her, Leona makes little talk, being polite enough to seem like she is interested in conversation. We decided that the assistants and Max would be safe here where they could all look out for each other. Once we all assemble, Melfina decides to try the same thing she used to track the kidnappers... yesterday. Again, it feels like so long ago, that we hunted them down. Melfina once again smears her face with the blood she had collected, and Murmurs some unknown language (by me at least)and her Eyes once again glow. We had prepared Rorin's carriage before Melfina had done her ritual, so we all climbed aboard, I myself squeezed inside. As Aurane drove, Melfina was guided by whatever Mystical force she was using, and the cart was driven spasmodically through the streets, as if Aurane was trying to figure out how to drive through the buildings, and realizing that wouldn't work at the last moment. Melfina seemed to be navigating like a dog would, and without the flexibility of walking, it was a rough ride for those inside the carriage. I lost track of where we were going about half way through the ride, concentrating on anything else besides the image of my breakfast coming back up, and as the carriage came to an abrupt halt, I did just that, leaning out the side window. I could hear Rorin doing the same. Good. Glad I wasn't the only one. Next time I drive.
We Climbed out of the carriage, Carefully, and looking up, were surprised when we found ourselves outside Locomotion. Elon's Place. Melfina turns to us and says there is something wrong. A very Bad, Wrong feeling coming from inside. As I study her, I see that the blood in not in fact being absorbed into her, but is simply flaking off. I guess the first time I had been so shocked by it that I simply didn't notice. Easy to do with those unnerving eyes, Glowing the way they do. With Melfina's warning, we all become a bit more wary, as Elon said he was going to be very busy for a few more days, and was supposed to be working on his invention, maybe even deploying it out of town. So what could have happened here? We leave the carriage on the side of the street, and head inside, not sure what we needed to be prepared for. The front office has been ransacked, and no one is there. as we go into Elon's office, we stack up, Melfina in front, followed by Marda, Me, Aurane, and Rorin in the back. We see taht his office is in more disarray than usual, and that the massive water tank in the back has been shattered, and there lying in a pool of water and blood, is the body of Elon Tusk. Damn. I had liked him, even though I hadn't known him all that well. he seemed like a likable guy. Not to mention wicked smart. Pusking the feelings of sorrow away, We examine the body. Brutal weapon marks. defensive wounds. Beaten, and repeatedly stabbed, but some wounds seem to be after his death, when he was laying on the ground. A nearby wrench would have been his defensive weapon, one of opportunity, instead of one of choice. the wrench has blood on it, and hasn't been touched by the water, and Melfina takes interest in it. After seeing enough death for one lifetime, I can safely say his was not an easy death. I do not share this with my comrades, as I am sure some of them already know this fact. Melfina starts her grim business of collecting blood. And Aurane tends to the body. He may be a cleric of the city, but that doesn't mean he can't care for the dead. I start searching through the notes, and I find a few notes of his, and what appears to be a schematic of a boat with no sails, or rather, one large odd sail held above somehow. I can understand some, but most is beyond me. What I don't find is all the notes that were supposed to have been sent to him about what we have found. they all seem to be missing. Also, many of Elon's parts are still here for his machines, and while I know very little of what they do, I know they should have been where his machine was, certainly not here. puzzling over this, I turn, and am surprised when I see that Aurane has cast a spell over Elon's body, preserving it! He says it is called Gentle Repose, and he intends to keep this up until he can bring him back to life! We decide the body needs to be kept in a safe place, where Aurane can keep the spell going for a long time, and we decide to take it back to Rorin's cellar. We wrap up the body, careful to keep the coins on his eyes for the spell, and I lift it up into my arms. Carrying it out reverently, we climb back into the carriage and Head back to the estate. The ride is much more comfortable, as indeed, I am driving it back, slowly , and we are all quiet as we aren't really sure what to say to each other. As we pull up to the estate, Danerai is there, waiting near the front gate, and we wave her over to where we will pull the carriage in. Stopping the carriage, and calling Garfield over, we all disembark, and get Elon out of the inside. Upon seeing the body, and finding out who it, she grows alarmed and distressed. Saying that she has known Elon for a long time, and she steps to the side as she begins to cry. Wishing to comfort her, I hand the body to Garfield to be taken to the cellar, and I go over to comfort her however I can. After a quick embrace, I tell her that Aurane has already prayed over him, and has done some rites for him. She says she has her own rites she would like to do, and Aurane allows it, as long as the coins are not disturbed. Danerai, Melfina, Aurane and I go down to the wine cellar, where we have chosen to store the body for now, and Danerai pulls out some trinkets and Symbols for her own Ritual.
She Sings a song in the Most beautiful language I have ever heard, but I can't understand what is being said. Melfina seems to be somewhat surprised by the song, as if she could understand what the words are, then she seems to mentally be in another place while the song continues, and comes back to reality near the end of it. Leaving her own coin on the body, Danerai looks over to us, and Melfina addresses her, asking about her faith. Danerai responds in the same language, and they converse for a few seconds. The conversation apparently done, they both leave to go upstairs to the others. Glancing at the coin, I see in two languages, one, my own Draconic. A couple simple words. Safe Passage. Hmm. Aurane has checked to make sure his coinds were not disturbed by the ritual, and I follow him back upstairs, where a fight breaks out as to who is going to tell what governing body about Elon's death first.
Melfina and Marda want to tell the Cerulean Sanctum first, as they see they can trust them, rightly so. Rorin and Aurane wish to tell the constabulary of the city, Aurane's own superiors, first as we need to tell someone higher up what has happened. Aurane points out that Elon was our point of Contact, and he can just go talk to the people who sent him to Elon in the first place, Marda points out that we don't really know who we can trust in the city, as we have reason to think some higher-ups in the city may be part of all this. The ziggurats under the temples were a concern, but I point out they were probably just used as a base of opportunity, as no one was using them for a long time, and that we probably shouldn't worry about that. In the end, Rorin and Aurane go to the constabulary, and Melfina and Marda go to the Sanctum to inform the higher ups at the same time. I stay at the Estate, where I check on the apprentices and Max, and to inform Danerai of what has happened the last day with us, and to find out what the Bards may have found. She says that the bards went under the temple of Pudge, and found nothing. the area was unused and undisturbed. Seemingly hitting a dead end there, I take the time to ask her what her song meant, and to say it was a wonderful song, if sad. She said it was a song of remembrance, but didn't say where it came from. I ask her what sort of memories she had of Elon, and she shared stories, the others in the house coming in to hear as well, and we had a small wake in remembrance of the Man who was Elon. I started to feel closer to her, and see what her personality was like, and aspects of her life. By the time the others got back, I found that it was just her and I left in the room, and we had been talking for some time. The women came back first, relaying information to us. Elon was Not supposed to be in town. He was in fact supposed to be up at the assembly site, several days out of town, making his invention work. The Sanctum also thinks Harold Ravenwood seems to be a part of this, and that matches what we had gathered from other sources. But the sanctum wants everything to be on the up and up. Aurane and Rorin come back, with Vladamir the constabulary commissioner. A Large man, and oddly enough, a werewolf in a position of power. I remembered that he had been turned relatively recently. Relative to Max anyway. He is there to see the body, as whatever the men had said, Vlad wanted to do his own examination of the body. Going down to the basement, he came up only moments later, somewhat stunned, saying that yes, yes indeed Elon had been brutally murdered. Thanks Vlad. As the werewolf leaves, we all look at each other, trying to figure what to do next.
