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Thanatophobia: Chapter 33
Pil thought about going right back to Loudwater, he wanted to gather as many people as possible in his mind to march back down to the lair. Those were, at least, his initial thoughts when leaving the dungeon. The only issue was that Aryanna was absolutely right. There was no way that anyone left in Loudwater would follow him back in.
The only thing that had stopped him was hearing Aryanna’s voice in the back of his mind, telling him to take care of himself, to get away from here, and that the people wouldn’t even follow him back in. He cursed under his breath because he knew that deep down, she was right.
He thought about his options. Was it even worth staying at Loudwater anymore? As he was starting to make his way through the woods on his own, he could only think about the destruction of the town, similar to the destruction of his own group.
The feelings were welling up inside of him. They were well past the boiling point, at this moment, Pil had finally started to burst. A rush of anxiety came over the wizard. Though nothing was there chasing him, he started to run. Running away from the ruins and past the trees. He was like this for a while, as he didn’t care about how his legs were starting to hurt. He didn’t care about how heavily he was breathing. He just had to get away, he just had to stop thinking about everything that happened. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t escape his own thoughts.
No matter what, the feelings were just too much for him to handle. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, he looked up at the rising sun. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that he was the only one who could see the sun again. It wasn’t fair that it all ended up like this. It shouldn’t have been him. He should have died down there, not everyone else.
If only he was just a bit stronger, if only he was able to see this coming. He should have seen all of this coming, he chastised himself for not being able to help his friends. It was all boiling over, and finally, to let it all out, Pil let out a pained wail, his voice was hoarse, broken up. They were more than just his friends; they were his family and he lost them. The Greyhawks were gone forever, and in his mind, it was all his fault.
After he had gotten all of that out, he had thought about Loudwater, he had to go back there. There was no way he could survive out here on his own, not without his magic. He couldn’t help but think about some of the places the Greyhawks visited while in town. He thought about the inn, if there was any innkeeper that was still alive. He figured that out of all of the ones in town, Faliti would certainly have been able to take care of herself. Only, everything about that inn would then start to remind him of all of the good times that he had with the Greyhawks. Just the thought of being there alone was enough to churn his stomach. There were too many good memories there, too many things to remind him of everyone he would have lost today.
That was if the inn was still even there. More than likely, it was destroyed, and even if it wasn’t, just about everyone back in town would be trying to pack their belongings and move somewhere else. He couldn’t blame them either. The town was cursed, there was no doubt about it. Too many instances of undead creatures attacking everyone in town, the Roaring Banner and Kayla causing the undead horde to attack, it was all too much.
That was what confused the wizard the most about this. Kayla had done all of this scheming to get rid of the Banner, and she viewed everyone in the town as nothing but pawns, even her own friends. In the end, she made so many sacrifices to become Lady of the town. But in the end, after everything that’s happened, she ended up becoming nothing but the Lady of the ashes.
A small town in the middle of nowhere was too much for the people to handle at this point. Pil thought about how recognizable he might be when he would head back to town. He came upon a river to look at his own reflection just to see what he could do to hide. His robes were already torn up from the fight, but he had a face that stood out in the crowd. He sighed, as he reached into his satchel and pulled out a small band.
He started to pull his hair back into a ponytail and used the band to make it stay that way. He then pulled the hood over his head before reaching down and pulling out large bandanna, wrapping it around himself and tying it at the back of his neck until the only features that could be seen were his eyes. He sighed. “It won’t be enough…” he shook his head. He then pulled a scarf out and started wrapping it around himself to try to cover himself up just a bit more. He gave a tired shrug when he looked at his reflection in the river. “It’s all I can do for now…” he sighed.
He figured that once he would head back to Loudwater, he could try to use the coin he had left to climb onto a carriage that was leaving town. It wasn’t like he had to pack much, everything he had was on his person already.
It would be a while before he would make it back to town. It was strange, he was heading back to town alone, and it was the first time that he was heading back without a large crowd waiting, at least not for a long while.
They weren’t always waiting for him, in fact most of the time, they were waiting for the Roaring Banner. But without the crowd being there as he was coming back, he was already starting to think of simpler times, back when he was first starting to meet everyone.
“No…” he shook his head. All of the feelings were starting to build up once again. He clenched tightly to his own chest, he wanted to scream once again, but he was fighting the urge. It took all of his strength, all of his willpower, but he was just so tired.
He took another step before the feelings became too much. Then at that point, he was struggling too much. He had to let something out. He was shocked at what came out, for now as he was trying to control it, it was not a howl of pain. This time there was only laughter. He thought about it for a moment, horrified at himself, there was nothing to laugh about. Yet here he was, as he was doing it, he was more in control.
He shook his head, was this really going to be what he had to do? He was more in control when he was laughing, as it soon died down to a simple chuckle. He had an idea; he knew that everything in the town was going to remind him of the Hawks. He knew that he would hardly be able to keep in the pain. If he had more control over his own outburst when he was laughing, then he would only need to try to distract himself. He would have to push the thoughts of the Greyhawks to the back of his own mind. He was going to need to find ways to make himself laugh, as then he would have control of it.
That was at least what he could do for now. It was a short-term solution, and not at all a healthy one. But until he could find something else that he could distract himself from, that was all he could do for now. He shook his head, disappointed in himself once again. “Gods, I really am a piece of shit…” he muttered to himself as he thought about where he was now.
It was a good thing he had a moment to pause before heading all the way back into town. He realized that the cheap disguise would not be enough. He knew that people would ask about him. If he wasn’t Pilienries Hudrozi, then he was just some outsider heading into town. At this point, the people of Loudwater would not be able to take on any more outsiders. He thought about what he could call himself for the time being. Then he had it. “Dante…” he smiled underneath. “That’s a good name…” he then started making his way back to Loudwater.
When he came back to town, he walked around, trying to avoid the notable locations that he would remember. Instead, he set his mind on trying to find a carriage that was willing to transport people away. After all of this time, there had to be at least a few that were ready.
Most of the townspeople were packing their valuables and bartering with the drivers for as much as they could. Of course, most of the traveling wagons would be those of merchants and a lot of the space would have been taken up already just from the supplies if they weren’t destroyed.
The wizard was making his way over to what used to be the market square. It was unrecognizable at this point. For the majority of the space had been used to dig trenches. There were mass graves, and to prevent further death and disease, the people of the town tried to get rid of as many of the bodies as they could in the short time they had before leaving.
The stench filled the air, as many of the bodies were being mass cremated as well. It would have been overwhelming to many people. However, due to the attack of the undead creatures, the people of this town were starting to get used to the smell of the rot.
It could hardly be considered a good thing, but at this point, the people would rather not get themselves sick just from being overwhelmed with their senses. Pil shook his head. “Was all of this worth it?” he muttered to himself, as if Kayla were standing in front of him and she could answer. It wasn’t worth dwelling on it, as the feelings were already building up within once again. He looked around, trying to find one of the merchant carriages.
