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A Long Day

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Cyker
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 11:58 pm

A Long Day

Post by Cyker »

A Long Day - Part 1: The Search for Sianan

Reylar came to a halt just outside the Wandering Badger. Taking one last look around, he gently pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Within the tavern, a large collection of people, warriors of various types, had gathered.

Reylar swept his gaze round and strode over to the far wall.

Lorana Aerlian regarded the man, giving him a curt nod as he came to stand beside her.

"This is a great mistake..." she muttered.

Reylar returned the nod, "So many... This'll be a good ride." he said grimly.

The two of them stood silently against the back wall, picking out snatches of conversation as ambient sound level rose and fell like a tide.

"Don't you get it?" Lorana said at length.

Reylar gave her a questioning glance.

"Don't you see this is going to end with a bloodbath on the surface when the drow come back for revenge?" Lorana continued. She turned back to look at the gathering, "They're all blind."

Reylar shrugged, folding his arms, "Yer drow need no excuse t' wage war. Often as not, they attack without. Have y' already forgotten t' time they nearly razed Brosna to t' ground? No surfacer started that I tell ye."

"This will just make it worse..." Lorana said darkly, "We could start another bloody damn war with this!"

Reylar shrugged, "Yer alternative be t' leave 'er down there. Y' could do tha', leave t' drow be, won't stop 'em raidin'. We go there, we got a reason.", he paused to gesture at the others, "They all be doin' it fer 'er."

"Is it worth it, to sacrifce all of those?" Lorana retorted, sweeping her arm along to gesture at everyone in front of them.

"Well, they all seem t' think so. I dun personally, but then I figures if we be doin' this right, we be doin' it wi'out startin' a war an' wit' no sacrificin'." Reylar grinned back.

Lorana rolled her eyes.

Suddenly one of the drow present in the tavern sprung onto a table and held his arms out, "MAY I SPEAK!" he shouted above the chattering.

The blanket of talking subsided to a dull murmur.

"I am a friend of Sianan Rhodar, and a simple warrior," the drow began when he had everyone's attention, "But even I know that the realms would be a terrible place without beings of such good." he swept his gaze around the crowd, "I'm sure all of you know her, and many of you owe her your lives. We all have a friend who needs our help.

"Sianan is ill, she has lost her faith, lost her way. Mathias, her betrothed, needs us to help her find her path once more! I cannot speak for all, but I commit my life and sword to Mathias' quest for the Lady In Red, and now is the time for all who have any strength to muster the courage to get the good cleric back!"

The drow obviously wasn't used to speaking in such openness, but the conviction behind the speech brought a cheer from the crowd, and they flocked around the table pledging their aid.

Reylar hung back from the crush, catching Mathias' eye and giving him a nod of acknowledgement.

He turned his attention back to the rest of the crowd, trying to spot anyone he knew.

He quickly spied the two Yaschenko brothers, Ludovic and Dimitri, clad as they were in their Order's armour, but most of the others he couldn't recall. There were several dwarves, halflings and other drow, to his mild surprise.

He half-turned to Lorana to ask her how many she knew when he caught her nodding to Mathias too.

"Y' be goin' too?" he asked in surprise.

Lorana blushed, but quickly dismissed it with a shrug, "Yeah I'll come. Just to see if I'm right..." she added under her breath.

Reylar grinned knowingly.

-----

Mathias quickly organised the group, distributing supplies and designating scouts. Soon they were ready and everyone hefted packs onto shoulders for the long walk to Sholo.

"Oh, the irony... once I kidnapped her... and now I'm trying to save her..." Lorana muttered to herself as they exited the Wandering Badger into the bright morning.

Reylar grinned, "'s funny how yer cards fall, aye?"

Lorana 'hmph'ed at him, and stalked forward to the front.

The group marched swiftly east, though the Benzor River Valley and past the Trommel Woods.

The journey was mostly uneventful. A bandit ambush was spotted early by Lorana and Roidoc, a quick-fingered gnome, and instead the bandits found themselves being ambushed!

By the end of the second day they had reached Sholo.

"Right!" Borthak Hammerfist, a stout dwarf, said eagerly, rubbing his hands together, "This be where ah get tae cleave me some drow skulls!"

Gelvar Silverhold clapped him on the back, "Aye! What's tae plan 'eh?"

"We politely introduce, and then put them to the sword?" one of the Yaschenko brothers, Dimitri, suggested with a wry grin.

"Not all Drow are evil." his brother, Ludovic, admonished.

"We're not here to start a war." Mathias said quietly. He turned to Lorana and Storm, "You two will be my eyes. Scout ahead, but stay hidden and report back whenever you find anything.

"'Shanks'," Mathias gestured with a grin at Roidoc, "and I will try to convince her to come back."

"I am a skilled tracker," Roidoc told the others, "I will make sure we find her."

"'ere, what 'bout t' rest o' us?" Borthak exclaimed.

"We be there in case things dun go t' plan, aye?" Reylar grinned.

Mathias nodded, "While we aren't going to be attacking the city, if any of us are discovered, the Drow will likely try to capture or kill us. We need you to cover our backs."

Borthak grumbled behind his beard.

"Marchin' order?" Reylar asked.

"Lorana, Shanks and I will take the front line with you two," he gestured at the Yaschenkos," backing us up. Archers and healers, stay in the middle. Mages behind them. You dwarves, cover our backs."

"We got it...no worries." Borthak nodded.

"Err, 'ere, I'll 'elp 'em guard t' backs too, aye?" Reylar spoke up.

"Very well." Mathias nodded, missing Lorana's snicker.

Drawing their weapons, they quietly entered the cave that lead into the Underdark...

-----

Reylar's eyes took a few moments to adjust, but the gloom did not reveal much of interest regardless. The bare rock was cold and unwelcoming, weathered with age. Stalactites and stalagmites dangled and sprouted up like the teeth of some huge creature. Dotted here and there were patches of the curious luminous fungus that always seemed to permeate the under-caverns of most of the worlds Reylar had seen.

The party stalked through the cave quietly, the odd clink of armour and the foot-falls of heavy boots the only sound.

Reylar's ears pricked up.

"Ahead, sounds of a battle?" Borthak hissed next to him.

The party ran forwards.

"The gnomes!" Lorana cried, notching an arrow on the run and loosing it at one of the bugbears as it raised its mattock to cut down one of the gnome guards.

With a roar Mathias and the two Yaschenkos smashed into the bugbears assaulting the gnome's gate. Behind them, Lorana and Storm loosed arrows into any that popped out of the chaos.

Reylar moved to help, but a sudden "Mow!" from his backpack made him to duck.

A glob of concentrated acid zipped past where his head had been and fell in an arc to the cave floor where it sizzled.

"Bah! Cave vermin!" Borthak dismissed as he cut the winged creature in half with one blow.

Reylar grabbed one of the many knives strapped behind his shield and flung it at the other creature where it buried itself up to the hilt.

"You okay back there?" Mathias called back.

"Aye, jus' some o' them flyin' beasties." Borthak replied, "Ye?"

"We're done here." Storm's voice echoed.

"Y'know, ye lot need tae work on this 'Stealth' thing..." Gelvar cringed.

After being assured that the gnomes were okay, the party continued deeper into the Underdark.

"You see anything Roidoc?" Lorana asked.

"Hmm..." the gnome scratched his head, "Well... there are several steps.. can't tell if any of these are Sianan's... What kind of boots did she wear?"

Marhias blushed, "Um... They were green...?"

Lorana put her hands on her hips, "And what do the tracks of green boots look like, huh?" she retorted.

"Green ones?" Dimitri Yaschenko suggested.

"I forgot what she called them." Mathias continued, ignoring them, "I think they were made from dragon hide?"

Roidoc nodded slowly. "Follow me." he said at length.

The gnome led them cautiously through the winding tunnels, pausing whenever they came to a fork to check the paths.

The party unconsciously began spreading out, with Lorana and Roidoc getting further ahead while Reylar and the dwarves dropped back.

As they neared a turn, Gelvar suddenly paused, "Did ye hear-"

Borthak suddenly kicked the dwarf over as an arrow shot past and splintered against the stone.

"Goblin ambush!" Reylar swore, quick-firing an arrow then charging after Borthak at the small group of goblins who had appeared behind them.

Three of them drew crude jagged blades and leaped at Borthak, only to be cleaved apart with a single blow. The archers loosed a last round at Reylar before Borthak cut them down. Reylar quickly raised his arm to deflect the deadly missiles on the curved shell of his shield, but one of them arced low and pierced the armour encasing his leg. With a surprised grunt he fell to one side with a clatter.

"What's going on?"

Gelvar and Ludovic approached the scene of the battle cautiously.

"Jus' more vermin." grinned Borthak.

"Goblins tryin' t' catch us in t' back. We gave 'em a dirt nap, but one o' 'em almost got me..." grunted Reylar as he snapped the arrow and pulled the broken shafts out of his leg.

"Ye okay tae travel?" Gelvar asked.

Reylar gingerly unlatched the plate around his leg and inspected the wound before tying a bandage round it.

"Aye, just a flesh wound.", he grimaced as he tied the bandage off, "Lets go."

Ludovic caught up with his brother while Reylar and the dwarves reformed their rear guard position.

Eventually the party arrived at a larger cavern which branched off in three directions.

Several old dismembered skeletons were draped around a group of broken stalagmites and stalactites on one side.

"Tracks here... lots of them..." Lorana said, her brow furrowed as she examined the ground, deep in concentration, "I can't say if they're Sianan's."

Mathias looked to each of the caves, then made a decision.