The journey of the Legend part 5
-It. I leave my room, and go to check in Max's room. He is in bed, sleeping, and I go to check on Leona. Maybe whoever rifled through my room was just looking for information- but, no. Her room is tossed as well, and she was gone. It didn't look like there was a struggle, or a fight, but it was definitely a mess. Maybe she is just staying somewhere else, like she went to visit Her uncle at the Estate. I go to check on Max, and try to wake him, but he is sleeping very similarly to someone who has been Drugged. Dammit! I should have told them to be careful. Be on the look out for suspicious activity. I go back to the front door, and poke my head out. I remember while I was in the Axes some of the Rangers could signal the others with bird call, and whistling. Never learning how to whistle, I try now, but it's more of just an exhale. No matter, I try calling out to see if Danerai is still around, but I get no response. Damn! Well , Max is out for a while, as I have nothing to wake him up with, and I can't go find Leona just myself, exhausted, in the middle of the night, while Caleb and his punks are out there. Closing, and Locking the door, I go back to my room, light some candles, and clean up my room, putting everything back. I feel there is a pattern, but I am too tired to notice, and I just want to get this done. I find my cleaning kit, Detach my arm, and clean my arm while keeping my axe next to me. I may be down an arm, but I can still swing an axe if those Bastards come back. I give my arm a good cleaning, oil it up, and put it back on for the night. It may not be as comfortable sleeping with it on, but I want to be ready for anything should someone come back for me. Putting my cleaning kit away, I try to find some sleep through all the thoughts swimming in my head. Leona should be able to take care of herself, and if she has been taken, Gods help them if she gets mad. But I don't know what would happen if she is hurt. Max should be ok too. If Leoan was taken, they probably didn't take Max, as he is probably too heavy for them all to carry. Damn...
I awoke when Max did, as he made a good uproar when he realized what happened. Turns out, everything was a normal day, and He went out to get something to eat from the food cart, and after eating, things get a little fuzzy. I tell him that Leona is missing, and he is, understandably, unhappy about that. I tell him that I am going to find her, and I will bring her back. He accepts this, gives me some grocery money, and tells me that the shop is going to be closed for the day. I think that is an excellent Idea. I gather my gear, tell Max to be careful, and head out to Aurane's place. It is nearly 1 in the afternoon when I get there, and it turns out his assistant is missing too, his place gone through. We set out to Rorin's estate, determined to get to the bottom of this, and preparing myself to tell Garfield. I'm guessing he isn't going to take this well. It doesn't take that long to get there, and when Garfield answers the door to let us in, I lay my hand on his shoulder and tell him that Leona has been taken. I was right, he doesn't take it well. Visibly shaken, he tells me that No One can find out about her secret, and if they do, they can not live. Shit. That complicates things a bit more too. I give Garfield my word, squeeze his shoulder, and we go into the mansion. Aurane has told the others of the missing assistants, and Rorin offers Garfield some time off if he needs it, and Garfield gladly accepts. Rorin brings us into the next room, and tells us that he has discovered a cipher that was used to make to note we could not decipher yesterday. and together, reading the message, we figure it out. It reads:
The shipment is still on track. They should be arriving in a week. Please ready the cargo for transport. You’ll be receiving the supplies in a day or so. Due to the persons snooping around we should move the cargo now that your supplies have been delivered. While further from the pickup, I believe we should move the cargo to the Dreams. Better to keep an eye on that Cerulean Sanctum. We’re to meet next at the docks in the northeast quadrant in two days.
The Dreams. we pick up on that. and the Docks in the North East quadrant. So. there will be a meeting at the "docks," or the temple of Pudge soon. It is suggested that we wait until then. I need to get Leona now. I have already wasted a night not being able to do anything, If we can find her now, she will be safer. Aurane feels the same about his apprentice. Everyone decides to go over to the temple of Dreams. The temple dedicated to the Unspoken One. not many people hang around that temple, and fewer go in. Perfect place to do some crime. Should have thought about it sooner. Melfina has an Idea she wants to try before we go anywhere though. She takes some blood she found under the temple for Lady Constance,where we found the cages, and mixing it with a bit of water, smears it around her eyes, which... start to glow..... (What?) With eyes Glowing like pools of blood, she confidently tells us that the owner of the rest of this blood is in the right direction for the Temple of pudge, and the right distance. Ohh... kay... creepy factor just went waay up. I look at the others, and While Marda is all nonchalant, Rorin is just hiding all of his emotions, and Aurane seems, upset? As if someone said his work not worth doing. Recovering from this stunning display, I suggest we get find some help, and since Elon is busy, the Bards college may be able to help us. Since Bridgette is the only one we know where she is, and we need more eyes and ears, we head over to her.
As we head over, I keep glancing over to Melfina, and notice that the blood around her eyes seems to be disappearing, and by the time we get to The Babblebrook inn, only a quarter of it remains. Bridget says she isn't really a part of the bard's version of the undertow, and can't promise anything. Apparently, a lot of strings were pulled to get all the bards patrolling last night, and she isn't sure that can be done again, but Melfina, her eyes still glowing that dull, blood red, takes her to a side and tells her Something. I have no idea what it is, and I have no Idea what language it was in, but it seemed to do the trick, as I watch Melfina talking to Bridgett, I notice that the blood isn't disappearing, it seems to be absorbing into her, or consumed by part of her..... Well. that's a might bit unsettling.