He had found one that mostly contained flowers, fruits, vegetables, it was practically a traveling garden. The wizard thought it would be a good idea to try and bargain with the driver and board this wagon in particular. They were growing their own food in the cart on top of having rations packed inside already. They wouldn’t have to stop as frequently to hunt and gather more supplies, and the merchandise on the wagon was far more essential.
He made his way over to the driver who was waiting idly by, as if he knew that someone else was coming. It was strange, for Pil had not seen anyone else nearby, but all of this stuff had to belong to someone. “You got room for one more?” the wizard asked the driver and he jumped while in his seat before turning towards the spell caster.
“Goodness don’t scare me like that!” the driver clenched his chest tightly. “You might want to think of changing the way you look, friend. I almost mistook you for a brigand.”
“Sorry about that.” The wizard chuckled. “I’ll put your mind at ease. I just want to give you coin for a place in your wagon. You know, like the opposite of a bandit, who would try to take your coin and your wagon.”
“Oh, I would like for one of them to try!” the merchant exclaimed as he stood up. However, he lost balance as the horses were getting excited by his antics, he stopped what he was going and tried to calm them back down.
“So how much will it cost to ride with you?” Pil asked.
“Well…I do have room for you…and you are the only passenger…I would say about 50 gold pieces…” the merchant smiled.
This caused Pil’s heart to skip a beat. “50!?” he tried catching his breath and reaching into his satchel. He didn’t want to try and argue his way out. There was no way of knowing if he would end up out of the frying pan and into the fire if he did. “Where are we going? Across the continent?”
“No but quite a distance…” the merchant clarified. “I want to get away from this cursed place as far away as possible. With the supplies that I have on hand, even with you on board, we could get all the way out to Phlan. One of my relatives lives there. Still interested?”
“It’s as good a place as any, I guess…” The wizard shook his head, pulling out the coin and handing it to the merchant who thanked him promptly before counting all of it. “So, are we good to go?”
“Of course…” the merchant nodded. “Hop on and we’ll be off right away!” Pil did what was requested. As soon as he got on and found a comfortable enough spot, the merchant whipped the reigns, and the horses were off. It wasn’t long before the wagon was moving outside of the town and Pil got one last look at what had been his home for several months.
He could only think about how much further away he was getting from his group. He was getting further away from Aryanna; they were still down in the lair while here he was leaving town on his own. Was this going to be the better life that the warlock wanted from him? He shook his head; he couldn’t believe that she threw away her own life just to save him. He wasn’t nearly as smart as her, he wasn’t capable. How would he ever be able to come back and help? How would he ever be able to live a fulfilling life where she wasn’t with him? He started to let out a small cynical chuckle and the merchant of course noticed. “Is something funny?” the merchant asked.
“I was just thinking of an old joke.” Pil shrugged. “Trying to bring some levity to this shit, you know?”
“Sure!” the merchant perked up. “What’s the joke?”
“It’s kind of dumb…” Pil tried to veer away from it, as there really wasn’t anything he was thinking about that was even remotely funny. He was just trying to stop himself from screaming once again.
“But I insist!” the driver shook his head, eyes still on the road. “I think we could both use a little distraction from all of this.”
“Alright…” Pil sighed, cursing under his breath as he now had to think of something. “Right well, ever heard the story about the human who tried to marry the elf?” he started.
“Can’t say I have…” the merchant shrugged in response.
“Oh well, I might need to clarify a couple of things then.” Pil started. “You see, this was back in the day and still at some locations where humans and elves lived separately in their own establishments. But this guy, right? He wanted to marry the most beautiful woman in the entire world. The only problem was that for him, the most beautiful woman in the world happened to be an elf. She looked like a princess out of a fairytale, I mean she was stunning. Of course, he’s scared to ask her out, so he doesn’t. He gets all upset about it too, he goes home and cries about it when he sees his own reflection in the mirror. ‘Why can’t I just have pointy ears like her!?’ he shouts. But then he remembered that he still had a lot of clay right outside. He gets an idea. The next day, when he’s outside again, he’s got clay sitting on his ears, molded to make his ears look pointy and this gives him the courage to ask the elf out. He approaches her and he asks to marry her, she gets so excited that she says yes. Love at first sight, I guess.” The wizard shrugged. “Anyway, their wedding day comes up. It’s outside in this grove, the only problem is that it is very humid out, and it is very early in the morning. So, when they get to the point where they start to swear their vows, the guy’s clay starts to get wet again. The clay slides off the guy’s ears and he panics, thinking that this would ruin the wedding. But the elf only laughs, she tells him that she knew those ears were fake from the beginning, and that she liked him too, even though he was human. So, they swear their vows and have their little party. After a long time of dancing, both of them get a little tired. The guy gets thirsty and sees that he has three options, water, mead, and fruit punch. He went to the water station, but there was a long line, and he’s too polite to cut to the front. So, he went to the mead station instead, only there was a long line to get to the mead as well. Like before, he was too polite to cut to the front. So, he instead chooses to go to the punch station. He didn’t have to wait at all, he got his drink right away, because there was no punchline.”
There was a light chuckle that came out of the merchant after a moment of pause. “So stupid…” the merchant shook his head. The wizard wasn’t even paying attention to the merchant anymore. He instead looked once again to Loudwater. Only now, they were far enough away that it was a speck on the horizon. He didn’t know when he would be able to go back. He knew that he would want to one day, he just didn’t know if he even could save who was left down there. But he at least owed it to them to put in the effort, no matter how long it would take.
A few weeks would pass as the merchant and Pil would try and keep themselves entertained. They were the only company that the other hand, it was hard for both of them to stay sane. If Pil ever was sane to begin with.
They were well into the Moonsea at this point, far into the Northern region of Faerun. Phlan was a rather prosperous village, much like Loudwater. It would be many years before Phlan would grow into the Jewel of the Moonsea, until then, this was it. Though, the walls around this town were made of stone. Not only that, but the merchant was not accosted by bandits, nor was he attacked by the undead. It was a good thing too, for Pil would have no way of fighting any foe off if they were attacked. The merchant had to be smart about how he would travel, staying away from the off-beat paths, but spending as little time on the main roads as he had to. He didn’t want to take the chances.
When they got inside of the town, they found a good spacious area to rest at. Pil had emerged out from the wagon and waved to the merchant, thanking him for the safe travel. “Where will you go now, Dante?” the farmer asked.
“I’m not sure…” Pil shrugged. “But I’ll figure something out…”
“Good luck!” The merchant gave out one last wave and the wizard disappeared into the town.