"Roidoc, check the left cavern. Lorana, check the other. Only a short way. Come back if you find a lead.", he turned to the rest, "Borthak, secure this cavern."

"Right!" the dwarf said gruffly. He turned to Reylar and Gelvar, "You two, 'elp me fortify this position!"

The three of them began shifting some of the loose rocks and boulders into a makeshift barricade.

"Shh! Quietly!" Storm cringed.

Suddenly Roidoc emerged from his cave, "I've found her!" he hissed excitedly, "But there's a drow with her..."

Mathias nodded, "Go get Lorana then come support us. Storm, come with me. Yaschenkos, back us up, but stay out of sight. The rest of you wait here. We'll need a back-stop if things turn ugly..."

"What about the drow with her?" Lorana suddenly appeared out of the shadows, making everyone jump.

Mathias sighed, "I don't know..."

"Git Lorana 'ere tae sneak up an' stab 'im in tae kidneys!" Borthak suggested gleefully.

Lorana threw the dwarf a dark look.

"You can't just kill him, that would mean a war." Dimitri pointed out.

"Well... I'll guess we have to hope he or she is willing to talk." Mathias sighed. "You have your positions, wish us luck..."

Receiving murmured acknowledgements, Mathias and Storm crept through the tunnel where Roidoc had indicated, followed by Roidoc, Lorana and the two Yaschenkos.

-----

The rest busied themselves trying to barricade the cavern as best they could. Borthak and Gelvar had somehow managed to assemble something looking remarkably like a ballista, and were attempting to mount it on their part of the barricade.

"Three ways in, one man guardin' each route an we can bury em one by one as they come! Har!" Borthak rumbled gleefully.

"...and protect some ore at the same time!" Gelvar added, eyeing a rich-looking seam, "It's times like these I wish I'd brought a pickaxe." he said with a sad sigh, shaking his head.

Reylar eyed them, "Two barmy dwarves and me t' hold t' line... we're doomed..." he muttered despondently.

His head suddenly snapped up.

"'eh? What?" Borthak asked.

"Did y' nay 'ear that?" Reylar whispered, tilting his head this way and that.

Out the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow dart past.

"What was that?!" he hissed, whirling round, hand jumping to the hilt of his sword.

"Wud wus wud?" Borthak hissed back, looking around bewildered.

"I thought I skegged one o' t' archers jus' run past!" Reylar replied quietly, crouching slightly and peering back into the tunnel they'd come from, "I got a bad feelin' 'bout this... Gevlar, go see what 'appened!"

The dwarf muttered under his breath but grabbed his weapons and ambled off cautiously up the corridor.

"'ere look." Borthak pointed as an elven man crept back into the cavern they were guarding.

"'ere you, yer one o' t' archer, aye? What's t' chant? I 'eard a shout and then y' were runnin past!"

"Nuffin." the man said sullenly, "I'm innocent. Everyone talking boring. Me want honourable death."

He stalked back up the passage before Reylar could question him further.

"I got a bad feelin' 'bout this..." Reylar muttered.

"Stop sayin' dat! 'sides, look, Gevlar's back! He'll tell us!"

Gevlar skidded round the barricade and came to a halt next to Borthak, breathing heavily,

"They found Sianan, but she is quite mad!" he gushed.

Reylar and Borthak looked at each other.

"What... Annoyed mad? Or 'Raa! I'm gonna take over t' world!' mad?" Reylar said cautiously.

"No! Yes! I mean, she's insane mad!"

Reylar rubbed his knuckles against his forehead, "Great..." he muttered, "Well, let's get up there then..." he said, getting up.

"No, we should wait here..." Gelvar disagreed.

"I dun think we be needed t' guard this spot now some'ow..." Reylar explained wearily.

"Wud an give up our line 'o retreat?" Borthak asked incredulously.

"I reckon there be more t' worry about now..." Reylar said grimly.

"The Drow could ambush them... and she looked like she planned to kill Mathias..." Gelvar shuffled his feet.

Reylar and Borthak gave him shocked looks.

"Fine. We go." Borthak spat, marching grimly into the tunnel.

As they jogged half-cautiously up the tunnel, they caught snatches of conversation.


"The drow is filling her head with lies!"

"Sianan doesn't need to speak with worthless creatures like yourself."

"How do you know what she wants?"

"Ser... Ser rath Mathias..."

"Sianan? I... I don't understand..."

"Sianan, strike them down any time you want. None of these fools will be able to stop you."


"Shut yer yap dark one!" Borthak bellowed as he emerged in another cavern, followed closely by Reylar and Galvar. Neither of them had drawn their weapons, but their hands were resting on hilts, ready.

Mathias held up a hand, signalling Borthak to stay silent, but didn't turn. He kept his gaze focused on Sianan and the drow mage standing beside her, "I won't let you kill them. You'll have to kill me first."

The drow chuckled condescendingly, "Don't worry, there will be enough time to kill everyone."

Sianan looked from the drow to Mathias, a twitch on her otherwise expressionless features betraying the torment whirling inside her, "I... I'm sorry Mathias. Fair well and goodbye..."

"Nae lass! Y' cannay go with that deceptive backstabbin' git!" Borthak exclaimed in shock.

"Sianan, you have saved many here," Storm spoke up, "We would all give you our lives if that is what it takes to convince you." he said, the conviction behind his words palpable.

Several of the party spoke up, "You pulled me from death's grip as I lay alone and bleeding! I owe you my life!"

"Remember the battle with the great red dragons! Most of our party owe their survival to your kindness and skills!"

"And my arm." Reylar called out, raising the severed arm that Sianan had reattached several weeks ago, "Remember my arm! I'll not forget yer deed lass, an' neither should ye! Remember! Back then I told y' I owe ye a debt, so 'ere I am. An arm fer a helpin' hand. Seems fittin', no?" he grinned.

"Of course I remember...", Sianan paused, then shook her head as though trying to clear it, "Look... just.. leave now. I'll not kill you. Just... leave..."

"Sianan, you have to kill them. That's the only way to become more powerful!" the drow beside her demanded.

Mathias slowly unsheathed his sword then laid it, almost reverently, on the ground in front of him.

"If that power is what you want..." he said, almost a whisper, "Go ahead, take my life. I won't even fight back." he finished, looking right into Sianan's eyes.

The drow laughed, "Look at these weak souls! Don't even fight back. Hah!"

Sianan tried to give her husband a dark glare, "Just go Mathias... if I don't kill you... others will when they find you all here!"

"Then let them.. Isn't that what you want?"

"No!" Sianan yelled back.

"SILENCE!" the drow shouted.

Suddenly, there was a ruffling from Mathias' backpack. Alarmed, he shrugged it off and dropped it just as a bundle of cloth - a spare tunic that he carried - suddenly wriggled out!

"What sorcery be this?!" Borthak demanded, reaching for his weapons.

As his hand closed around the haft, a small bundle of fur rolled out of the tunic.

"Mow?" it said dizzily.

"What the..." the drow spluttered.

"Nick!" Sianan exclaimed.

Borthak eyed Reylar, "'ere, isn' that yer cat?"

Reylar muttered a curse under his breath, "Uh... yeess... mayhaps I musta given' 'im t' Mathias when I returned 'is tunic a few days back. By accident." he added quickly.

The kitten looked around at the tall two-legs for a few moments then, recognising a source of Honey scones, padded over to Sianan.

"Mow?" it asked hopefully, looking up at her.

Sianan's expressionless features broke into a grin as she reached down and picked the kitten up.

"This has already gone too far, kill them now!" the Drow demanded, giving the kitten a glare of pure hatred. Nick hissed back, baring his tiny claws slightly.

Sianan closed her eyes for a few moments, then turned to look at the drow, "I'm sorry," she said, stroking the kitten gently, "I must go, lest these friends of mine die."

"What?!" the drow gave her a dumbfounded look of surprise, "Sianan... you can't go!"

"It is not your decision. She can. And she will." Mathias replied evenly.

"Aye! Let's axe this drow and git outta here!" Borthak cheered.

"Put your weapons away... you will not harm this Drow." Sianan said flatly.

Borthak paused mid cheer, looking at her in confusion, "Wuh?"

Suddenly an arrow shot out of the darkness!

The drow spun and waved her hand. The arrow disintegrated into a volley of flaming shards, which the drow then redirected back.

Reylar looked behind him - It was the archer that had run past them earlier! He was now trying to run, but it was too late. The flaming shards ripped into him, shredding and immolating him at once. He didn't even get a chance to scream.

"Tha' were t' archer wot ran past us!" Reylar hissed at Borthak, "T' one mutterin' about an honourable death!"

"I guess he got wud he wanted," Barthak muttered unsympathetically, "'Cause he sure be dead."

"Anyone else want to shoot?" the drow dared them smugly.

"Why ye!" Baellin leapt at the drow, but the drow just held out his hand and the elf halted in midair, kicking his legs.

"Sianan.... only death is the way to release your potential. You have to kill them!" the drow demanded, illustrating his point by flicking his hand almost casually, throwing the elf into the cave wall with a sickening crunch.

Sianan glared at the drow, "There was no need for that."

"Need?" the Drow asked, grinning as he slowly raised a hand.

"STOP! Enough bloodshed!" Storm yelled.

"Enough? I have not even begun! You, traitor, have become weak in the company of these rivvil... so pathetic that a little blood frightens you? I will not let someone with the... potential... that Sianan has, regress to such a pathetic state!" the drow spat. She looked at Sianan, "I urge you to reconsider." she said in a low voice.

Sianan didn't answer, instead she gently lowered Nick to the floor and slowly, deliberately, moved over to Baellin's broken body, where she knelt and placed her hands on his chest.