Time to head over to the Temple of Dreams. We don't stop to eat, having some trail rations provided by Marda. Maelfina offered just as her eyes went back to normal, and seeing us balk, Marda piped up to offer it instead. We made the trek over in silence, all of us dwelling on the events of the last night, and what lay ahead of us. When we get there we need to find out where the cobble is that hides the ladder down to the ziggurat under the temple, like the other ones. Aurane points out that the Cobble had always been on one side of the temple, off the beaten path, and I was able to find a cobble that was big enough, and the proper shape like the others were. Rorin supplies me with a crowbar, and I am able to pry up the cobble to reveal the ladder we were looking for. We try to climb down the ladder, and creep to the top of the stairs as quietly as possible, and before we even get to the top of the stairs, we start hearing voices coming from below. Going down, Slowly, cautiously, we peer into the ziggurat where we seem to have discovered where the kidnappers are! It looks like there are 3 of them standing and talking to each other, and 3 others walking around, as if guarding, but seemily kinda bored with it all. We can see that people are being held in cages, and I can see both Aurane's assistant, and Leona! I don't care if the others want to go in now, I am ready! How Dare they take her, and chain her up! I will not let this go without Punishment! Justice Will Be Done. Melfina says she has a plan, and we all ready our Weapons. I can tell Marda could have run in there first, but she lets Melfina go fist. and boy howdy does she!
Whispering a spell to herself, Melfina just walks right into the big goup talking amonst themselves and... changes. My stomach sickeningly turns as I see wings of Bone appear one her back, her eyes aglow once again with that skin crawling red, and she walks right into the middle of the group. Pointing at one of the group, and older man, a large scythe appear next to him, obviously intended to slice viciously into whatever victim she chooses. What! The fucking hell! Another wave of violent energy eminates from here, and the group of three start are visually stunned, and blood trickles from their eyes. A shadow of Death, she gestures, and the scythe sweeps down, and Blood flies through the air, the turtle in Melfinas pack popping out, and catching the warm liquid as it cascades through the Air. None of her opponents fall, but tehy must have been hurt. Hell, I feel a bit woosy just looking at the carnage. Rorin moves into the chamber, but does nothing more, possibly stunned by the Raw Carnage before Him. Aurane Chants up some divine spells, and small. spiritual guardians surround us, and as he moves into the vast hall he casts out his hand, and another weapon appears, this time a Large hammer similar to his own. As he walks into range of the enemy the guardians pelt the ones within the spells influence, both of them wearing cloaks, and his spiritual hammer slams into the older man, buffeting him. Again, none of his opponents go down. Hearty folk. but can they withstand the blows from the Black Blades of my Past.
"Heh. Let's show these whelps how to do this" I grumble to my self. No one could hear me, but that doesn't matter. I stride up to one of the cloaked figures, the one that was walking around, and I swing the battle axe in my metal hand. As the blade whistles through the air, the figure turns, reacting faster than anticipated. the Turn stops me from burying the blade in Her chest, and I look up to see it is marjore, the elf maiden that mocked us a few days before. A look of shock and pain appears on her face, and a shallow cut appears across her midriff. I use the opportunity to slide the hand axe in my scaled hand behind her knee, and cut into the back of her leg. The unexpected movement, and the leg no longer able to withstand her weight, she falls to the ground, and I bring down my axe, like a hammer blow to hot steel, and the head cleaves into her chest with a sickening crunch. My adrenaline spikes, and I use that extra energy to move on. Don't think about it. move on. Leona needs you. I walk over to one of the guards, there only to keep the kidnapped victims from making trouble, and I slash into him, cutting him down before he can react. I now stand before one remaining guard, the prisoners, and Leona, who is chained to the wall by her wrists and ankles by sliver chains. Leona rasps out- "it's about time you showed up." I quickly glance over my shoulder to see how the rest of the group is doing, as this guard, splattered whith his comrades blood is going to be stunned for just a bit longer. I imagine I will regret looking over for the next few days.
A horrific Wraith had materialized near the group of fighters, behind the older man, brandish large Claws. Was this another summon of Melfina's doing? What Is She?? The larger figure shimmers, and turns into an Oni, A large fearsome magical giant, holding a glaive to match his size. Not good. The Oni takes a swipe at Marda, who dodges under the blow, and returns a riposte with one of her blades, cutting deep into the leg of the Giant. Melfina Throws her arm forward, and a green ray flashes from her hand hitting the Oni who takes the spell in the face. He growls, seemingly unaffected by the damage done to him. The old man, who has yet to do anything, now speaks in the guttural tones known to those who deal with devils and demons, and a portal opens, and fades, leaving a monster. As Melfina sees it, she yells, "It's a Barlgura!" Well. Good. Now that I know what it is called, I can tell people to stay the fuck away from a Barlgura! appearing as a Large red ape, with tusks, the bulk hid the fact that it could move rapidly. Rorin jumps out of the shadows near the wall, and delivers a hard punch to the kidney of the other cloaked figure, who twists in agony, and Rorin takes a defensive stance ready for the returning attack. Aurane's celestial guardians swarm the cloaked figure, and leave him bloodied, but still he fights on. pulling out a rapier and stabbing at Melfina, inflicting a serious wound. Aurane uses his spectral hammer on one foe, while casting a spell to blind the Oni. The cloak with the rapier tries to flee, getting to a point near another entrance to the chamber.
I glance at Leona "Don't go anywhere" and Focus. The wolf, the falcon, the swift strike... I speed forward and try to trip Cloak. I can't let him get away and warn the rest of the goup. there must be a bunch of others out there, this can't be all of them. He doesn't fall to the floor, still able to stand even after I cut into his leg but with a final swing, the Black Blade is buried into his torso, dealing a mortal blow. As he falls, I turn to help my comrades and
-I see where the Gnolls have killed the villagers, leaving the bodies in a pile, most missing limbs or heads. killing just for the sake of killing. How can we kill each other over petty squabbles when evil creatures like these do all this damage. I look away from the pile, and see a child's body, missing the-
NO! NOT NOW. ONI. Pushing the memory away, I try to focus again. Get the Oni. The Remaining Guard I left stunned, gets out a horn and blows it, presumably to summon someone nearby. He then takes his crossbow and tries to fire at me, obviously still scared, as both shots fly wild, one narrowly misses Leona. He will pay for that. "pissant! you wait your turn" I call, gesturing at him with my axe. The Wraith Melfina must have summoned engulfs the large Demon, tearing into it with wild abandon. The Demon, ignoring the Horrific Wraith, moves up and ravages Melfina and Aurane, who are still battling the Oni. The old man is nowhere to be seen, nor is his body, which must mean he has disappeared using his magic. Damn. Marda Runs up to the oni, and unleashes a flurry of blows with her swords, dealing a significant amount of damage, and angering it. The Oni, still Blind, swings wildly at all three of the people in range, and manages to connect with all of them. After that attack, they are all looking rough, cuts and wounds showing, and bleeding. We need to finish this fight quick. Chanting a spell through a grimace of pain, she gestures at the Barlgura, but the monster seems to shrug off whatever the effect was supposed to be. Seeing no effect, she quickly heals herself. Finally, something I recognize from this mysterious adventurer. Out of the corner of my eye I see him. The old man who had disappeared, it turns out he somehow got over to the corner of the room opposite me, and he is casting another spell...