Pil had wandered around, trying to find some shade in a private spot. He found a small alleyway out around the edge of town; there he knelt down and pulled out his coin purse to count how many he had left. He had done this every day while traveling with the merchant just to make sure that he wasn’t getting robbed. Every day, the answer would always be the same for him. It would always be 20 gold pieces left. He didn’t even have enough for a bed back in Loudwater, he was sure that it would mostly be the same price here in this new town.
He shook his head, wondering what his options were. He couldn’t go out and do any bounties, not without being able to use magic. Not only that, but there was no way he would be able to handle dangerous bounties all by himself. Even if there was another group and they were able to clear bounties, he would likely not get that much coin as they would, of course, have to split the bounty. That was if the group e ended up with were honest people, and wouldn’t just try to steal from him, rob him, or kill him and take the gold off of his corpse. He would only have to worry about all of that if he was even lucky enough to find an adventuring group, one that would have him.
He sighed, thinking about easier jobs. He was never raised to do any farm work, even though he was raised in a barn. That was one useful skill that his parents could have taught him, but they were too busy being and far too good for the likes of him. He had to thank them for this. He wasn’t sure if he would even be able to hold a normal job. He had no way of running his own business. He wouldn’t even know what to sell if he could even get anything. He could try working for others, but he needed money to find food and a place to stay, and he needed it fast.
He started making his way outside of the town. There, he would be able to bathe, once again, and without being pressed for time, as he had already made it to the town. He wanted to take his time and take as much pride in his own appearance as he could. The prospects of his future jobs were still deep in his mind. When he got to the river, he started to undress and look at his own reflection. He thought about a job that could get him a decent amount of coin, where he could find some place to stay and some food to eat. It was the kind of work that his mother used to do back in Arrington. It was a weird kind of prison he found himself in. He had magical knowledge, but he had no way of using it. He wasn’t talented outside of that, he was just a pretty face. He shook his head, he knew what he had to do, he had to do it to get his first spell book. He hated every minute of it, the first time he worked like this, but he realized he didn’t have much of a choice.
He cleaned himself up and put a lot of care into his own appearance, using all the resources he had to be presentable before heading back into town. He knew where he would have to go, and by the time he was heading back, it was getting late. It was perfect timing for him, for now he could spend this time looking for a nightclub that was within the town. Before even making it inside, he could hear the band playing loudly. It was at this moment where he wished he knew how to play an instrument, at least then, he would be able to perform in the street and earn money that way instead of this.
He sighed, he couldn’t waste time about what he could have learned or what he should have done. Now, he only had one job to do, and that was to find someone who wanted attention. When he made his way inside, it was obvious that almost everyone inside was already drunk from all of the partying. The wizard started to put on a fake smile, trying to bottle everything up on the inside. He looked around, and what caught his attention was a cloaked man in the corner who seemed nervous. Pil adjusted himself before making his approach. “Not enjoying the party, I take it?” Pil approached with a chipper tone. The man in the cloak flinched before turning his gaze towards the wizard.
That man then adjusted himself before letting out an exhausted sigh. “Not here for the party…” the man grunted.
“I think I can figure out what you are here for…” Pil sat down from across the merchant. “Please don’t tell me that I’m wrong and break my heart…”
“No…you’re right…” the man started to calm down, now that he was talking to someone. “I wasn’t sure how long it would take for someone to approach me.”
“What will it be?” Pil rested his elbows on the table, letting his chin sit on his hands that were clasped together.
“I need to explain a couple of things first.” The man started, waving a hand as if giving a sign of caution. “First, I’m not here for me, and second, I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t obligated to.”
“Who are you here for?” Pil raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“It’s my friend…” the man explained. “And before you start thinking anything, just hear me out. You ever heard of the shrieks?”
“I heard it’s highly contagious…” Pil grunted as he leaned back in his chair.
“Not for her…” the man clarified. “You see…she’s been battling with a rare variant of it for her entire life. I don’t know if one of her forefathers used to have it or not. But normally, the disease as you said is highly contagious, but it can be treated and even cured. She’s been battling this condition her entire life, and while I’m thankful that it hasn’t spread to me, she’s been starting to lose her battles as of late…We tried everything, every doctor, every shaman, every magician, every holy person my gold can buy, and nothing. There has been no helping her.”
“So, for her, it was inherited?” Pil thought out loud. “And what? You live with her?”
“Aye.” the man nodded his head. “We grew up together. For her, battling a disease like that for her entire life, it did not gain her many friends growing up. It wasn’t long until she lost her family either, so I took care of her. I’m all she’s got. I’m thankful that I never acquired that horrifying condition in my entire life. But what matters now is how it is affecting her. You know what she said to me before her latest fit? She told me that before she leaves this world, she wants to feel wanted, she wants to pretend to be normal, if only for a moment…”
Pil tried reading into the man to see if he was lying or if he was hiding anything. He was good at reading people at this point, but no, the man seemed to be opening up to the wizard about everything. Pil could tell that he was telling the truth.
“Why don’t you just do it?” Pil asked.
The man shook his head in response. “I never saw her like that, and I would rather not have that be one of her last memories of me. I don’t know if she is going to see next week, and honestly, I would rather someone else do it for me…”
“Alright…” Pil nodded. “We can discuss the price along the way.”
“Really?” the man perked up. “You’re willing?” Pil nodded his head and the two got up, they started making their way towards the man’s house.
The man was really generous with the gold he had offered. Pil would get enough to get himself a book with a couple of spells in it and a staff. The only problem is tat spells are hard to find and are expensive to copy down. He would only be able to afford a couple of spells. He would likely have to do a couple more nights with this job before he would be ready to go out and complete a bounty again. But Pil was happy, as he had enough to get started and to feed himself.
Pil agreed and when he was finally brought to the friend’s room, he took a deep breath before making his way in. The woman in bed looked exhausted, like she had just come back from a long hard battle. Pil merely sat on the bed next to her. “Hope?” Pil muttered as he adjusted her hair. “Your friend thought that you would want some company for tonight. How does that sound to you?”
She turned her gaze to the wizard and only started chuckling in response. She wanted to say something, she wanted to tell him something, but all she could do was start laughing. While she was doing this, tears started running down her cheeks as she reached out and pulled the wizard into a hug. Pil merely returned the embrace.
‘Was this the life that was worth living for?’ Pil thought to himself as the night had passed. When morning came, he immediately got back into his robes. He thanked the man for the gold before heading out.
For the day, he looked for the market square. He would eventually come upon a shop for rare magical trinkets. There, he was able to purchase a book, but he could only afford two spells. Those two spells were rather simple in nature as well as they were cantrips, Poison Spray and Mage Hand.
Those were the only spells he could afford for now. For he still needed to go to a blacksmith and purchase a staff as a somatic foci to channel his magic. It wasn’t hard, all he needed was any staff. Once he found a workshop, he wasted no time in purchasing one. He then went again to an alleyway and counted his gold, this time, he would have to make a choice. He could either use this gold to buy himself a meal, but he would, and he would have to risk not having a place to stay overnight. Or he could purchase himself a room, and risk not eating for the day.