A gentle golden glow began radiating where her hands made contact, then suddenly Baellin opened his eyes.

"Err... hi." he said with a blush.

"Impressive." the drow said mock-approvingly, "Now kill him."

"She has made her choice, drow," another cleric, Alex DeHan spoke up, "No one else needs die today."

"Choice? There is no 'choice'. Only destiny." the drow retorted.

"Mayhaps, yer chant be true. If so, it dun change nuthin' - 'er destiny is t' return wit' us." Reylar gave a grim smile.

Sianan stepped back to the drow, taking the mage's half-raised hand in her own.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye abbil."

As the drow stared at her, open-mouthed, she let go and turned to Mathias.

"Sianan..." the word left Mathias' mouth as barely a whisper.

The two of them stared at each other for half an eternity, then ran to each other, embracing.

"I have missed you so..." Mathias whispered as he stroked her hair.

"As have I..." Sianan kissed him back.

"Mow...?" Nick padded over to Reylar, who absently picked him up, cradling the kitten as it looked indifferently at the events unfolding in front of it.

The drow stared at them, "NO! I will never let you go! If I must kill you all so be it, you will NOT take Sianan from us!"

Her hand shot up, pointed directly at Reylar.

The warrior jerked back reflexively, "Ah sh-" Reylar's curse was cut-off mid-word as the vivid azure bolt of lightning lanced into his chest and exploded, throwing his body to the ground.

"NO!" Sianan screamed.

"RAA! GET 'IM!!" Borthak roared.

"He will be avenged!" Dimitri swore, raising his sword high and charging after Borthak.

The drow mage began aiming another spell at them as they charged, but both Dimitri saw it coming and dived to either side, the bolt flying past to explode further back in the cavern. As the drow back-peddled, quickly preparing another spell, she felt something sharp enter her back.

"Die." Lorana hissed, applying more pressure to her blade.

"Not so easy surfacer!" the drow sent Lorana spinning away with a viscous backhand then pointed her finger back at the others.

"This is how you do it, pathetic surfacer." The drow half-turned to grin at Lorana's groaning form, "Die."

Another bolt of lightning shot forth from her finger towards the two approaching paladins.

"By Lux Perpetua we will not fall!" Dimitri and Ludovic chanted together as they ran forwards.

Their holy symbols glowed and the lightning bolt exploded harmlessly against their combined power, its only effect to knock them back slightly.

"Our turn!" Gelvar and Barthak roared, rushing to take the Yaschenko's place.

"Ahh, more cattle, or should I say insects?" the drow raised her finger again.

She finished the words of power once more, but this time nothing happened.

"What?!"

Sianan and Alex lowered their hands - the spell had been countered.

"NO!" the drow screamed. She turned to run, but Barthak was too quick.

-----

"Was that really necessary?" Ludovic said distastefully as Barthak and Gelvar took turns trying to pull Barthak's axe out of the drow's spine. It had gone right through the drow's back and into the stone.

The grizzled dwarf shrugged, "'s dead innit?"


"I... I didn't want this..." Sianan stuttered, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Bah... they were nae good fer ye... jus' feedin' y' lies..." Barthak spat.

"And what of Kazarn?" Lorana asked darkly, "Was it worth it? Admittedly he's the worst excuse for a warrior I've known, and being rid of him will probably make the world a better place but-"

"Oi! Shows a bit more respect fer t' dead won't ye y' sadistic wench!"

They looked back.

Reylar sat up slowly, groaning.

"What yer... I saw dat 'it yer square! How kin ye be okay?!" Borthak gasped.

"Well, din't 'it me so much..." Reylar petted Nick gently, who was dozing contentedly.

"Uh..." Gelvar took a surreptitious step back as a thin spark of blue arced across Nick's back.

"Wha' kinda crazy cat that be?!" Borthak demanded.

"Damned if I know..." Reylar sighed, "If I ever meet tha' balmy squirrel-girl again I reckon we be needin' a chat..."

"Squirrel girl?!" Barthak gave an exasperated shout, "Humans... barkin' mad, all of 'em!" he muttered, shaking his head.

Lorana glared at him, "If you weren't dead, why didn't you help us you lazy good-for-nothing?"

"It says quite clearly in t' Kazarn Battle Book tha' if yer enemy thinks yer dead, y' best off lettin' 'im think that." Reylar grinned, "Besides, I didnay want to scare Nick. He mighta zapped me!"

"Yeah? Well I think you're just a lazy git who'll take any excuse to skive on the job." Lorana retorted.


Mathias hid a smile and looked to Sianan, who nodded back, stifling a giggle.

"Let's go." he said, offering a hand to Sianan.

-----

Their run back to the surface was not without incident. Several times they ran across a drow patrol but compared to the mage, they were just lowly scouts.

Between the righteous fury of the Yaschenco brothers, the crazed ale-powered fury of the dwarves and the sneaky backstabbing fury of Storm, Roidoc and Lorana, the battles were all ended quickly and decisively. Reylar resumed his position, guarding Mathias, Sianan and the others, at the party's flank.

-----

"Finally, open sky and fresh air!" Dimitri cried out, sucking in a lungful of the fresh air.

Roidoc turned to look at Sianan and Mathias, "My task here is complete. I'll stay behind and make sure Mak'a'nor doesn't suffers this clumsy... work."

Sianan gave him a hug, "Thanks for coming."

Roidoc hid a blush, but gave an acknowledging nod before turning back towards the tunnel.

"Aye jes dunnae let tha drow eat ye there tinytoes!" Borthak yelled after him. Roidoc cringed, shaking his head with an exasperated expression before disappearing into the shadows of the cavern.

"And thank you all too," Mathias turned to the others, "I couldn't have gotten her back without your help."

"'ere, about tha' reward..." Borthak hinted.

Mathias chuckled, "Aye then my friend, I'll buy you your round at the Wandering Badger. I'll buy all of you a round!"
Cyker
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 11:58 pm

Re: A Long Day

Post by Cyker »

A Long Day - Part 2: To Darkest Night

The Wandering Badger was winding down for the night. The recent celebrations had finally died down, much to Kaynen's relief.

Sianan had taken Mathias home - The two of them were exhausted and deserved the rest. Most of the rest had departed with them. The only ones left were Reylar and the dwarves, but even they were preparing to return to the comfort of their own beds.

"'ere, what 'bout Rey?" Gelvar asked, wobbling unsteadily.

"Bah, damned hoomans can't hold their drink!" Borthak slurred, "Let 'im sleep it off 'ere..."

Pricilla balked, "No! You can't leave him here!"

"Aww c'mon lass! We cannae drag 'im home now! We dun even know where 'e lives!"

"Well you're not leaving him here!"

"Look, yer an inn too right? Jus' charge 'im fer layin' up 'ere!" Borthak said desperately.

Pricilla rolled her eyes, "Fine! Just... dump him on that couch. I'm not having that smelly man dirty any of our rooms!"

"Aye, aye..."

Borthak and Gelvar dragged Reylar to the side of the tavern and dumped him unceremoniously on one of the long benches.

"'night! Uh... mornin'?!" they called back uncertainly as they stumbled out into the cold Nordock dawn.


Interlude: A Tail Tale
As Reylar snored on the bench, Nick decided to wander about.

He managed to coax some scones from Pricilla using his cute kitten act, and quickly devoured all but one, which he carried one back to where Reylar was still lying to eat later.

As he padded back, he noticed a grizzled man trying to unlatch the warrior's sword from it's belt!

"Mow!"

Dropping the scone, the kitten bounded up to the man and hissed at him.

"Gah!" the man jumped, "Ah get lost you flea-bitten furball!"

Nick bristled at this and hissed at the man again.

"Bah!" the man took a step towards Nick, aiming a kick at the tiny kitten.

Nick twisted to one side and caught onto the man's boot, his razor-sharp claws going right through the hardened leather!

"Wha-AA! Let go!" the man yelled, waving his foot about to try and dislodge the kitten. He paused when a thin spark of blue arced across Nick's back, "What th-"

Suddenly the man flew backwards as Nick discharged 20,000 volts into the man's foot, jumping off as the man landed with a thud next to the entrance to the tavern. The kitten cleaned his paws nonchalantly as the would-be thief scrabbled to his feet, twitching from residual charge as he limped out of the door as fast as he could.

Eventually the kitten wandered back to retrieve his wayward scone and carried it to the table next to where his pet human was sleeping. After looking at it thoughtfully, Nick decided to eat his last scone now, then curled up for a well deserved nap.

-----

"Ugh..."

Nick sleepily opened an eye to regard Reylar as the warrior slowly got up, muttering curses and complaints under his breath as he rubbed his bleary eyes, "Wha's all t' noise... can't a cutter die in peace?" he moaned, clutching his head as fictional hammers started smashing the inside of his skull.

The kitten regarded Reylar for a few moments before jumping onto his chest and meowing at him for food.

"Ahh all right ye bottomless pit..." he muttered, hobbling over to the bar, "Priss!"

-----

Reylar stumbled out of the Wandering Badger into the cool outside air. It was dark again now, but he could see the brightly lit East Gate of Benzor in the distance. Taking a deep breath, he walked slowly toward it, nursing his headache.

As he wandered uncertainly, Nick riding on his shoulder, the ground started trembling a little.

"Uh... tha's all I need..." he groused, wobbling dangerously as he tried to regain his tenuous balance.

After several near-misses, he managed to get to the Benzor Temple of Light. His quest for a headache cure was almost over!

-----

Once inside he took two steps then jerked to a halt - The temple was full, and if he wasn't mistaken most of them were the people he'd been travelling with one, or was it two? days ago.