Just Before the fireball explodes in the middle of the combatants, I am able to throw my arm up, but nothing more. As the Blast from the fireball encapsulates the fighters, the heat from it is intense! But I have had worse burns from the forge. The flames die down in time for me to see Rorin walk up, and repeatedly Punch the Oni. His punches must have some sort of extra power behind them, as they seem to effect the Oni more than mere punches do. I don't have time to dwell more on it, as I also spot that Aurane is down from that fireball. That big ugly Barlgura is gone too, must have been sent back to whatever plane that bastard came from in the first place. Good. One more thing I don't have to worry about. I take advantage of Rorin's attacks distracting and wounding the Oni, move up to the opposite side of where Rorin was, as he jumped back away from it, and Swing my axes. Slicing into the top of the leg, which is about head high for me, I slice through it, and as the creature topples, I remove it's head. That's how you kill one of those. Simple. Glancing at the corner, I see the old man has dissapered, again, the coward. Now it's the turn of the little turdwaffle who shot at me. but as I get up to him, the friends he summoned come in, one of them flanking me. Fine. Can't fight his own battles huh. I hear Melfina and Marda taking damage, and this little twat behind me gets a cut into my back. From the periphery of my vision, I see the Wraith like form float over to an archer that has arrived, and.. suck some of his life from him. I don't want to know how that was done. I remind myself not to ask her. I hear Marda shout as she swings her swords, and the meaty slicing of them connecting with her target. Blocking attacks from both sides, I can't do anything about the archer, But Melfina takes care of him. She walks over to him, and drains the blood from him.... through his skin. like it all just came out. She just simply collects some in vials as her victim discovers what is it like to die from not having blood anymore. Fine. Ok. I probably wasn't going to sleep tonight anyway. Melfina then turns, and Uses another Heal on Aurane, but instead of the natual healing of most clerics I have seen, her's is painful to watch. it looks to be a forceful knitting back together, pulling the skin tight to close the wound, then growing back, instead of the gradual growth back you would see from when I heal someone. Grk. Focus now. don't want to take another cut form these guys on me. Rorin moves in and pummels the remains of Marda's target into the ground, and moves to check on Aurane and Help him up. Aurane, getting up, with eyes aflame calls upon his Diety, and a Wave of healing power emanates from him, I feel various cuts I didn't even know I had, and the wound on my back Closes. I quietly thank his diety in my mind, that it wasn't Melfina that did that. The Healing I received was much more soothing. I find an opening to cut down the Guard that shot at me, and I turn to the one who slashed my back, and tell him to bugger off. Banter was all it was, but he tries to take my advice. Woah! wait, hold on! where do you think you are going? Marda runs him down, and knocks him out. as she is tying him up, I turn my attention to the prisoners.
Aurane has beaten me to it, and it's not the only thing he was beating. The lock on his assistant, Kel, was getting a pounding by Aurane and his Hammer as he tried to let her out. I move over to Leona, and say, "I"m right here little one, I will get you out, but I need you to stay calm ok? I'm going to find the keys, I'll be right here, and you can see me, you are safe now." Searching the bodies, we find keys for all the cells and I find a shiny amulet in the remains of the Oni, who has turned into goop. Getting back to Leona, I find Rorin has already picked the locks on her ankles. I unlock the wrists, and pass the keys off so the others can unlock the rest of the kidnapped victims. Leona is really banged up, physically and mentally. I turn to pull her over to the other side of the Ziggurat, and see the carnage that was caused. The guards, one I nearly cut in half, the Cloaked figure, whom I slew. And Marjore. Marjore who lay on her back, a massive wound in her chest, blood still slowly oozing out of her chest, buy her eyes... Glazed over from death... eyes like..
-The corpses eyes were gone. picked out by birds most likely, I had to keep looking. The bandits had killed this group of travelers. The travelers had probably attempted to defend themselves instead of giving up their possessions. We had been hired to find these bandits by the local town, and get rid of them. sometimes the Bandits came back to the same place, to see who came investigating. All around our patrol were people who had done nothing but try to make an honest living. One was on her back, a young dwarf woman who had received a a wicked hack to her chest, probably from a giant cleaver the bandit lord is known to use. The cleaver had obviously punctured her lungs and she had died, trying to breathe her own blood, evidence of her coughing it up on her lips and cheeks. What a horrible way to die...--
nnnnnnNNO! NOT now. I take a deep breath, and close my eyes. I feel Leona's weight as she leans on me, we are walking across the chamber. I need to tend to her right now. She, and the other victims will need help. I sit her down against the wall, and I talk to her, simply telling her how to bend the metal bands for splint mail. It is something she already knows, but it is something else to think about, something else to focus on. We sit and talk for a while, as the other victims are taken care of by the others. Aurane is tending to Kel, making sure she is ok.
Once Leona is better, (and myself), I get up to talk to the others. Noticing I'm still covered in blood, I try to find some clean water to wash off, and manage only to smear some blood off my face. Discussing options with the others, we decide to take everyone to the Cerulean Sanctum. I get everyone's attention, and tell them we can't let them all go home at once. There are wounds to take care of, we can get them food and water, and make sure they are all safe. The group seems to be willing to allow us to guide them to the sanctum, so we take them up to the surface, and with the Companions surrounding us, we walk them to the sanctum. Leona is sticking with me, and Rorin is guiding our prisoner, the guard. All of us covered in blood must have been quite a sight, and we did attract a good amount of attention, but no one approached us. When we get to the Sanctum, we demand to be let in, and we are waved in, to be met by the Magistrate of the Sanctum Himself. He says we are going to a private room, to sort all of this out.