For now, he was in no shape to go out for another adventure, and he needed a place to store his new items. He decided to head to a nearby inn and hand the innkeeper enough gold to rent the room for a day. He was soon escorted upstairs, and when he got to his room and was left alone. He immediately put the staff and the spell book somewhere safe. He then left the room, locking the door behind himself, he had to make more money.
When he made his way over to the night club, he had wondered about what kind of client he was going to meet with tonight. That was when he heard a voice call from nearby. “Hey, you!” a gruff voice called from behind.
Pil turned around to see a tall slender elf, he looked like he had a few drink in him already. The wizard awkwardly pointed at himself in confusion. “You mean me?” Pil asked.
The elf nodded and approached the wizard. “I recognize you. You were at the Zodiac last night, weren’t you?”
“Is that what that place was called?” Pil sighed as he shrugged. “The night club?” the elf nodded in response. “I was…”
“And I saw you offer your services to another man last night…” the elf observed.
“I did…” Pil crossed his arms. “What of it?”
“Would you be looking for more work?” the elf asked. Pil nodded his head, wondering what the elf had in mind. “You can come to my place.” The elf wrapped his arm around Pil’s shoulder. This caused the wizard to flinch when that happened. He knew what this job would mean to him, and he knew he would want to get out of here as soon as possible. The elf made him uncomfortable, but he was hungry, and he didn’t see much of an alternative. Against his better judgement, he let the elf lead the way, and they started making their way to the other side of town.
Then they got inside the man’s house and up into his room. Pil sighed and turned towards the elf. “Alright…” the wizard looked up. “What no-“ before he could even finish asking his question, he was punched and knocked to the floor.
Pil could already feel the throbbing pain in his right eye as it already started swelling. “The fuck!” Pil blurted out before being kicked in the ribs.
“Filthy fucking human!” the elf started laughing to himself as he spat at the wizard who was laying down on the ground. Pil wished he had brought his belongings with him at this point, then he would at least be able to unleash a cloud of poison onto the bastard for even trying to touch him like that.
“You humans are far too lucky!” the elf laughed as he rolled Pil over. “You’re just some dumb fucking animals that don’t know you should be on your knees, serving your lords.” He kicked Pil one more time. “You should be kissing our fucking boots, you pig. Go on, kiss the boot!” Pil merely coughed up blood in response. That was before receiving yet another kick to the ribs, causing the wizard to cry out in pain again. “I said kiss the fucking boot, you pig!” Pil did as instructed and leaned forward, pressing his lips against the head of the boot. “Good pig.” The elf grunted before raising that boot and stomping hard on Pil’s head, it knocked the wizard unconscious instantly.
Eventually, the wizard had come to once more. When he woke up, he was no longer inside the house. He was outside in the mud. Something slid off his back and landed on the floor as the wizard started to move. The wizard cried out in pain once again just from getting up and moving around. But he endured the pain, as he wanted to find out where he was and get out of there as quickly as possible. He made his way over to a nearby barrel that was full of water, there he could see his own reflection. He now had a black eye, his nose was bleeding, and his cheeks were all swollen up. He had a nasty bruise on his ribs, and there was some clear internal bleeding.
He turned to look at what was sitting on his back while he was asleep. It was a coin purse, when he opened it, there was plenty of gold coins inside, but a horrible stench emerged the moment he opened the coin purse as well. Pil gagged when he realized what it was and closed the purse instantly. He saw how much gold was in there, and he knew how desperately he needed the coin.
He traveled out of Phlan once again and towards the river, mostly to clean himself up as well as the coins. If it were up to him, he would just toss the entire coin purse into the river. But he was hungry, and this was his second day of going without food. He needed to eat something, even if it was just something small.
His hands were shaky as he cleaned the dung off of every coin. He was desperately trying to hold it together as he counted them. The only good thing about this was that the bastard had paid him generously. Enough to add more spells to the book.
He would have thrashed out in the water, but it hurt to move. So, he once again had to hold it all in. Once again, it was a struggle, he wanted to scream once again, but he was afraid that he would start to attract some unwanted attention. He merely started to look at his own reflection and he started to laugh. “I should never have left…” he chuckled to himself as he finished cleaning himself and everything else up. “Is this what I’m supposed to live for?” He started to leave the river, taking everything with him.
When he made it back to town, he went over to the market square where he could purchase some fruit from a stall. “Oh Gods!” the woman gasped. “What happened to you? Are you alright, dear?”
“I’m fine…” Pil sighed as he reached into the coin purse. He pulled out a gold piece and handed it to her. “Could I just take an orange from your stall?”
“Here…” the woman grabbed two oranges and held them out for the wizard.
“Oh, I only need one…” Pil clarified.
“Just take the other one too…” the woman shook her head. “On the house, don’t worry about it…” The wizard wasn’t about to argue with her. He simply thanked her for her kindness and took the two oranges for himself. “You should head to the alchemist just over at the corner.” The woman pointed to the shop nearby. “He’ll have some nightshade to help you sleep tonight. You should get something to relieve the pain while you’re there…”
Pil thanked her once again before making his way over to the shop. He wasn’t sure if he was going to purchase anything yet. But it was at least worth a look.
The alchemist heard Pil walk in right away and widened his eyes in shock. As much as Pil tried to clean himself up, he couldn’t do anything about the damage he had received from the previous night.
“You’re not the first to look at me like that.” Pil shrugged. “The fruit lady suggested I go see you. She said that I should maybe get some nightshade to help me sleep tonight.”
“Y-yeah, I can do that.” The alchemist looked around on the shelves, trying to find the flask. Even though everything was organized, it was still a little hard to find. “You’re going to want something for the pain as well, I take it…I’ll just need about 50 gold from you…”
“Right…” Pil looked into the coin purse, and he shook his head. That would put a dent into the money he earned, but at this point, he wanted the pain to go away. He knew this would hurt him with wanting to acquire more spells.
“You’ll want to be careful with the nightshade…” the alchemist handed the two flasks over to the wizard. “Too much of it and you might not wake up the next morning…”
Pil paused for a moment, taking what he had just heard into consideration before taking the flasks. “Right…” he muttered as he started to turn around. “Thanks…” he waved to the alchemist before leaving the store.
When he got back, he decided to peel away one of the oranges so that he would have something in his system for the day. After that, he downed the flask to relieve the pain. It wasn’t immediate, but relief did eventually start to come over him. He shook his head; he wondered what would happen later in the day; what horror would fall upon him? He didn’t want to think about it, he merely grabbed his spell book and went back to the shop where he purchased it to see if there were any more spells he could copy down.