Making a decision, he hobbled carefully over to the priest where he asked as clearly as he could for something to sort out his headache.

After ingesting the foul liquid and tithing the priest, he turned to his next problem. Looking around the murmuring crowds, he quickly spotted Lorana speaking with the Yaschenko brothers.

"'ere," he waved at them, "Wha's goin-" Reylar spun onto his back as a small chunk of plaster suddenly fell from the ceiling and clipped his shoulder.

Everyone took cover as candelabra's fell over and more bits of stone fell from the ceiling.

"This building's collapsing!" Dimitri Yaschenko exclaimed as the tremors increased in intensity. At this revelation, everyone made a break for the temple's sole exit.

"Foolish... they all run outside..." Sianan shook her head.

"Don't make fun of them. They don't know better." Sipirt shrugged.

"OW!" Reylar yelled as another chunk of falling masonry knocked him over.

"Or maybe it's foolish for us to stay in here?" Sipirt reconsidered.

"Yeah..." Lorana said condescendingly as she stalked out of the temple.

Sianan gave Sipirt a grin, before leading the both of them out of the temple.

"Gits." Reylar muttered as he dragged himself to his feet and tottered outside.

-----

"...No, it's this plague guy I'd bet." Dimitri Yaschenko was saying as Reylar finally managed to get outside.

"I was just gonna buy a new house too..." Faust muttered dejectedly.

The tremors had stopped growing in intensity, but showed no signs of subsiding.

"Be glad you didn't buy it!" Dimitri Yaschenko chuckled.

"They were punishing us when we were in church." Nikita Petrovski said, looking to Sianan.

"We... need to go back to T'rel." Sianan said slowly, her features creasing as she considered their situation.

"We must seal that rift he spoke of." agreed Dimitri.

"Go back!?" Lorana Aerlian exclaimed, "We barely got out last time!"

"Yes Lor, go back." Sianan said softly.

"Oh, great..." Lorana rolled her eyes.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like a Kazarn." Sianan giggled.

Lorana glared daggers at her.

"Or... we could ignore it and go to a different city...?" a surface drow known as Archon suggested.

"And what if every city looks like this?" pointed out Dimitri.

A dwarf named Baldric Rockface stepped into the conversation, "No... we started this... we end this." he said gruffly.

After some more discussion on the matter, the group set off to the docks and quickly booked passage to the Miner's Rest.

-----

Having failed to attract any attention or find out what was going on, Reylar watched them leave, rubbing his sore eyes.

"Bah! T' Lady take 'em, I know I'm gonna regret this..."

He ran towards the docks, but to his annoyance the ship had drawn up its gang plank and was already casting off!

Reylar began cursing viciously in as many languages as he could.

He paused when he felt a set of eyes on him, he turned slowly to find a halfling looking at him curiously.

"'lo there biter, sommat I kin do fer ye?" he asked gruffly.

The halfling put his hands together, fist in palm, and snapped off a sharp bow at the waist.

"Greetings. I was wondering if you knew what has been causing these tremors."

"We're all gonna DIIIEEE-AIE-"

Reylar and the halfling turned just in time to see the hysterical Town Crier being crushed to death by one of the heavy stone pillars that stood either side of the Temple of Life.

Suddenly the tremors stopped.

Reylar stared at the toppled pillar, "Well... tha's irony fer ye..." he blinked to himself.

"What's irony?"

Reylar turned back round to see Daelanna, peering past to try and see what was so interesting.

"Daelanna!"

"Hello Reylar. Is something wrong? You seem shocked?"

"Y'd be too if lasses kept poppin' outta nowheres tryin t' scare ye." he muttered under his breath.

"HELLO! Nice weather huh?"

Reylar yelped, slipped on the wet planking and crashed back down onto the pier.

"Lorana! That was mean..." Daelanna admonished, covering her snickering, "And no, I've seen better weather. I can barely see a thing!" she added, looking about.

A thick, black fog had settled over the city and, as Reylar got back to his feet, he felt the first smatterings of rain.

Daelanna looked at the two of them, "Just what is going on here?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure what... I were hopin' t' get more of t' chant meself..." Reylar said, giving Lorana a side-long glance.

Lorana fidgeted, "Weell... we think something might be happening in the Plague lands... so... we're about to head over there..." she sighed, "I must have missed the boat while I was getting supplies."

"The Plague lands?!" Daelanna exclaimed, "That's not a place anyone should be going!"

"Oh, and yeah... *SIANAN* is responsible... yep, it was her idea." Lorana nodded vigorously.

Daelanna did one of her patient sighs. She had perfected a small repertoire of them in her long years of existence and found that she could convey a lot more meaning with but subtle inflections.

"What makes you think that something is going on in the plague lands?" she said wearily.

Lorana shuffled her feet again, "Well, see, we went to the Plague lands earlier... and well, I think we might have possibly maybe accidentally let something out..."

"Y' WHAT?!" Reylar exclaimed.

"We better make our way to Miner's rest too then." Daelanna said softly.

Reylar spun to face her, "Are ye addled?! We ought t' be gettin' as far away from t' place as possible!!"

"Bah, any excuse to get out of a little work." Lorana muttered, winking at Daelanna.

"What?!" Reylar whirled round, "What y' tryin' t' say 'eh?! That I be lazy? No! This be Survival Instinct this, sommat you Primes clearly dun 'ave enough of!"

"Well if that Plague spreads to the rest of Nordock, that's not going to help the whole 'survival' thing now is it?" Lorana retorted.

Reylar paused, "Well... well.. t' boat's already gone so we can't anyway!" he said smugly.

Daelanna's eyes twinkled, "We could always use your portal key..." she said with an encouraging grin.

"But... I'm... you..." he paused and looked at both of them, "This be one o' them Women tricks ain't it?"

Lorana and Daelanna nodded at him.

"So I got no 'ope o' gettin' out o' this?"

They shook their heads. Then grinned at him.

Reylar sighed, "Fine, let's all go throw ourselves int' t' Lady's shadow..." he muttered dejectedly.

"May I come?" the halfling spoke up. Reylar almost jumped again.

"What? You still 'ere?!"

"Apparently." the halfling spread his hands.

Daelanna put a silencing hand on Reylar's should before he could retort,

"Any help is welcome." she smiled warmly. The halfling executed another sharp bow, then shifted into a relaxed stance.

"I am ready when you are." he nodded.

"'ere, what's yer name berk, I ain't planeswalkin' wi' some Nameless one!"

The halfling bowed again, "I am known as Swiftly-Coming-Storm."

Reylar rolled his eyes, "Bah, why can' people 'ave short tags! I'll call ye Swifty." he grinned. Reaching to his belt, he pulled a flat slab of metal from a pouch and began jabbing some of the runes.

-----

Reylar stepped out of the rippling distortion and immediately froze, "What in Lord Krag's infested nether regions is goin' on?!" he exclaimed as Daelanna, Lorana and Swifty emerged from the portal behind him.

Most of Miner's Rest was either on fire or smashed. The air was thick with smoke and, as they stood, the roof of one building succumbed to the flames and collapsed inwards with a crash, dragging the walls inwards with it.

Reylar drew a half-circle under his heart, "What 'appened..." he muttered quietly as he slowly approached one of the buildings.

"Reylar... this is bad." Daelanna said, her shocked gaze sweeping the derelict buildings, "Never have I seen anything so... REYLAR!" Daelanna screamed.

The warrior dropped onto his back as a slavering four-legged beast shot out of the shadowy ruins of a house and dove through the air where he had been standing.

Reylar rolled away, locking his shield to his arm and wrenching his sword free as the fiend skidded on the ground and spun round for another charge, its claws carving deep furrows in the soft ash-tainted earth.

Lorana instantly dropped to one knee and began launching volleys of arrows at the fiend, trying to distract it as it kicked its hind legs and ran at Reylar again.

Even though he was ready, Reylar was surprised by the ferocity of the attack and barely barged the beast away with his shield. He shuffled backwards, dropping into a defensive stance as it rolled past, flexing this way and that to dodge Lorana's shafts even as it turned for another rush.

This time it didn't pause and ran straight at Reylar again, catching him by surprise!

His sturdy armour saved him from harm as the beast raked its claws across his chest, but he knew that remaining in close quarters would spell his end.

As they rolled over again, Reylar braced, kicked out, sending the beast arcing into the air and away from him. It twisted, landing easily on its feet as Reylar, too, rolled back onto his feet. Whatever it was, it was clearly more dangerous than he'd anticipated, and the speed it moved at barely left him any time to react!

He focused his mind, concentrated on his defence, sword and shield working together to parry and block the beast's attacks.

The fiend's attack was relentless and with each swipe and lunge, it pushed Reylar back. So focused on Reylar was the beast that it didn't notice Daelanna.

As it rammed into Reylar's stoic defence again, a grey blur leapt down, blades poised towards the beast's neck!

The fiend sensed the danger and tried to twist aside, but Daelanna was faster and changed her downward stabs into wide arching sweeps.

The two blades sliced into the creature's neck, severing its jugular vein and spraying blood high into the air.
With a gurgle, the fiend made one last half-hearted lunge at Reylar before collapsing, it's breath steaming a vile toxic green.

-----

"Gah! Damnit I jus' cleaned this!!" Reylar moaned as he inspected the ichor splattered across his armour. Daelanna landed lightly behind the corpse, not a spot on her uniform-grey robe.

Lorana rolled her eyes, "You'd complain if a mountain of gold fell at yer feet!" Lorana said, exasperated, "Be thankful yer alive!"

"Well how'd I cart all that gold back?" Reylar muttered under his breath.

Daelanna suppressed a chuckle, "We'd better find the others," she said, her expression turning serious, "I hope they fared better..."