The journey of the Legend part 4
As we leave the Sewer, Melfina tells us that we just fought some form of Marid, A water type genie. I hope if we ever meet another one it is more Water than piss. We head to the center of town, and find a store that sells Healing potions, the proprietor seems to be a rather oddly shaped creature, as if it was 5 kobolds in a large coat, but he... or... they.. give us a good deal on the potions, and even wrap one in a bow for us. Nice, I guess. We head back to the estate to get some lunch, and a good thing too, as we had to pool our resources to buy the potions, and now the only one with money is Rorin, so we can't afford to go out and Eat anywhere. Oh well, guess I'll have to do my own cooking again. I will learn how to appreciate good food again. We rest for a small amount of time, have our lunch and decide to go back out. Getting back to where we fought the Marids isn't hard, and as we get there, we see that something else has been through here. A trail of blood spilled by our party was left, and something has trailed through it, leaving a smear on the path. Without a better clue, we decide to follow whatever left this streak, and follow it deeper into the sewer. With only the magical Light of the Clerics Hammer, we pass several branches of the main line we are on, but we press on. following that trail. eventually, the blood disappears, and we are left to think of what to do. While we stand there and try to decide, Melfina closes her eyes and briefly concentrates on something, then announces that she can track her blood, and knows where to go. Yeah we could get lost, but a few of us think we should be able to find our way back, and we press on, Melfina leading us on. Soon, a more earthy smell is noticeable, and the floor of the sewer seems oddly more natural, as if something were growing beneath our feet. Sure enough, with just the light from Aurane's Hammer, we can see that moss is somehow growing down here in this sewer! We can hear something approching us, and before we can do anything, a small.... mushroom(?).. is standing. Thinking back I remember having heard tales of being called Myconoids living in colonies. Mostly harmless, they lived in large groups as a hive, and would help peaceful creatures who were in need. Standing about 4 feet in height, he seemed to shy away form the Bright, Radiant light of the hammer, so Aurane adjusted his spell to a dimmer light, and the mushroom man introduced himself as Mellow. We asked him a few questions, and he says that he has seen some other humans recently, like we aren't the only ones down here. He also tells us about how the Myconids came to be, and how some had been enslaved by Evil Drow and Dueragar, and that Harold Ravenswood had brought them to the city to work in the sewer, and they were paid, and nearly had voting rights. Aurane seemed to think it was important they paid taxes, and Mellow agreed to take us to the place he had seen the other humans. but he wanted to be paid. Having no money myself, I looked at the others, and the ladies seemed to think he wanted food, so they gave him some berries and lettuce. While Mellow took it, he told us to bring gold next time, and started off. Shrugging to the others, we followed him back into the sewers.
Mellow lead us through many twists and turns, and while a concern of getting lost was voiced, but Rorin, Aurane And I feel that we can get back to wehre we need to go if we get separated. Mellow eventually leads us to a narrow passageway behind falling water, a crevice that leads to a larger chamber, or so he says. At this, Mellow stays on the sewer side, saying he doesn't want to go into the chamber with us, and we ready ourselves, and squeeze through. At first, there doesn't seem to be any one here, and we slowly creep into the chamber. It seems to be a worship site, maybe offering site, not sacrificial but of goods. High vaulted ceiling, with a balcony above so others can observe. I hear Aurane muttering about incredible stonework, then he stops muttering altogether. Marda Clears her throat, and as we look at her, she nods out into the dark perimeter of the chamber across from where we are. we can see several crossbows pointed at us. I notice more as I look across. Well Crap. I prepare myself to move, Imagining the Flight of a falcon, the strike of a viper. Focusing, I tense my muscles, but before I can move, Aurance calls out a greeting, and... nothing. Slowly, some crossbows are lowered, then more as a very small figure steps out into the light. I can't determine a gender, but it is obviously a gnome. It seems to have made at least part of it's outfit from... Curatins?... whatever it is, it's an odd material. We are introduced to Garnet The Tonedeaf, the Head of the Bards Guild.
Apparently, this is a part of the temple dedicated to the Lady Constance, the goddess of the city, and this is a common room. It seems that both our leads, and those of the Bards college had both merged here at this chamber. The chamber had evidently been cleared out before we got here, Caleb getting away may have been the reason for that. Whoops. But that does match with what mellow told us. The Bards were about to check the upper floor of this chamber when they noticed us coming in. Garnet says she will let us Check upstairs see what we can find, the rest of the bards will check down here, make sure it is secure. Before we go upstairs I notice Danerai is here too. I smile and wave at her, but she doesn't seem to notice. That's fine. I don't need to open my mouth, only to say just the wrong thing at a tiem like this, with many people who can spread word far and wide, singing songs, and telling jokes about me. Not to mention the Bards. I should keep to business, and go search upstairs.
When we get up there, we start searching around, and find evidence of the sleeping arrangements of possibly 6 people, and evidence of cages. from what we can infer, it seems this was a place where captives were held, before being moved to other places. Unfortunately, no cages, nor kidnappers to question were around to give us more leads. looks like we will have to search around, see if any evidence was left. We all start to look around, and after a while I seem to find a chalk message! It says.... Your princess is in another Fucking castle! What the hell does that mean? maybe one of the bards would know? I should go ask them. Before I have the chance to do so, Rorin and Aurane say they have found somethings we should look at. They both seem to have found some scrolls, but when we go to read them, they are both in complete gibberish. we start to get dismayed, but Rorin finds a cipher key on his, and before anyone can think about cracking it, he seems to know what his says anyway. Aurane's note seems to be a different cipher, so we can't tell yet. Rorin's note says that the shipment should arrive in 7 days. until then, the captives are still going to be in the city. Rorin also deciphers there are 6 possible locations that the kidnappers could be holding everyone. those 6 locations are going to be underneath any of The temple of Dreams, The gypsy Jamboree, the temple of Pudge, The Solstice Study, Eros Choza, or The Temple Forge. With the possibility that we may have missed something, we tell Garnet that we are going to start searching under the temples tonight. Garnet says she will have the Bards patroling the city, so there won't be any more kidnappings tonight, and we decide to go over and check out the area under Eros Choza, we just have to find a way out of this temple.