He had just enough coin for two more spells, and these were more powerful than the cantrips he had. These spells, he could do some damage to someone with. One of the spells, Thunderwave would force someone away from him. The other spell was one that he was all too familiar with, one that he had missed dearly, Magic Missile.
He looked at the book. Here, he could finally do something. But he didn’t feel any kind of satisfaction now. He didn’t feel successful, the only thing he felt now was fear. He knew that it would be a bad idea to not get some more coin later tonight, but he was just too scared.
“Is this the life you threw yourself away for?” Pil’s shoulders began to shake as his vision blurred. At this point, he wasn’t going to scream, he wasn’t going to laugh. Instead, he just started to just get down on his knees. “I’m sorry Aryanna…” his voice was hoarse. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I’m not strong like you, I’m not smart, I’m not capable.” He looked up at the ceiling, as if she was there, looking down at him. “Why? Why me? You shouldn’t have thrown yourself away like that. It should have been me!” he collapsed under the weight of the pressure, and he just let himself sink down to the floor. “It should have been me…” He looked over to the flask of nightshade which was still sitting a couple of feet away from him.
He sat down on his bed, just staring at the flask and he just stopped crying. He was considering his options in his head. At this point, he had no way of knowing if he would ever be able to help Aryanna ever again, or the rest of the Greyhawks. He wasn’t even sure that he could even survive up to the next week. He shook his head, making his decision. Once again, he looked up at the ceiling as if she was there, watching over him. “I’m sorry…” he muttered as he opened the flask. “I’m so sorry…it should have been me…” he downed the entire flask, letting the contents down well past the point where it could be dangerous.
He wasn’t planning on going out tonight. He wasn’t planning on making anymore gold. It was all too much, and at this point, he just wanted to rest. He laid down onto the bed and closed his eyes, letting sleep take over for him.
The morning soon came, and despite the nightshade, Pil did wake up the next morning. He slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Upon the realization of what happened, he didn’t feel angry, sad, or anything at all. He was just numb, and he methodically sat up and got out of bed, as if it was just any other morning.
He knew he would have to leave his room today, if he was going to live, then he would have to get out of his own room. He grabbed his staff; he grabbed his spell book and the orange. If he was going back out into the world, he was going to bring his stuff with him, he was going to protect himself. But first, before anything, he just sat downstairs at the inn, finding a nice spot for himself at the corner of the inn to eat his own orange. As he was eating, he peered out around the inn, wondering who else was here. Something caught the corner of his eye.
At the other end of the room, there was a large table. At this table was a gathering of all different kinds of folk. There was a large woman in heavy armor with a bulky exterior, she reminded the wizard of Breonna. She was laughing at something the woman sitting next to her said. The other woman had a bow and a quiver, scars littered her body, she reminded Pil all too well of Vedetta. There was also a slender elven fellow, very young, long black hair tied into a single braid. He was more reserved than the rest, of course he only reminded Pil of Morqen. Finally, at the end of the table was a halfling, she was shuffling a deck of cards that they were all playing with.
Pil decided to watch them play their game of cards from the other end of the room, it would pass the time at least. It was strange, the halfling kept winning the pot every time, it was as if luck was on her side. But as time passed, Pil realized something. It wasn’t just the two women who seemed to be well traveled. The elf had some kind of spear that was resting nearby, and the halfling had a small but heavy mace leaning against her chair. They were all well-traveled, and they seemed capable, a group of adventurers.
Was this the break that Pil was looking for? He wondered if they would accept him into the group. He wondered if he could keep up with them. Pil was nervous, hesitant to approach them. Would they even let him in? What would they do if they knew more about him? How would they even react? The wizard shook his head. He came upon a realization, there had to be a reason why he woke up this morning. There had to be a reason why he was seeing them. Perhaps fate brought him here to meet them. Perhaps fate heard his plight over the Greyhawks, and the universe gave him an answer.
He would have to take a leap of faith, he would have to be strong. Maybe if he traveled with them, he would find the strength he needs to keep going, the knowledge to save those dear to him if he still could. He soon got up from his seat and started making his way over to their corner at the inn.
He wasn’t being subtle about his approach. They had seen him coming right away, the first person to see him coming was the elf. Pil took a deep breath and put on a smile, as he reached into his coin purse to pull out what little gold he could spare.
“Hey everyone…” Pil greeted everyone at the table. “Was having my breakfast and saw you guys playing cards, I was wondering if I could come and join in on the fun myself…”
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So I mentioned there would be an announcement in my previous chapter. I don't know if this is good or bad news, it kind of depends on how you take it. I don't know when I'll next focus on a big project like this, but I think it will be soon. The only thing is, Thanatophobia was the practice round for me. I want to take things to the next step. Rather than fan fiction or a backstory to a dnd character, I want my next project to be something I completely thought up on my own. I probably won't post the next big project here, as my plan is to make it publishable. This isn't goodbye, if I get inspiration, I'll still post some mini stories for you guys to enjoy. I'll still happily interact with you guys online. I'm just basically going to catch my breath after this. This was a wild ride. Anyway, this was my big announcement, and I just want to say thank you again to everyone who has made it this far with me. I seriously could not have finished this without all of you. For now, I'll be taking a nap.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 32
Kayla was just staring down the group for a moment, as if she was trying to get a read on all of them. Finally, she let out a sigh and relented. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this…” Kayla shook her head. “I don’t know why all of you came looking for me, but you shouldn’t have…”
“Because you’re our friend…” Breonna stepped forward, she was talking in a monotone voice, but the tension was rather high. The emotions were boiling up already. “Because we need you right now…because Loudwater needs you…”
“I just needed more time…” Kayla’s expression began to break and at this point, she was clearly frowning.
“Kayla…” Breonna’s commanding tone became all the more apparent, now she was no longer speaking to the blonde woman like a friend, she was speaking to Kayla like the leader of the Greyhawks. “Why are you hiding out in these ruins and why do you have all of these ghouls with you?”
“I know where you’re going with this…” Kayla wanted to take another step forward, but Breonna pointed her blade up at the noblewoman. Kayla stopped her movement the moment that happened. “If you think the undead that raided Loudwater were mine, then you are mistaken…” The blonde woman started to explain. “Before you all arrived, I was very curious about the Roaring Banner…you see they were a group that just appeared from out of nowhere and they quickly became famous for their heroics. I thought that we were finally lucky enough to have a group of adventurers care about us, but then I started to do some investigating…”
“We know that the Roaring Banner were evil, we fought them.” Pil huffed and rolled his eyes in response. “Did you forget that already?”