-----

The four of them stalked between the ruined houses, Lorana trying to pick up a trail.

Swifty suddenly stuck an arm out.

"Wh-mm?" Reylar's question was cut off by Lorana's hand.

Slowly she took her hand away and made several gestures at the warrior.

He recognised the silent code to be similar to that which several of his cousins used, Shh, look, they're everywhere!

Daelanna whispered close, "We must retreat to the swamp before we are spotted!"

Nodding agreement, the three crept after the lithe elf, quietly making their way towards the T'Rel swamp.

-----

"I think we be close, I 'ear sounds o' battle." Reylar said tersely as they crossed into the fringes of the swamp.

Lorana and Daelanna nodded, having heard the sounds long before.

The four of them drew their weapons and crept through the diseased trees towards the source of the noise.

"Look!" Reylar exclaimed, pointing with his sword.

In the distance was a huge dragon, covered with festering wounds. The four watched with horror as it grabbed someone, Reylar realised with dread it was Dimitri Yaschenko, and tossed him high into the air!

The Paladin's cries were snatched away by the wind as he fell back towards the earth, crashing through dead branches. The only thing that prevented his death was the softness of the swamp's ground.

"We must help them!" Daelanna cried out, running towards them.

Reylar looked at his sword, then at the dragon.

"Bugger that!" he retorted, sheathing his sword and running to where Dimitri had fallen.

As the other three ran towards the dragon, Reylar hefted the paladin with a grunt and draped him across his shoulders.

"Back... to the village.... dragon can't... follow... there.." Dimitri managed before a bloody coughing fit over came him.

Reylar grunted acknowledgement and half-ran back to the remains of the Miner's Rest. Propping Dimitri against the blackened timbers of a former house, he uncorked a foul-smelling flask poured it down Dimitri's throat. The Paladin gagged but felt the curative properties of the potion repair his grievous wounds. He did his best not to vomit it out.

"Wait 'ere cutter, I need t' go grab t' rest. Be quiet, or ye be dead quiet." Dimitri managed a nod, his eyes tearing up from the noxious vapours of the potion.

Reylar ran back in and almost fainted when he saw the dragon a mere stone's throw away.

The party were fleeing the dragon. Daelanna and Sianan were supporting Nikita between them as they ran back while Swiftly and Faust were carrying Baldric.

They were too far from the village! Reylar watched with horror as the dragon raised its wings to leap into flight.

"Hurry! It's taking to t' air!" he yelled at his companions, grabbing hold of a tree-trunk.

The down-sweep of the dragon's wings at such close range generated a powerful gust of wind, knocking over the companions and sending them tumbling into the mud. Reylar ducked behind his tree, escaping the worst of the blast as the violent rush of air tugged at his hair and pack.

He watched as his companions scrabbled to their feet, looked as the dragon looked down on them, picking a target.

"Reylar! Take Nikita!" Sianan ordered as she and Daelanna turned to fend off the dragon.

Reylar sprinted forwards and scooped the dwarven paladin into his arms.

"Y' okay lass? Good!" he said mock-cheerfully as he broke into a dead run for the village. He'd barely gotten twenty paces when Daelanna yelled out to him.

"Reylar!"

"Damnit stop callin' me name! Everytime y' call me name sommat bad ha-" Reylar released his grip on Nikita, causing her to tumble into the mud once more.

He was rising into the air.

He risked a glance up - The dragon's claws had latched onto his backpack and was carrying him high up above the swamp!

"Ahh crap..." he muttered. He instinctively reached for his sword, but just as he struggled it free from it's scabbard the dragon decided to let go.

"Inconsiderate bastard!" he yelled back up at the dragon as he began slowly spinning through the air. His stomach lurched as his ascent became a descent, "Nick? Kin ye fly perchance?" Reylar shouted over the whistling of the air.

"Mow..." came a muffled reply, "Mow!"

"Ahh yeah... good idea!" Reylar let go of his sword and fumbled at his belt. His eyes were watering in the rush of wind, but he found what he was looking for.

"Mowwww!" Nick mewled frantically as Reylar began jabbing furiously at the runes on the metal plate.

"I 'ope this pikin' works or we're gonna be a lot thinner..." Reylar muttered and jabbed his finger at the last rune, "AAAAA-"

-----

Daelanna and Sianan gently put Nikita down next to Dimitri. The paladin had recovered enough to help the others treat their wounded. Daelanna looked forlornly at the sky. She suddenly pushed Sianan backwards!

*THUNK*

"What da hek iz dat?!"

House, a large orc peered at the new arrival.

"That's Reylar's sword!" Daelanna gasped, covering her mouth in dread.

The greensteel blade had embedded itself deeply into the ground. Only the counterweight on the pommel was still visible.

The orc scraped at the ground and pulled it out with a grunt before handing it to Daelanna.

Sianan looked up, "I think he'll be okay." she reassured Daelanna.

"Hmph. Cowards are hard to kill." Lorana agreed.

"-AAA-"

There was an almighty splash. They all whirled round to look into the bay of the Miner's Rest. In the water, far beyond the end of the pier, was a churning mess of foam.

They stared at the circle of ripples for a moment.

"The fool! He'll drown in that armour!" exclaimed Lorana, sprinting for the pier, looking frantically across the water for something, anything.

After several minutes of nothing, a wet and very unhappy-looking bundle of fur suddenly broke the surface of the water.

"Mow!!" it shrieked, shaking itself angrily, trying to dry itself off.

"Nick?!" Daelanna and Sianan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Cor! 'Sa floatin' kat!" House said, scratching his head.

The kitten continued to come closer and rise until it was completely out of the water. Underneath was a softly glowing helmet, which also continued to rise.

By the time kitten and helmet reached the shore, they were joined by a pair of shoulders, half a backpack and a pair of arms.

Nick hopped off the helmet, latching onto Lorana's cloak as one of the arms reached up and tapped a red-glowing rune on the side of the helmet. It blinked twice, went green, then disappeared. Reylar pulled his helmet off and sucked in a lungful of air.

"Mow!" exclaimed Nick, hissing angrily at Reylar's head.

"Ah, sorry cutter! I fergot me pack were nay waterproof..."

"Why aren't you fish food?" Lorana interrupted with an impatient glare, but also with a tinge of curiosity.

Reylar grinned, "Koraf put an enchantment on me armour a while back so's I could go outside t' magical field on t' Chaos Engine."

"The what?!"

"'s our spelljammer ship! See, I jus' remembered tha'..."

"Why didn't you just... exit... over solid ground?!" Lorana looked disdainfully at the wet stain forming where Nick was hanging off her cloak.

"Well see lass, y' exit t' same speed y' go in... at them speeds tha' prolly woulda 'urt..."

"Look, this is all very interesting, but have you forgotten WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A VILLAGE FULL OF CRAZY PLAGUE CREATURES ON ONE SIDE AND A BLOODY GREAT DRAGON ON THE OTHER?!" Faust yelled.

Lorana glared at him, "Could you say that a bit louder? I don't think the demons in the abyss heard you!"

"Er, kin ye 'elp me out o' 'ere?" Reylar interjected, "I think I were meant t' get out before turnin' off t' enchantment..." Reylar said sheepishly.

Dimitri and House took an arm each and easily hauled him out of the water. Reylar sighed as he watched the water drain out of his greaves.

-----

"Well, what now? That dragon is too strong for us." Nikita said as Sianan tended to her wounds.

"Yes... Any ideas on how to counter this menace?" Dimitri asked wearily.

"There's a tower somewhere in the swamp," Faust said thoughtfully, "If we can get to it, we should be relatively safe..."

"That tower's full of undead!" Lorana pointed out, raising her arms in exasperation, "And besides, I suspect that dragon makes it's own doors..."

"Ordinarily I'd recommend borrowin' a Mechanus Cannon from some Modrons, but alas I dun know of any that live round 'ere." Reylar shrugged as he pulled off his boots and tried to empty out the water.

"How about a distraction? If we can lure the dragon away somewhere, maybe we can sneak past to the cave?" Daelanna suggested.

"Aye, but who'd be dumb enough t' do the distractin'? It'd be practical suicide!" Reylar pointed out, "An' dun even think o' suggestin' I do it!" he added quickly, giving Lorana a warning look.

"Roidoc!" Sianan suddenly exclaimed as a figure tottered out of the mist.

The gnome was bleeding profusely from numerous wounds criss-crossing his arms and back. He practically collapsed into Sianan's arms as the others rushed to him.

"He's been infected with some sort of disease." Sianan said, quickly digging through her pack for some potions and ointments.

"I'll... be okay..." Roidoc wheezed, "Just need... some rest..."

"Rest, now there be a good idea!" Reylar said brightly.

"What about all those monsters?!" exclaimed Lorana. She paused. "What's odd... I don't hear them any more..."

"Mayhaps they left? Let's make camp 'ere. We'll sort out t' watch in case them sods come back."

Reylar handed his tinder box to Nikita while he and Dimitri hacked apart an old door frame for fuel. They soon had a sizeable collection of dead wood which they began piling up.

Nikita struck her sword off the flint, lighting a small palmful of tinder. After blowing gently on it to coax out the flame, she carefully placed it at the base of the pile of wood and watched as it lit.

Somewhere in the distance, something, a wolf perhaps? howled.

-----

"Ugh..." Reylar groaned as he slowly awoke. He was stiff all over and it felt like he'd been sleeping on the spine of a dragon. He reached over and pulled his clothes from the side of the dying fire where they'd been drying.

His brow furrowed as he put them back on, "Why be it still dark?" he asked, looking at Daelanna.