After searching for a couple minutes, we find a stair up to a passage, and a ladder. The ladder itself looks old, and rather unused, and the party tries go to up. As it turns out, Melfina, at the top, can't lift the access stone, and she looses her balance on the ladder. Marda, who is right below her, tries to catch her, and only manages to get knocked off as well. Aurane, below her make no attempt at all to stop the falling Ladies. I spread my legs on the rung of the ladder, clamp down my metal arm and hunch my shoulders to stop, or at least slow, their fall. As they land on me, it hurts, but it does stop their fall. I tell everyone to climb back down, and I'll go up and lift the stone, so we can get out of this place. When I get to the top, I once again brace myself against the ladder, and try to push up the stone slab covering. As I heave, I hear a snap of metal. Worrying that it could have been my arm, I try a bit more gingerly to lift, and with a slight grind, I feel it lift up, and I can move it out of the way. I climb back out, into the fresh air, and More Darkness. yay. While I know we had be down there a good amount of time, I had not realized it was past dark. We head over to the Temple of Eros Choza, and, consulting the map, we find the easiest way to get down would be a sewer access, then find the narrow passage into the area under the temple. We all climb down into the sewer and again, we have to go in a single file. I choose to take the rear, and Aurane takes the Front again. We head toward the temple, and after walking for less than 5 minutes, we hear scurrying and squeaking of what could only be Rats. A large, vile swarm of them came at Aurane, and started clawing and biting at his legs, crawling up him to get to more tender areas. Unable to do anything, I could only watch as rats were squished, sliced, and skewered by Melfina, Marda, and Aurane himself. I decided it would be a rather bad thing if we were taken from behind, and good thing I did, as some rats were coming from that direction too. they were not yet in range of my axe, but we dragonborn have another weapon, and I took a deep breath in, and Fed my Inner Forge. as the rats got into range, I let loose with my fire breath, and roasted a good amount of the little flea ridden plague carriers. I readied myself to take some bites, and swing with my axes, but before I could even step forward, Rorin Jumped Over Me! With a fine display of acrobatics, he flipped over my head, landing just as the last fire went out, and with 3 precise punches, Obliterated the rest of the rats before me! Just Where The Hell Had he Gone?!!? I'm glad he was there, as I hadn't had to use my fire breath like that for a long time. Sure I use it to light the forge if it goes out, maybe once or twice to warm up some food that Max may have not cooked all the way.. but I hadn't had to use it to kill in a long, long time... No! this isn't a time to dwell on any of that. I need to check on the others. I looked to the front, and Aurane had fallen, and the rest looked a bit winded. I get them to let me through to Aurane, and focusing my power, Heal him once more. I feel more power drain out of me. I can continue on, but it almost feels like I become more... Bland each time I use an ablity like that. As if I am using what Nature I have in me. I have to take a rest, usually several hours, before I can use them again.
We decide to continue on, as we do still have the health potions, in case of emergency. I haven't seem anyone take one yet anyway. We are able to find the tight passage into the under temple, and quietly squeeze into the chamber. Nothing greets us, and upon a closer examination, nothing has been here to greet anything for at least a couple days. A bit of foot traffic, but nothing more than that. We had guessed wrong. Damn! I want this over with. although, in the shape we are in now, I'm not sure stumbling into the main base of these bastards would be a good idea. We have to keep going. The party is wondering if we should call it a night, but I at least want to push on. the others agree, all of them feeding off each others energy. We can do this. I feel I can heal once more if I need, but I would rather not, as I hate that feeling of... Grayness. Of being washed out. The group decides on one more temple, The Solstice Study. If they aren't there... well, we have a week. We can turn over anything we find to the Bards, and try again in the morning. I hate to think of people in trouble, being helpless, but I can't help them if I am too exhausted to save them from the Scum that took them. We all agree there has to be a way out of this chamber similar to the staris and ladder we found at Lady Contance's temple, and after looking a short time, we find it. It is agreed that I will go up first and try the cobble stone, as I am pretty sure the only other person that could lift it is Aurane. I climb up to the top of the ladder, and push, again hearing a snapping sound. I stop, and examine both my arm, and the ladder, and see that the top rung is popping out of the shaft's wall. If I don't lift this cobble properly, the whole rung, possibly the whole ladder, could fall out. Bracing myself again, to spread out the force, I lift up on the stone, and pop it out of it's setting. As I move it aside, a warm liquid rolls down my arm, towards my face, and down me. With that smell instantly recognizable, I scramble out of the hole to see some drunken asshat peeing onto the pavement! With the first thing that comes to mind, I vigorously tell him how to make the perfect Nail. In Draconic. Now, for those of you who have never been yelled at in draconic, it is not a pleasant tongue to hear in normal speech, and a good bit worse when you are yelling at someone. And, May I say, ever so terrifying when you are stone cold drunk, and not expecting it. Not as vile as Gnoll, or some Giant Dialects, but still. It'll shock you. And that is exactly what it did. Scared that bastard all the way home I suspect.
I ask Aurane to see if he can't fix that ladder on his way up. Wonderful things city clerics. They don't mind mending anything as long as it is part of the city. Rather nice to be around too. some seemed a bit preoccupied with taxes though. As if Taxes fueled their magic. we head over to the study over the surface. We don't want to go through the sewer, as we don't know our way down there, and there may be some more naty things down there. it's easy to find our way on the Surface, as some of us Have lived in the city for a long time. Once we get to the Study however, there doesn't seem to be a way down into the sewer nearby. There is however, a well. Wed decide to lower each other down, and Rorin says he has a special grappling hook that he can get down with. OK, that will work fine, and after a few minutes of discussing in what order we should lower people, Marda. Melfina, Myself, Aurane and the Finally Rorin lowering himself. We get into the wel, and see that there is a passage, I would call it more of a mere crack, in the wall that may lead into the sewer. everyone goes in, and I take the rear guard again. After attempting to squeeze in, that seems to have been a mistake, as I get rather stuck. Rorin notices, and tires to come back and help, but I just end up jamming in real tight. OK. Next time, I'll leave the others to go looking in at cracks. Rorin Calls for the others, and the come back, I could swear smirking, and try to haul me out. After some grunting, and pulling, and swearing, (mostly on my part) I get free. the noise and disturbance seems to have awoken some critters however. Bats attack the group in front, and that wonderful beautiful cozy crevice must have mug home to some crawlies, as they start swarming over me in the most, urgh, buah. nasty sensation. Rorin once again helps kill the ones on me, and the the other three dispatch the bats. as I stomp on the remains on the bugs, and try to get as much....Juice... out of my mechanical arm, we heading to wehre we suspect is the passage into the underground portion of the temple. right where we expect to find it, we go in and ... There.. is someone here, but we can't tell where. we do a quick search, and finding another note, Aurane gives it to Rorin, then suddenly, there stands Mellow. Hullo mellow. In his squeaky almost throat hurting voice, he tells us that he saw some people leave not 40 minutes ago, and they were heading east. Rorin deciphers the note, and again, it says, that the shipment is due in 7 days, and some of them members have noticed people looking into the kidnappings, and they are worried the Cerulean Sanctum may know what is going on, but the rest of the city has no idea. The Headquarters is still secure. And that is it. With out anything else we can work on, and with Mellow saying there were more than 4 people leaving this location. with us tired, covered in slime, good, piss, and insect gunk, we decide to call it quits. Finding the ladder up, I again open the stone, first letting Aurane fix any damage that time may have done, and we head back to the estate. As aurane needs to check on his buisness, and I need to clean my arm out, we tell the others that we are going to our own homes that night. thye protest, but Even though Rorin may be a jumping punching master of running, he wopuldn't have my tools, and the special jig I made to care for my arm. And I need to check on Max and Leona. Aurane and I head back across a seemingly empty city, taking as many of the wide open roads as we can. Weapons out, eyes and ears sharp on any input we can muster, we Meet only a lone figure in the middle of the city. Wary it may be a trap, we approach, only to find that it is Danerai. Oh. we ask what she is doing out alone, and she says with some surprise that most of the Bards are out on patrol right now, how do we think the city got so quiet? Oh, that's kinda... spooky. She agrees to secort us home, although, I don't remember asking... and we walk along in the early morning air, alert for anything that could come jumping out of the darkness, and telling her what we have found that night. Her voice seems almost... soothing, calming. maybe it was just the adrenaline from the fights, and being wound up so much. Maybe.