“Yeah, but you don’t know their full story.” Kayla shook her head. “All you saw was the end result of something that was a long time coming. The leader of their group, Ancal, he was a warlock…just like her…” she pointed at the half elf. “Only his patron made a different kind of deal with him. You see, for him to survive, he needed to feast upon the souls of his victims, it’s because he wasn’t naturally made. The souls that were left over would go to his patron…” she looked around. “Why do you think these lands are so cursed? Why they’re so plagued with undead? It’s because he cursed them, he made those undead…”
“They seemed pretty confused during the attack.” Pil crossed his arms. “And the ghouls that are in these ruins, as well as the ghouls we encountered by the manor were yours. So, are we really supposed to believe that they were behind the attack?”
“You still don’t get it.” Kayla started playing with one of the strands of hair resting on the side of her head. “The majority of the undead that had attacked the town were created by the Banner. They were always going to attack the town. This isn’t even the first time that they would have done such a thing either. Remember when they said that the Bull’s crew had destroyed the other towns down South? Did you really believe them? No, they destroyed those towns and made those people a part of their army. That’s their game, they go around town, completing those bounties, hunting monsters to buy as much time as possible to feed on the souls of the dangerous creatures, it makes the people drop their guard. Then when that happens the Banner eats yet again.”
“Wait a second…” Aryanna widened her eyes in horror. “You knew all of that was going to happen? And you did nothing to stop it?”
“No, even worse…” Pil sighed. “She’s the reason why their horde was ahead of schedule. But that doesn’t explain why she sent ghouls to her own manor and killed her own servants.”
“Why would you do this?” Breonna stammered; she was in pure disbelief. “Kayla, I know what your father did, and he deserved everything that happened to him, but there were servants in there who were completely innocent…people who had nothing to do with any of this…and you just…”
“It was going to happen no matter what…” Kayla shook her head.
“Bullshit!” Aryanna cut the noblewoman off. “You could have told us; we could have stopped all of that!”
“These lands are going to be cursed forever.” Kayla shook her head. “Undead are going to be rising here forever because of what the Roaring Banner did. The people in that town were already dead, they just didn’t realize it yet. And all I did was throw the Roaring Banner off. Did you know that for the longest time, I had no way to fight them? Not on my own. There was no way I would have been able to fight the four of them, but thankfully…I thank my Lord every day that one day you guys came along…that the Greyhawks came along to set things right…and we were able to drive those bastards away…”
“So that’s it then?” Pil raised an eyebrow. “We were just here to do your dirty work. It never had to get this far, but you had to keep going.”
“You’re a monster…” Breonna stepped forward. “You could have made this all better and instead you just did everything to suit your own needs…”
“Bre, I did it for us…” Kayla pleaded. “I did it so that we could be safe, so that we didn’t have to wake up every day wondering if this was going to be it.”
“You didn’t do it for me.” Breonna shook her head. “I never wanted this. So don’t you dare use me as some excuse.”
Kayla shook her head. It was quiet for a brief moment, but then after a couple of seconds, the Greyhawks started to hear laughter from the platform above. Kayla was laughing at them. “I never wanted it to end up like this…” she smiled menacingly. “But if you’re really going to try and take me down, then I got no choice but to deal with you first…” She let out a surprisingly audible hiss, a sound that didn’t even sound like something a human could make. Then her smile grew wider and as she revealed her toothy grin, she revealed an array of sharp teeth. Her eyes that were once blue were now as black as the night and her skin had somehow gone even paler.
“No…” Pil widened his eyes in shock and then immediately turned to the others. “She’s a fucking vampire!”
Kayla had moved already; she was moving so fast that she could only be perceived as a blur to everyone down below. Breonna was looking around in all directions, finding it impossible to keep track. Eventually, she just focused on listening for Kayla and when she heard footsteps, she could hear that they were coming from behind the three Hawks.
The fighter turned around right away, either to fight off her old friend or to take the brunt of whatever was coming the group’s way. But Kayla just stood there and stared at the fighter. Nothing was happening, but once again Kayla was laughing.
That was when it hit Breonna, something came over her and new overwhelming feelings came over her. It was like everything suddenly made sense to the fighter once again, she was suddenly able to see her friend’s perspective. The feelings that came over her made her realize that at the end of all of this, Kayla was right and the two spellcasters were wrong. They had to be; they were ready to attack her friend. At this point, the fighter turned her attention to Pil, ready to deal with him first. How dare he try to confront Kayla; she did nothing wrong. Those feelings washed over Breonna, and she had no way of fighting it off.
“Oh no…” Pil took a step back and he could see the magic take over Breonna’s eyes. The irises now glowing white, she had been charmed.
This was going to be a tough fight for the spellcasters. At this point, both of them were on their own and both were in a match that was out of their league. He was debating in his head all of the possible outcomes as he was trying to avoid every strike she would make with her sword.
Pil was able to handle himself in combat, but Breonna was just much better at fighting than he was. At least when it came to being up close and personal. Even though the room they were in was rather large, there were only so many places that the wizard could run to. She would easily be able to catch up to him and deal with him when she finally gets close.
There was no way that Pil could try to dispel the charm, he wasn’t that advanced of a spellcaster yet, and even if he was, he would have to find an opening with her. There just wasn’t any room for him to make a mistake. Not only that, but even if he had the luxury of fighting to kill, she could still easily overpower him. At this point, he just had to hope that he would be lucky enough to survive this fight.
He wanted to hold out for Aryanna to get a surprise attack on him, but he wasn’t going to depend entirely on that strategy, he knew that the half elf had a rather tough fight of her own at the moment.
Kayla had always shown how adept she was at casting her own spells. She displayed that in her fights against the bandits, she displayed that in the fights against the Roaring Banner. That was only focusing on her strategies and her spell casting ability. She was an even better fighter than Breonna, and the leader of the Hawks made that known. It was why she was so excited when she heard that Kayla was interested in helping their little group.
Even the weakest of vampire kind was more than a match for even the strongest of human. This was going to be devastating. At this moment, if Aryanna was going to win, she would have to be smart about everything. She would have to find a way to not get hit and she would have to find a way to break Breonna free from the charm, or at least buy enough time to restrain the fighter.
Pil and Aryanna shared momentary glances at one another, just sometimes observing each other just to make sure that the other was okay. At this point, they weren’t able to communicate with each other. But through going over the possibilities, they were able to come up with a similar strategy. They both knew what the other person was thinking.
Aryanna was going to try to look for an opening to get away from Kayla, even if it were to be just for a few moments. She would then focus on taking down Breonna. Aryanna would be able to make the attempt to either dispel the charm placed over the fighter. If that was not possible, she was going to restrain her, or if push came to shove, attack her and provide Pil with the opportunity to deal with her. The last plan would come as a last resort.
They wanted to go for dispelling the charm, as it would then return to being three against one. Each member of the Greyhawks, that are involved, would not be able to go up against Kayla alone. However, Pil was very capable of thinking of a plan that could take her down. Breonna was good enough of a fighter to be able to serve as a good enough distraction. Aryanna would be able to deal a devastating blow, especially to an undead creature like her, who, as a vampire, is vulnerable to fire.