The elf was sweeping her eyes slowly across the bay, "I don't know... the sun should have been visible hours ago." she replied, continuing her vigil.

Reylar shivered.

"Ahh sod it, worry 'bout it later. I got more importan' things t' worry about."

"More important than never seeing daylight again?" Lorana yawned.

Reylar didn't answer. Instead he knelt by the fire and began blowing on it to coax the dying embers back to life, "Aye. Breakfast."

To Reylar's relief, the two paladins had a plentiful supply of preserved venison which they shared out. Reylar still had several bottles of ale which he also shared out. Daelanna, Sianan and Nick shared Sianan's supply of honey scones.

"This' gonna be a tricky ride..." Reylar said as he washed down his meal.

"Trickier than you might think," Roidoc nodded, "I managed t' sneak as far as the cave... there were many of those fiends patrolling the area near it, but the entire entrance of the cave has been blocked off!"

"Cave in?" Daelanna quirked an eyebrow.

Roidoc shook his head, "No... those rocks didn't fall there... I think they were put there..."

"Dragon?" suggested Reylar, flinching involuntarily at the memory.

Roidoc nodded again, "That's what I was thinking."

"Reckon we kin move 'em?" Reylar eyed Roidoc critically.

Roidoc shrugged, "I didn't get close enough to see." he grinned wryly, gesturing at his torn clothes.

Reaylar sighed, "I dun even know 'ow we be gettin' to that cave. We can nary face 'em in combat... they be far too powerful for us!". He shook his head with annoyance, "Even one of those accursed dog-creatures we could barely handle together..."

"Not facing them in combat? What else to do, invite them for an ale?" Dimitri bristled.

"There are other ways than fighting cutter." Reylar replied condescendingly.

"Yes, Praying for instance. Tried that, but didn't help either." Dimitri shot back.

"Then lets use stealth and cunning..." Roidoc grinned.

"Combat is the least of our problems, we still have to get inside the cave." Daelanna interjected sternly.

"Well I'm not much help outside of fightin'..." Baldric muttered.

"You will all be helpful in this." Daelanna reassured him with an encouraging grin.

She turned to Roidoc, "We have to get around the dragon. Don't try to attack it. Do you think you could get us round it?"

Roidoc rubbed his chin, "Maybe... it'll be hard. If it was just you and me, easy, but with that lot..."

"I dun mind stayin' behind!" Reylar volunteered.

Lorana rolled her eyes, "Sure, maybe you'll be lucky and those fiends won't come back." she said sweetly.

"We stick together." Daelanna said firmly.

Reylar looked back out to the ruined village, "Well, if we be givin' this place t' laugh, I reckon we should get movin' soon..."

"Agreed."

They kicked dirt over the fire and began packing up their camp.

-----

"This way, be quiet." Roidoc hissed unnecessarily. Reylar suppressed a desire to stamp on a snake that was crawling over his boots. The party stalked round some ruins as Roidoc scouted ahead, trying to track the dragon.

"Wait!" hissed Lorana. She gestured into the dank fog.

"Damnit... looks like vampires an' some sorta demon..." Reylar squinted, "Aaand they've seen us." he finished, locking down his shield.

"Back to the ruins! We can use them for cover!" Daelanna cried, firing an arrow at the vampires as she ran.

"An' get trapped there?! Bar that!" Reylar broke off to one side.

"Get back here you idiot!" Lorana cried as he disappeared into the mist.

"Too late, get ready!" Dimitri grunted.

Everyone that had a bow lined up along the ruins, notching arrows as they knelt. Behind them, mages prepared spells. House picked up one of the large masonry stones lying around and hefted it aloft.

"Draw!" Dimitri raised his sword, "FIRE!"

Magic condensed out of the air into ice, acid and flame, shooting forwards to join their more mundane cousins as they arced through the air into the first wave, all surrounding House's hunk of masonry.

The lead fiend managed to dodge most of the arrows, leaving them to hit its brethren. It was greatly surprised when a large rectangular stone smashed into it's head, sending ichor and fragments of bone spraying in all directions.

The rest of the plague-ridden fiends howled as they were impaled by a wall of arrows, a touch of fear as they witnessed their pack-leader crushed, but the charge wasn't halted as their fellows behind ran them down, urged on by the snarling demon.


"Notch! Draw! FIR-!"

As Dimitri shouted the last word he was blasted off his feet by a blast of negative energy.

The vampires had joined the fight.

"Draw steel!" yelled Nikita, running to Dimitri's aid.

The first of the fiends reached the ruins as Daelanna managed to muster one last volley, catching them as they tried to lead over the ruined wall, then the battle degenerated into total chaos.

Daelanna slung her bow and drew her two shortswords, blurring into a streak of grey death as she darted this way and that, nicking a vulnerable belly or deflecting a diseased claw as she and Lorana rushed to try and dispatch the wounded fiends who'd gotten inside the ruin.

Nikita, Dimitri and the other fighters were battling to keep the monsters out of the ruins. Behind them Sianan rallied the mages and clerics, sending healing, protections and the odd fireball to aid their warriors.

-----

As they fought, Reylar crept round. He'd lost sight of the others, but he could hear the war cries, the clash of metal, the snarls.

He swore to himself, blind in the fog. After a short debate, he unlatched his helmet and slowly took it off. The enchantment that sealed his armour for use outside a Spelljammer ship stopped and he was hit by the full force of the fetid stench of the swamp.

Silently he thanked Wolfwood and his meals for fortifying his stomach as he squinted, listening intently to try and see or hear.

Suddenly he saw a bright flash, felt the heat as a shockwave passed over him. He'd seen the streak of fire and tried to track it back to its source as quietly as he could.

As he advanced, promising himself to find some quieter armour, he almost ran into a pale, almost grey-skinned, humanoid shape. A vampire!

The vampire was almost as surprised, turning mid-cast to try and redirect his spell at Reylar, but this time Reylar was faster. He whipped his sword round in front of him, lopping off both of the vampire's out-stretched arms before spearing it through the throat.

The beginnings of the vampire's warning shout was silenced as it gurgled on Reylar's sword. Wasting no more time, he yanked the sword out and decapitated the vampire, quickly moving on.

Unfortunately the vampire's brethren had heard it's dying cry, and now three of them appeared out of the mist.

The leader, a female mage, formerly an elf if Reylar's eyes weren't deceiving him, licked her lips and grinned at him, revealing pointed fangs.

"Mmm, it has been a while since I'v drank the blood of an Outsider."

Reylar blanched, his eyes widening, "YE GODS!! IS THAT A TARRASQUE?!" he screamed.

The vampires spun round reflexively and immediately realised their mistake.

As soon as they turned, Reylar went for the daggers secreted behind his shield. Drawing a handful, he threw the lot of them at the backs of the vampires and charged. The one on the left caught one right through the heart, as well as the spine, a kidney and a knee-joint. The other tried to dodge but one of the spinning daggers sliced into half of his neck, partially severing vocal cords.

The vampire raised its hands and tried to cast a spell, but the gurgling sound it made as it tried to call words of power were met only by a glowing greensteel blade.

The remaining vampire looked calmly at her fallen fellows.

"Pathetic." she shook her head at her dead companions, "That was a very silly ruse, but I'm impressed that I almost fell for it." she drew her hands back and bared her teeth, "I shall enj-"

Reylar shook his head, "'s problem wit' you berks, y' talk too damned much." he said, alternating his glance between the body and the head.

"I 'ope there ain't too many more o' ye..." he muttered.

"*NO, THAT IS ALL OF THEM*" rumbled a voice behind him.

Reylar started to turn slowly, "Aww crap."

-----

"We must stop those spellcasters! We can't fight these bloody dogs AND dodge those-" Baldric ducked as a volley of flaming arrows shot over his head and into the mass of fiends beyond, "That ain't helpin' none either!"

"Lorana..." Daelanna threw the hooded woman a stern look as she notched her own bow.

"Sorry!" Lorana grinned sweetly.

"We're doing our best." Sianan called back tightly. She and Alex Han were trying to counter the worst of the incoming spells while the others fired back.

Suddenly the onslaught of magic faltered, then stopped.

"What happened?" Alex gasped, sweat dripping from his brow from his effort.

"I don't know, but let's not waste it..." Sianan ran down to the others, renewing the blessings on her friends before unleashing blasts of holy light into the fiends.

"Good work stopping the spellcasters!" Dimitri shouted to her as he hacked a fiend in half, "I think we can push these unholy scum back!"

"My thanks, but it wasn't us!" Sianan shouted back, spinning to one side and bludgeoning a passing fiend with her staff.

"Then wh-"

A shape suddenly arced out of the thick fog ahead of them, slamming amongst the fiends in the front and rolling into the front of the ruins with a thud.

"Reylar!" Daelanna yelled, "Somebody get him!"

Nikita finished off her adversary and leaned over the wall, grabbing Reylar and hauling him back over.

"What happened?!" she exclaimed.

Reylar looked down at the huge dent in his armour, "Tha' demon-thing's got one helluva punch..." he muttered groggily.

"Sianan! I think we might need you!" Nikita yelled.

"I'll be okay," Reylar paused to spit out some blood, "Mighta' cracked some ribs 'tho...", he struggled to stand.

"Stay down!" Nikita placed one hand on his chest and one on his forehead, "By the Lux Perpetua..." she began.

"'ere, lookout!" Reylar flicked his sword up. Its tip caught the descending fiend in the bottom of its mouth and continued up to pierce its brain as the fiend thudded into Nikita, lifeless. As Nikita's healing powers flowed into him, he felt some strength returning. With a grunt he pushed the fiend off to one side.

"Thanks."