We drop Aurane off at his place, and head over to mine, just a few minutes away. I try to think of something to say, maybe invite her in for a drink, but as we get to the shop, I decide it would be better to get some sleep. I can't invite her in just to have her watch me remove my arm and give it a good Cleaning. That's Not how to impress a lady. Sure, they dig the scars, but missing limbs hasn't worked for all that many lads I would take a guess. Besides. she would say she has a patrol to keep or some such, I am sure. I wish her a safe night, and go into my shop. needing my kit to clean my arm, I open the door to my room, and find that the whole room has been thrown insideout... Wellll Shi
The Journey of the Legend part 3
In the morning, I get out My old gear, most of it still fits, and hang my axe once again on my back. The familiar weight to it reminds me of days past, some of which I would like to forgot forever. I head over to pick up Aurane, and we head over to the estate. Once we all gather there, we discuss what we should do, and decide we should update Elon again. I feel it's important to let Him know what we have found, in case something happens to us, he can let the next group know what we did. As we get to Locomotion, we are eventually led by the receptionist into the warehouse area, which is more like a workshop than a warehouse. We can see that Elon is working on one of his larger machines in here, an "Engine" of sorts. I recognize a firebox, and controls of some such, but really everything past the firebox is beyond me. a huge metal monstrosity with a firebox on wheels, and what appears to be a smoke pipe on the end. Elon comes over and Melfina tells him about the undertow, how they may be responsible for the disapearences. Apparently she says it a bit too loud, as a Dwarf comes overand tells us none of what we have found is real. He doesn't believe in all that hooey, and we should stop bothering his boss. Elon, however, clearly thinks otherwise, and pulls us into his workroom. He says he is worried about his Dwarven worker, an underboss of sorts, who goes by the name of Firecrotch. The dwarf seems to be prime kidnapping material according to Elon, and should be watched. Elon tells us that any delay to his machine being finished would be disastrous, as he needs to finish it within the next week, and it will be close in the best of conditions, let alone without his people going missing. He wants us to tail Firecrotch, see if he could be in danger, and says that he will not be available in the next week, until his project is finished. We get the address for Firecrotches residence, which I recognize, and we set off, leaving Elon to his project.
Thinking of the layout of the city, I narrow down two different paths that Firecrotch could take, and we set off across the city. we take the first path, a more open path that leads past a few Inns, and enter the Aftermath Cafe. after talking with the owner, and having a wonderful meal, we determine that Fredrick, his given name, does not in fact frequently have meals outside his home, and probably doesn't even take this route. Aurane and Melfina keep an eye out in the city to see if they can spot anywhere a shady character may be hiding for future reference as we head back top the estate. When we get there, Garfield meets us at the door with a Letter addressed to "you silly Miscreants". Can't be for me then. The letter seems to be From Bridgett, who states that there will be a performance at her Inn tonight, and we should attend. Seeing as we now have dinner plans, and Aurance and I should really check on our business, you know, Our Livelihood, we decide to spend the rest of the day at work, and meet the others at the Babblebrook for the concert.
I head back to my shop, wondering what I'm going to tell Max. I haven't been working in the shop for a few days, and he isn't going to be happy. His weapons sell well, but he relies on me to be there when he has troubles from his past. We have both seen so many things, and with time. and each other, we have been Ok, but a couple nights a month one of us may wake up in the night, and need to talk. With Leona there, learning, things have really evened out, we have something else to concentrate on, and teach our trade. Work has helped as well, if we have enough of it. A Long day at the forge will wear us out to where we can sleep soundly. I decide to buy some Tea for the two of them from the cart outside the shop. I swear, I feel that cart stays here only because of us sometimes. Although, they do have some good food..... I grab the sweet tea, getting one for each of us, And enter the shop. Leona is on one side, my side, working on a shield strap, and doing decent Work. Her natural strength aiding her in this work, and she seems to enjoy it for the most part, and we like having her. I may seem disconnected, or uncaring with her, but I never had a family of my own, and now I do with this shop. I give her an approving look, and head over to Max, handing him his tea. He takes it, and asks me what I have been up to, and I tell him that some people are in trouble, and some higher ups in the city have asked me to help out. I don't tell him that people are disappearing, as I was told not to. But Max is smart. he knows something else is up, but doesn't press me on it. He knows that I feel the need to help people in trouble, and if I couldn't tell him somethings I had reasons. He says the shop seems to be doing well, and I tell him I may have some custom daggers for him to make soon for one of my new companions. I can help with the design, even with some of the work if need be, although his work would be better for the weapons. I go over to Leona, and she asks if the Second tea I have is for her, and I say of course it is. I make the pretense of examining her work, but really I just want to examine her fine work from a closer perspective. She really is doing fine work. there are some ragged edges, but it seems sturdy enough. I'll have to finish it up a bit, and some polish work, but it seems like good work. I tell her so, and tell her after thatwork is done I'll need more nails. Yes, it is a step down, but people always need nails. They sell. Simple as that. She seems a little off put, but I tell her I will show her some more techniques before I head out again. I know it hasn't been that long since this all started, but working in the shop that afternoon with my Family, was really just the best. a bit of Light in these recently darker days. I wonder what my thoughts would be if I didn't know what was happening in the city right now.....
I manage to show Leona how curving the pauldron slats that run down the arm properly, it allows for proper movement of the arm, while keeping the integrity of the armor, before I have to leave to meet aurane and the others for the concert. We make business small talk as we head over to the Babblebrook, and get there nearly at the same time as the others. Bridgett isn't really thrilled to see, us, but she did tell us to come. Rorin, as his own weird way of apologizing, presents Bridgett with a large painting from his estate. Clearly not intending to put the new painting in the common room, (I think she said something about the master suite) we get a table off to the side and wait for the concert to start. The performer starts around 8 pm, a lovely tiefling named Danarei Milos, and while I remember a song mentioning the Undertow, I don't remember much else of what she sang. I may have been staring a bit.... Something about her eyes... so many troubles have they seen.. I could help with that...