Aryanna had just the faintest smile that she was trying to hide. She knew what she had to do. Her moment of realization was cut short when Kayla had her blade drawn and started swinging away. Aryanna knew that the sword would drain her energy the moment it would so much as scratch her. She couldn’t afford for Kayla to be so close in the first place. She clapped her hands and within moments, a burst of energy emitted around her, as a thunderous boom echoed throughout the room.
Kayla had been sent flying back from the sheer force of the spell. In fact, the vampire had knocked her head against the stone walls and for a brief period of time, she was stunned. Aryanna had found her chance and she turned to Pil and Aryanna.
At this point, the wizard was doing his best to just run away from the fighter who was right behind him. He ran up the stairs up to the platform and she swung her sword in an upward arch and just grazed the man by his back.
He hissed in pain as he could feel the cold metal cut into him, and then felt the blood run down. Unfortunately for him, she had finally caught up and she was about to stab him through the back. That was when Aryanna focused all of her energy on dispersing the magic in the area that Breonna was standing in.
For a brief moment, a heavy gust took over and knocked Breonna back. She then dropped down to her knees and blinked. The white glow of her eyes was gone. She looked up at Pil once more and she took several deep breaths. “Holy shit, Pil.” She shook her head as she tried helping him to his feet. “I am so sorry…”
“Don’t worry about it.” The wizard shook his head. “What matters now is that you’re back.” They both got up and they rejoined Aryanna who was staring down the vampire.
Kayla rubbed her temples, as if trying to get rid of a massive migraine. When she looked up at the three who were standing before her, she started to curse under her breath. “So, what now?” Kayla huffed as she looked at the group. “Are you all going to kill me?”
“I saw what happened to Vedetta…” Breonna growled. “And I see now that you are the main cause behind what happened to Morqen as well. Urenakk is still out there fighting your ghouls and right. We have been through so much together, and even now, all you can care about is your own life.”
“Are we going to kill you?” Aryanna shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. But whatever happens, we are doing it for our friends, all of the people we met along the way. All of the people who are not here now because of you.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” Kayla rolled her eyes. “You can’t save everyone. You never could. Loudwater was always going to crumble one day. It was never a question of if, it was only a question of when. So why? You know it’s impossible to save everyone, but you still cling onto that false hope. Why?”
“Because I refuse to give up.” Aryanna scowled. “All of my life, I have been told by the people around me that I had to sink down to their level. Every day of my life, people tried to pull me down, and I refused to play along. I refuse to be anything like the woman who raised me. I…I have come too far…I have to be better.”
“Pretentious words of a narcissistic ideology.” Kayla shook her head. “If you really were better, you would never have played by their rules to begin with…but look at you…”
“Oh, I know I am not perfect.” Aryanna shook her head. “Far from it. But you still don’t understand why. It’s not just to make myself feel better, it’s not just to stick it to those who have wronged me. It is to make sure that the people around me don’t end up like I do. The last thing the world needs is another me…”
“Come on then, show me how far you’re willing to go.” Kayla moved at a blur once again and appeared right in front of the half elf, slashing the woman across the chest with her blade. Breonna shoved the vampire back before she could do anymore damage.
Kayla smiled once more, letting out an audible hiss before licking the blood off of the blade. Breonna stepped forward, sword at the ready. “You used to be better…” the fighter sighed as she nodded for Pil to come along and help her. The wizard was already focused on charging on one of his more powerful spells. He opened his hand and with that, three shards of magical energy slowly floated up into the air and circled around the wizard.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear you say that.” Kayla shook her head. Already swinging her sword at weird angle to try and catch the fighter off guard. “But you wouldn’t understand. Your father never assaulted you; your mom is still alive; you didn’t suffer in silence for years just so other people wouldn’t be disappointed in you.” Tears started to run down the woman’s cheeks as her voice was starting to break. “So, I’m sorry that for once in my life, I decided to be strong, and not let anyone take advantage of me ever again. I’m so sorry that I wanted to be free.”
Breonna, however, was able to block the attack and now there was a fire burning within her. It caused her to start swinging over and over again at the vampire. These weren’t just flailing attacks either, these were all precise strikes to either get Kayla off balance or to get her to drop her guard. The two women locked blades. “You still don’t get it, do you?” Breonna asked.
“What is there to get?” Kayla barked. “When a man gets upset, he is free to lash out!” she pointed her sword at Pil. “When a man is desperate, he is free to abuse all of the people he wants. But not me, I’m always supposed to take the high road, right?” At that point, Pil’s three magical darts had flown across the room, and each dart pierced through the padded armor and struck Kayla at different points of her body. She screamed as she was able to see those darts coming, but they had moved much faster and hit much harder than she expected them to.
“When did you ever see me lash out?” Pil growled. “You don’t know anything about me, you don’t know what I’ve had to deal with.” He was charging another spell already, shadows started to envelop his stronger hand and the shadows were taking the form of a beast’s claws.
The vampire was about to move against the wizard, but Breonna was already one step ahead of her and was already fighting her off. “Kayla, I am sorry about everything you went through.” Breonna stated coldly as she stepped forward and swung her blade downward. Kayla blocked the attack with her own blade which started to glow with its runes once again. Moments later, the fighter could already feel that her strength was being drained. “I understand why you became what you are.” The fighter. “It feels good to be able to fight back. It feels good to be strong. If you had just come to me sooner, if you had just talked to me, talked to us…we would have helped you…”
“You weren’t always there…” Kayla shook her head. She could feel that she now had the upper hand. Pil charged forward, unleashing his attack against her. All kinds of gashes and wounds appeared all over her body and blood started to pour out. The onslaught wasn’t even over, as Aryanna had charged a spell of her own, unleashing a great red beam of hell fire onto the woman. This attack was much more painful, this was something that Kayla was vulnerable to. She screamed in pain. The wounds that had opened around the area where she was hit with the eldritch blast started to be cauterized.
At this point, Breonna wanted to try to disarm the woman, but Kayla still had to strength to block it. The vampire’s bleeding got worse as she blocked the strike, but she was still standing. “You think you can get me with that?” Lady Trenton laughed. “You think you can get the jump on me?” Her sword began to glow even brighter, a new veil of energy coned the blade and Kayla, on her second wind, swung at a downward angle. Breonna tried to black to attack, but the magical force that was taking over the blade pushed with such ferocity that it knocked the fighter prone. “You’re not the only one who knows how to fight!”
Breonna braced herself for what was coming next, but it would be of little help. Kayla kept swinging down at the fighter, at this point, blood began to spatter in all directions. She was careful not to swing too hard, as she still did not want to fatally injure her old friend. Instead, just when she knew that Breonna was on her last legs, she resorted to striking the fighter on the head with the hilt of her blade instead. When she did, the fighter had stopped moving and was knocked out cold.