"You too." Nikita grinned, hefting her sword and returning to the fight.

Without the vampires backing them up, the fiends' numbers quickly dwindled, but the battle wasn't over yet.

Reylar's ears pricked up, "'ear that?"

"Shut up and fight!" Lorana shot back, fumbling for more arrows.

"Sounded like a tree bein- SCATTER!"

As Reylar's shout went up, the end of a large sickly tree trunk exploded through the side-wall of the ruins.

"The demon!" Nikita yelled in warning, ducking a claw-swipe as Dimitri speared its owner through the head.

The massive Plague demon stormed through the opening it'd just made and looked around. It spied Reylar and stamped towards him.

"Ahh godsdamnit why can't y' go after one o' them!" he yelled as the demon swung a misshapen fist of rotting maggot-infested flesh at him.

Reylar dropped onto his back, narrowly avoiding the fist, then rolled to one side as the demon brought its fist down, trying to crush him into the dirt as he lay prone.

As Reylar desperately scrabbled to his feet to prepare for the next attack, the demon suddenly reared up, howling! Its hands reached round, trying to grab something off its back. Finally it ran backwards, hitting the mortally wounded stone wall with a loud crash.

Reylar noted a grey blur fly into the air just before it hit and wasn't surprised when Daelanna suddenly landed lightly in front of him.

"Nicely done!" Sianan grinned.

Daelanna grinned back.

"Yeah, what were all tha' crap about you bein' too old again?" Reylar started to grin as he got back up, but winced as he straightened his arm.

"Reylar, I told you to look after that arm." Sianan said mock-sternly.

"Oi! The demon's getting away!" Lorana shouted, drawing her bow back again.

The others turned to see it plough through what was left of the wall, its back covered with deep stab wounds and a few arrow flights.

"Should we give chase?" Nikita asked, breathing heavily.

"It might be going to call aid!" Alex pointed out.

Reylar swore under his breath, "Well let's go then... t' more we talk t' further we be 'avin' t' run!"

Following the demon was not hard - The trail of crushed saplings along with the deep footprints in the mud were rather large clues.

"Keep yer eyes open," Baldric growled, "Might be leadin' us to an ambush..."

"The cave!" Roidoc exclaimed suddenly.

In the distance, the fog had thinned slightly, revealing a high-sided rockface. In the side of the rockface was a cutaway, ending in a cave mouth.

"Hells teeth..." Reylar groaned.

In front of the cave were several menhirs, jutting out of the ground like stubby teeth. The top of the cave showed damage where the stones had been crushed into place.

"Ain't no way we're gettin' them out." Baldirc muttered.

"Me got ideea!" House exclaimed. He stabbed his huge sword at the base of one of the pillars.

As Daelanna watched House and Baldric tried vainly to lever up one of the stones, she noticed Reylar look up sharply.

"Something wrong?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Reylar looked at her blankly, then at the rocks, "Did y' feel tha'?"

"Feel what?" Daelanna glided over to him.

"There it be again..." he jogged over to the stones.

"Aye! 'bout time one o' you pansies gave us a hand... oi!" Baldric glared at the warrior.

Reylar ignored him, putting the side of his head to the rock and closing his eyes.

"There's an astral conduit on t' other side o' these rocks." he said softly, "Short range one, very powerful. I kin almost feel t' curve..."

"Where does it lead?" Daelanna looked around cautiously.

"Can't say... someplace in Nordock I be reckon..." he opened his eyes and furrowed his brow, "Might even be mor'n one..."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Daelanna began, "Let's get back to Brosna..."

"But da rokkz!" House objected, slick with sweat from his attempts to move one of the menhirs.

"I've a feeling we can get in another way." Daelanna winked.

"Of course!" Reylar slapped his forehead, "If we kin find t' other end of t' conduit..."

"Exactly!"

"Assuming that this whole thing isn't just a figment of you imagination to try and get you out of here..." Lorana muttered.

-----

The party headed back to the Miner's Rest docks, Lorana and Roidoc resuming their scouting duties and everyone keeping an eye out for the dragon...

When they got their, they found their ship on fire.

"Great..." Lorana groused.

"How t' heck we supposed t' get back now? I kin nary swim in this!" Reylar looked down at his armour.

"Oh! More people?! Can't I play with the dead in peace??"

Everyone whirled round.

There was a drow emerging from a ruined building. There were several zombies clustered around her, although they didn't seem to be hostile.

Daelanna narrowed her eyes, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" she demanded.

Reylar eyed the drow and the zombies, "I dun *want* t' know what she be doin' 'ere." he muttered, "Let's jus' get out o' 'ere."

"Yes, just carry on with your business.. and leave me with the dead." the drow smiled at them, although it wasn't so much a smile as baring her teeth.

Reylar tugged at Daelanna's arm, "Leave 'er be... like as not she'll be join' 'er musties soon enough anyways..." he cast a nervous glance back towards the swamp, his ears alert for any more dragon signs.

"Oi! Diz way, can get bak froo derez!" House called out, pointing at a cavern that went through the large hill off one side of Miner's Rest.

"Aye, y' go through there, eventually git tae Black Hills." Baldric pointed out.

"Right. Let's get going before something happens there too!" Daelanna said, quickly disappearing into the cavern.

"Good bye." the drow called after them, "Silly surfacers..."

-----

When the party finally arrived at the Black Hills settlement, they were in for a shock.

"They're already 'ere!" Reylar yelled.

"We must protect the dwarves!!" Nikita cried out, charging the flank of the plague creatures with Dimitri.

The dwarves were putting up a good fight on their own, wielding weapons they themselves had crafted only a few hours ago. For every dwarven body in the field of battle there were ten plague fiends, but the fiends were not fighting alone - Among the fiends were lessor demons who were throwing their weight of spells into the battle.

"Scatter!" Reylar yelled, diving to one side as a fireball exploded to their left.

As he got back up, a bolt of lightning exploded at his feet, tossing him to the ground again. He got up and saw a demon aiming another at him! Quickly he hauled his shield in front of him, and just in time!

The bolt hit the shield with great force, throwing him backwards as it bounced off the enchanted shield and exploded in the demon's chest.

Offering up quick thanks to Tymora, Reylar got to his feet and joined the attack.

-----

With the monsters caught between the line of angry dwarves and the party, they tide of the battle turned quickly. The dwarves were quick to press their advantage and as the pack leaders were killed off one by one, the fiends lost all cohesion and were quickly routed and cut down to the last.

Daelanna ran to the docks, breathing heavily as she searched for the boat captain.

"We need passage to Brosna at once!" she pleaded.

"Nae! We need tae ship in case we need tae evacuate!" the captain retorted.

After a few minutes of arguing back and forth between the ship's crew and the party, Faust gently pulled the captain aside.

Reylar watched them exchange some heated words, followed by the dwarf going very pale.

"Err... right then... um... Brosna?" Reylar heard him mutter.

"Aye." Faust said, crossing his arms.

"Good work Faust!" Roidoc clapped him on a shoulder.

"Thanks for changing your mind, Captain. The Shield is in your debt." Daelanna bowed to the captain as she boarded. The dwarf gave her a dark look of utter disbelief, but said nothing.

-----

The voyage was fairly uneventful, save the restlessness of the sea.

"N'er seen it so bad at this time o' year..." the captain muttered, "'s a bad omen..."

As they neared Brosna, Sianan gave a despairing sigh, "We may be too late..."

There several pillars of thick black smoke were pouring up from the city. Every now and then, there was a flash of light.

As the ship pulled into the docks, the roar of battle could be heard. They watched impatiently as a platoon of soldiers ran past the docks.

"Move out men! The incursion stops here!" the sergeant was yelling, his men cheering acknowledgement.

"After 'em!" Reylar shouted, diving from the deck to the pier and rolling to his feet. With Reylar, Nikita and Dimitri in front and followed by the rest, they ran after the Brosnian soldiers.

They were almost at the Old Brosna quarter when plague fiends began pouring out of the gate.

"Pike line!" the sergeant yelled. The front-line troops linked shields while behind them, men with 20-foot long pikes lowered their deadly weapons.

The first lines of fiends impaled themselves, claws carving great furrows through the stone cobbles as they tried vainly to stop their brethren crushing them forwards into the wall of deadly spears.

As the bodies mounted up however, succeeding fiends just trampled their brethren under-claw and leapt into the soldier's midst.

Reylar dropped to one knee and quickly lined up a bow shot, loosing it into the belly of a leaping fiend before joining the fray with his sword. In front of him, Nikita, Dimitri and House were already wading into the battle, House acting his namesake as fiend after fiend threw themselves at him ineffectually.

The Brosnian guards were rapidly dwindling in the chaotic melee, but as the party fought to get closer to them, the huge demon they had been chasing suddenly appeared at the gate!

It let out a guttural roar then, pointing a decayed finger, it sent a ball of infested gas flying into the midst of the battle!

The ball exploded in the mid-ranks of the Brosnian guards, sending them flying in all directions and killing most of them, and the fiends too. Reylar saw it coming and tackled Dimitri to the ground as the cloud of sickness and poison erupted above them.

Sianan quickly summoned a powerful gust of wind which blew the infested air back towards the demon, but it laughed mockingly, inhaling deeply.

"Rally to me!" the sergeant was bleeding heavily from a cut on the forehead, and his once-shining armour was covered with ichor and rents from the battle, but he continued to try and rally what few men he had left, "Barricade the gate! We can't let any more of them through!"

The demon began chanting out another spell in a low rasping tone, but Alex and Sianan began bombarding it with spells of their own, driving it back.

"That's it men! It's on the run! Secure the gate!" the sergeant yelled.