What am I thinking?! I hardly know this girl! I better get another drink, keep my mind on the singing and off the singer. There is work to be done tonight. We all sit and wait until after the performance is done, Danarei heads over to our table to talk to us. She says she is part of the Real undertow, which has been taken over by the Bards college. The college is lead by someone by the name of Garnet the Tone Deaf. Odd name for a bard..
The college says the undertow is dedicated to helping those who find themselves with magical power and getting them to a place of safety. I ask her if she knows anything about a boy named oliver, and she says that the boys Brother has drawn the interest of the college, and while she has more information, she isn't going to give it away for free. Rorin tries to buy her off for 3 gold, but apparently she has gotten bigger tips than that thrown at her for a song. Melfina says something to her, what it is I imagine I will never know, as it is in a language I don't recognize, but must be spoken by some higher class of being. Who Is this woman?? that will have to wait for later I guess, because Danerai says that whoever is taking everyone hasn't left the city yet. And, the she says that there may be a council member responsible for all of this. Some of them have a very squeaky reputation and record, and it leads to some thought that something is amiss. She says we should look into Lavender Thatcher, Harold Ravenswood, and Garmeeli the Swift. The Heads of the Accountants, infrastructure, and Hunter's guild in that order. The sewers may be a good way to move people around the city. there is a new way of cleaning the sewers, and while the gelatinous cubes were dangerous, a new way has been found that is even more so. Great. That is all the information she is going to give us, because at that point, she gets up and leaves us to try and figure out what to do next.
The group of us all leave the Inn, heading for the route that Firecrotch would have taken, at least in this part of town. I could tell that everyone in the party was on the lookout for trouble, there was no conversation between us, and most of us had the look on our face of someone concentrating on something other than just walking calmly. It was just a few blocks before I noticed our shadows. A little noise here from the scuffle of a boot, Small movement in the alleys as we pass, The feeling on the back of your neck of someone watching you. I could tell my companions we noticing too. I could tell there were at least 6 of them following us. and I needed to wait. I wasn't sure which of my companions would be able to keep up, so I needed on of our shadows to make a mistake, and... There! one had bumped into a barrel! not only would the others have heard, whoever hit that barrel would be just a bit off balance. now would be the time for Us to pounce. I roared out my intentions, and started the chase, sprinting towardsthe side alley with, and drawing my axe. while I had no immediate intention of killing, I wasn't sure if my target had the same Idea. I get a hit with the side of my axe, an awkward blow, but not lethal and The clumsy shadow decided to run. Nuts. Assuming they were younger than me, they would probably outrun me. Rorin, however, pumping his short legs faster than I thought he could, sped past me and knocked the little guy out. No hesitation. It looks to be that small red headed boy Caleb. Not wanting to attract too much attention, I lift the boy up into my arms, and hold him tight. as If carrying a child home, I tell the others to surround me, and we start back to the Estate. I can still feel the others following us, but I bet they are keeping their distance. This target Bites back. with the group on High alert, we make it back to the Estate, and we all get inside. Rorin tells Garfield to get his toys , and we take Caleb into one of the many rooms in the mansion, and set him on a chair and tie him up. After Garfield brings out what seems to be a bag all all sorts of nasty implements, Aurane holds his holy symbol in front of him, chants a small prayer to himself, glowing slightly, and tells us he has cast a zone of truth. As we start to interrogate him, We find he can't provide us with a lot of useful information. We learn that The king of the undertow has instructed Caleb's group to follow us, but they don't know what the king looks like. We know that the group following us includes Marjore, the handler, a big guy names Arms, then Beejee, cookie, and Charlatan. Oliver was part of the group too, but not with them tonight. With caleb not being very helpful, and all of us tired enough to passout on the spot, we decided to throw the kid in a makeshift cell, still tied up, and call it a night.
Well. It turns out none of us were really thinking, as Caleb was able to escape. He may have had something hidden somewhere in a pocket that helped him get out, and we didn't bother checking him for anything. Berating ourselves for being unintelligent windowlicking simpletons, we shake of the major disappointment, and decide on our next course of Action. We decide to take the advice of Danerai and investigate the Sewers. We will need to find a way into the sewers, navigate them, and see if we can find anything down there, all while being careful of this new sewer Cleaning Service.
After visiting the Sanctum, and standing around for a bit while the Ladies are allowed to search, Aurane has the Idea the the city planning office should have this information. We head over there, and drop the name of Harold Ravenwood, and we get the plans for the sewer. We find an entrance, and decide to head down. the smells, while not pleasant, are not over powering, and we walk along the side of the sewer, slimy water flowing next to us. We continue down the darkening pathway in a single file line, none of us really wanting to step into the liquid to our side. Suddenly, Two large, Filthy, semi transparent, Reeking figures Rise out of the Fetid water. Clothed in stained , rotting tatters, the pale urine colored pair stared down my companions infront of me, out of reach of my weapons. I had to watch helpless as a brief battle was fought between these vomit inducing vaguely piscine creatures. I had a feeling that they were not naturally this grotesque, but something in the sewer had made them like this. As to what they actually were, I have never seen their ilk, and if that is the natural state, I hope to never see it again. As to my companions, they received several wounds, Aurane nearly going down a couple times. they did however dispatch the fiends, and I was impressed by the combat abilities I witnessed. it has been a while since I was in a fight, and had forgotten what clerics could do. Aurane, being a city cleric, I have seen what they could do while working with them on occasion. Marda seemed to favor her hooked swords, and her movements suggested more grace than I had thought her capable before. Rorin, again, seemed a little quicker on his feet than his appearance would tell. just as the previous night, he preferred attacking with his fists instead of any weapon, and while I had heard of hermits who could acheive mighty blows with naught but bare hands, I was thinking that took many many years to perfect. Where had he disappeared off to in that time gone. As for Melfina... She simply reached out to touch one of the monsters, and while it didn't bleed, it seemed to have taken damage from just her touch. I didn't see any paryer be muttered, but then the only light was from Aurane's Hammer, and the shadows, and light were dancing around in the chaos. Whatever Melfina is, I should make a mental note not to anger her too much.
With some being Hurt, I was forced to remember my old abilities. At some point during my time in the Army, I was taught how to focus on nature, and increase my ability to heal, move, and track. I used a bandage on Aurane, and imagined his flesh growing together like a damaged plant. it seemed to work, and he said he was feeling better. I'm glad he was, I could feel some energy leaving me, and I wasn't sure how many more times I could do that. Maybe, three times a day at most? We all decided that we should head back up to the surface, and see if we couldn't acquire some health potions. The sewers weren't going to change That fast Right?