The demon and it's retinue retreated back into Old Brosna, reeling from the ferocity of Sianan and Alex's holy spells.

"After it!" Sianan yelled, preparing to unleash another spell.

"No! We must hold the barricade here until reinforcements arrive!" the sergeant ordered.

"We can't let it escape now! Let us pass!" Daelanna said urgently.

"Bah, I won't stop you, but you don't want to go in there, trust me..." the sergeant growled, a tremble entering his tone as he trailed off.

Cautiously, the group entered Old Brosna.

-----

"By the infinite depths of t' Abyss... they be everywhere!" Reylar hissed, eyes wide with shock.

The grounds of Old Brosna was covered with a carpet of writhing decaying beings as far as the eye could see.

"And there! The demon is exiting the South gate!" Lorana exclaimed.

"How are we to pursue it?" Dimitri exclaimed, "It would take days and more lives than we have to fight through that!"

Sianan let out a deep breath, "I know some tricks that might even the odds." she grinned.

Nodding to Alex, the two of them stepped forwards out of the shadows.

There was a hiss as one of the fiends spotted them, which grew into a roar as it's warning spread through the huge group.

"What ever plan y' got, y' better do it fast!" Reylar muttered.

Sianan and Alex were deep in a powerful invocation, but even Reylar could see they had underestimated the speed of the fiends.

"Get out there, hold them off!" Dimitri yelled as he and Nikita ran in front of the two clerics.

Lorana and Daelanna notched arrows to their bows and started unleashing devastating volleys into the mass of fiends, pushing the limits of their art as mundane arrows left their bows enchanted and landed with explosive force.

House, Reylar and Boidoc had joined the two paladins, forming a modest shield wall as the fiends drew closer.

"When they get within ten paces we all charge, understood?" Dimitri.

"Aye!" the others chorused.

"Faust, you and the others pick off any that get past!"

"Yeah whatever." Faust mumbled.

The fiends drew closer, funnelling in at the opposite end of the street.

"Ready.... CHARGE!"

As one, the fighters rushed forwards, leading with their shields.

The two sides collided with bone-jarring force, and quickly degenerated into a fierce melee, sword and shield against claw and tooth.

Daelanna shot one through the head as it tried to leap over the fighters, "Just a little longer!" she encouraged them.

House jumped back, swinging his massive blade in a wide arc as four of them leapt at him. He cleaved them all apart, sending body parts flying everywhere, but three of them dove through the opening left as he swung his sword back.

"FAUST!" Lorana yelled as she and Daelanna concentrated on stopping any more getting through.

Faust weaved his hands in a complex movement and shot out a blast of freezing air as they ran past him. Two of them crystallised instantly, tripping and shattered into thousands of icy shards, but the third, partially shielded by his brethren, slipped past!

"Daelanna!" Faust yelled back, as he frantically drew on another spell.

As Daelanna shifted her aim, a massive etheric hammer suddenly condensed out of the air. The fiend skidded and tried to dodge to one side, but the hammer followed it and smashed it into the ground. As the brightly glowing manifestation faded away, all that was left was a large stain on the cobbles.

Daelanna looked to a thin side-alley as a figure stepped out, "Brother Valerius!" she cheered.

"The battle is joined!" the man cried back. Turning to the battle line, he and Faust redoubled their efforts at holding back the tide of fiends.

-----

"Hurry upz!" House yelled over his shoulder as he hacked off a foreleg. The orc's armour had protected him well, but still he had suffered dozens of cuts and bruises.

"Seconded!" Reylar ducked as House's sword whipped past his head. He took the opportunity to skewer a fiend that had been trying to slink in underneath the crush.

"We are finished." Sianan said in a strangely calm tone. She lowered her hands and watched the battle as it slowly moved closer.

"Well?! Where's t'-!" Reylar sprung backwards, shouting obscenities as the fiend he'd been fighting was suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning. He crouched, ready to meet an attack but his former foe crumbled to the floor as pieces of ash.

Above them, the sky darkened. It began to rain, but curiously the rain only fell where the companions were not. Around them, the fiends howled as the flesh was stripped from their bones by the acidic rain. Those that resisted the rain were hit by brilliant bolts of azure fire, incinerated where they stood.

"Don't just stand there, get after the Demon!!" Lorana yelled at the gawking fighters.

Dimitri and Nikita immediately ran for the south gate. Reylar paused, checking to see whether the rain would melt them too. Satisfied that they hadn't been, he ran after House and Baldric.

"Which way?" Daelanna called to Roidoc as she ran.

"Follow me!" Roidoc called as they ran into the once-lush green field beyond the gate.

The grass had withered, turning a sickened brown colour by the presence of the plague-ridden monsters.

Running on, Roidoc led them ever southwards, weaving through narrow canyons and valleys.

"Not that I doubt yer trackin' skills cutter, but are y' sure we be headed t' right way...?" Reylar called forwards, breathing heavily.

In response, Lorana dropped back to run next to him. She nudged him the pointed at the ground.

In the ground were patches of decayed grass in the shape of large hoof-prints.

"Bah, could be a trick..." Reylar mumbled. Lorana rolled her eyes then sped up to re-join Roidoc.

They crested another hill when Daelanna's ears pricked up.

"Sounds of battle!" she called.

"Aye!", Roidoc replied over his shoulder, "It's coming from that cave!", altering his course.

Lorana got to the cave entrance first. She flattened herself to the wall and carefully peered in.

"There's a astral conduit in there!" Reylar said breathlessly as Lorana let her eyes adjust to the gloom.

"You sure?" Daelanna arched an eyebrow.

"Nope." Reylar shrugged, "Maybe?"

Daelanna sighed tiredly, "Well we tracked that demon this far...", she looked inside, her elven eyes adapting to the gloom quickly, "Come on."

Roidoc and Lorana took the lead again, following the sounds of battle through the twists and turns of the caverns.

"We're getting close, very close!" Lorana hissed back to them, "Better get ready!"

"Aye, down the end of this corridor, left bend!" Roidoc whispered.

There was a deafening roar, followed by a deep rumbling.

"Aww crap, GO! MOVE!" Reylar broke into a dead run, drawing his sword as everyone sprinted down the corridor.

Daelanna rounded the corner first, "NO! STOP!" she shouted.

Reylar felt a 'pop', and quickly realised the astral conduit was no more.

"It got away! Went into the portal before I could stop it!" Daelanna turned dejectedly to the others as they caught up with the fleet-footed elf.

"Oi, hooz dat, wunna dem plage fingz too?" House pointed.

From where Daelanna had seen the portal, a tall winged being stepped out of the shadows.

"It's a pikin' Solar!" Reylar gasped, sheathing his sword and hiding behind House's considerable bulk as two winged angels stepped out to stand beside the Solar.

"Danjruz?" House's face took on a confused look.

"Sheath your weapons, these are friends." Dimitri said, dropping to one knee and bowing.

"You... all have done well..." the Solar's mouth didn't move yet it's flowing melodic voice echoed inside their heads, "Many have died this day..."

"Many..." echoed one of the angels.

"But we have contained this... accident..." the Solar continued.

"Accident?!" Faust hissed quietly.

"You fought bravely to make it this far... now we will finish the battle... destroy what remains of these demon portals..."

"Wait, 'ow did-" Reylar began.

The Solar looked at him, "How they got out... remains unknown..."

"Unknown... indeed..." echoed the other Angel.

"But now, we must depart. Battle calls..."

The three of them folded their wings and in a flash of light were gone.

"Well that were needlessly cryptic..." Reylar groused.

"Wow.... you'll probably never see that again in your lifetime." Daelanna said, her features creasing into a joyful smile.

"Wot wuz dey?" House scratched his head.

"Angels." Dimitri said simply, rising to his feet.

"They were angels indeed. My mother often spoke of them." Daelanna said softly, radiating peace and contentment.

Faust kicked a corpse, "They could at least have tidied u-oh, hey..." he suddenly crouched. Pulling out a knife he began hacking away at something.

"What are you doing?!" Dimitri demanded.

"Look!" Faust held out his prize triumphantly.

Reylar gave him a deadpan look, "It's a horn."

"It's a demon horn! Do you have any idea how much these things are worrth to the right people?!" Faust crouched down and began sawing away.

"If that's the case, they must be divided up equally." Dimitri said sterenly.

"Fine, just help me!" Faust retorted distractedly.

With a sigh, Dimitri and the others got to work.

Soon they had a sizeable pile of horns.

"And now we divide them up?" Lorana said dubiously.

"An' do what with it? I mean, I could get Wolfwood t' make soup out o' it or sommat I guess..."

"I'll take yours if you want." Daelanna said innocently.

Reylar eyed her suspiciously, "Why? What fer?"

"Oh... I just know someone who might want them..."

"Hmph. Well fine, take 'em, but if there be any jink made I want 'alf o' it!"

"Fine, fine..." Daelanna assured him, scooping some of the horns into her bag.

"Look, kin we get out of 'ere now?!"

"Sure, follow me!" Roidoc said and ran out.

"Why d' you biter's 'ave t' run everywhere?!" Reylar muttered as he followed the others out of the cave.

fini
Xillie
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:18 pm

Re: A Long Day

Post by Xillie »

Whoa :shock:
That is some treasure you gave us there Cyker, gonna be many hours of reading.
Always nice to be served tales of the old days, thanks.

Xillie
Cyker
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 11:58 pm

Re: A Long Day

Post by Cyker »

It's my pleasure :)

One of the worst things about losing the old forums, for me, was the loss of all the fantastic stories everyone had written, and I wanted to help rebuild some of that :)

Anyway, hope you enjoy them; Some of them are very silly :lol:
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