Both spellcasters were already trying to unleash their spells against her. However, Kayla saw both of them getting ready and snapped her fingers. Aryanna’s spell fizzled out, like all of the energy she had just put into the attack suddenly disappeared.
Pil’s spell was still being charged and he unleashed another barrage of magical darts which pierced through the armor once again. Unfortunately for him, Kayla was ready this time. The previous attack had worked before because Aryanna struck her with an attack that burned the vampire alive. That was what did serious damage before. However, at this point, Kayla was just able to shrug off the spells that did hit her. They were opening and creating new wounds, however, Kayla merely smiled at Pil. The wizard could only watch as those wounds started to close on their own and all the blood that had been leaking out of her soon climbed up and went back inside of her.
Pil and Aryanna looked at each other, both were desperate at this point. They knew they were in trouble once again. It was bad before when Breonna had been turned against them. However, with the leader of the Hawks out of the fight, both spellcasters really had to be careful with their next actions.
There was no longer someone who could fight up close against Kayla. They looked to each other once again and came up with a new plan of action. Pil merely adjusted the satchel on his equipment, when looking at the warlock.
Aryanna knew what she had to do at this point. She was going to need to fight Kayla on her own for just a few seconds. In that time, Pil will try to give Breonna a healing potion, wake her up and get her back into the fight.
From that point on, they would be able to go with their old plan of action. In which Breonna would do most of the distracting while the two of them would just unleash their most powerful spells on the vampire.
With the plan worked out in her own mind, the warlock got ready to get it all to work out. Aryanna’s hands began to glow a vibrant red as smoke began to emit from the palms. Eventually, a gargantuan ball of red fire emerged from those hands and it was bright enough to light up the entire room.
Kayla stopped for a moment and cursed under her breath, before making the decision to dash towards the half elf. If she can get in close enough, then Aryanna would have a harder time with tossing the fireball at a good angle to get her.
At this point, Aryanna knew that she was coming, and decided to just hurl the fireball at a spot right up close. Not close enough to where she would also be engulfed in the flames, but she got lucky and managed to actually land the attack against the vampire.
Kayla howled in pain and collapsed as she burst into flames, running out of there, hoping that her regeneration would work. She was breathing heavily at this point. Even after she snuffed out the flames all over herself, there was still a raging fire that was lighting up the rest of the room. However, while she was distracted, Pil had the opportunity to try and revive the fighter.
He sprinted towards the Breonna, already reaching into his satchel on the way over. He dropped to his knees, pulling out the health potion, and he was getting ready to move Breonna so that she could safely down the contents of the bottle.
Kayla saw this happening, once her burn wounds began to close up, she grabbed her sword and once more got herself back into the fight. Aryanna once again tried to distract the vampire, unleashing a bright red beam of hell fire onto Lady Trenton, but at this point, it didn’t matter.
Kayla had already made it to Pil. He had the health potion out and was lowering it into Breonna’s mouth, but Kayla swung her blade and Pil flinched, pulling his hand back. It was a good thing he did, for he otherwise would have lost his hand. However, things got much worse, as the health potion he pulled out now shattered once it had hit the ground.
“You seriously didn’t think I wouldn’t have seen this coming?” Kayla shook her head as she swung her blade downward. Pil’s hands were already bracing themselves and he shouted something in a language where he was the only one in the room who could understand it. Right when he did chant the spell, a clear barrier had swallowed the wizard, forming a protective shell around him. He was hoping that the spell would be enough to protect himself from the blade.
Unfortunately for him it was not enough, Kayla’s attack was so strong that it was able to break through the barrier. It shattered the moment the blade made contact with the spell, and once Kayla pulled her sword back, blood was visible on the blade.
She stood above the wizard, gleefully admiring her work. That was before she reached down and pulled out the spell book from his satchel, she also picked up his staff. “You won’t be needing this anymore…” Aryanna immediately tried to get another surprise attack on her with another spell, but Kayla snapped her fingers and the fire had fizzled out once again. “To think that the three of you would be pushing me this far…” Lady Trenton muttered as a she got closer to the fire that was in the room and tossed the tome inside along with his staff. Now Pil was definitely out of the fight, even if he got himself up, there was no way that he could channel his magic or his knowledge into anything.
“You know what the problem is with relying so much on other people?” Kayla started as she turned towards the warlock. “The moment one link breaks, it’s only inevitable for the entire chain to collapse. The only person you can truly count on is yourself…”
Aryanna watched in horror as she saw that at this point, both Pil and Breonna were laying in the ground. Pil was lying down in a puddle of his own blood. That was also when Aryanna began to see a change in Kayla’s blade.
The blood that had stayed on the blade started running down to the hilt and traveling its way over to the wielder. Eventually, the blood started to run along to any wound that was still open and made its way inside. Soon enough, the wound would start to close in on its own.
Kayla had taken a deep breath while this was happening and gave a sinister grin to the warlock. She knew that she had the upper hand once again. For a few moments ago, she was reeling in pain from the intense ball of hellfire that had been thrown at her. Now, here she was, looking as if none of that had even happened, except for a little rip and tear on her own corset.
Was all of that really for nothing? Aryanna cursed under her breath. She took a step back, knowing that Kayla was going to step forward and end the fight soon enough. “Oh, come on, now…” the vampire taunted while twirling her blade. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want such colorful terms to be your last words. I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you the chance to think of something a little more creative.” She now rested the blade on her shoulder, the other hand resting on her hips as she was waiting patiently. “Think of it as a final gift, for helping me take down the Roaring Banner. You were all very helpful in that regard…”
Aryanna paused for a moment, considering all of the spells that she could still use. But she realized that there was none that were enough to buy her enough time to get to Pil and Breonna. Even the ones that would do significant damage would not be enough, as Kayla had already demonstrated.
Mentioning the Roaring Banner brought back a very specific memory from their final fight. She thought about when Ancal was cornered. Kayla had not seen this happen as she was too busy dealing with Nayola on her own. But the leader of the Roaring Banner had contacted his own patron. He had made the deal with his patron, offering his own souls so that his brother would survive the fight. A soul for another soul. It had to be a significant sacrifice.
Aryanna just glared at Kayla, and she knew what she was about to do. She crossed her arms and started chanting. She was chanting in the language of the Nine Hells, the language of the devils. Kayla paused as soon as she heard the chanting.
But soon enough, the vampire started to break out into laughter. “You…you know the red man?” she shook her head in disbelief. “And you know the language he speaks?” she started making her way over, pointing her blade at the warlock. “What do you think he’s going to do about this? Do you really think he cares, at all? What could you possibly offer-“ she stopped herself. Then she turned around and looked over at the fighter and the wizard who were unconscious on the ground still. She started chuckling once again. “Oh, you are one heartless bitch…” Kayla started clicking her tongue in mock disapproval. “All of that talk about being better. Yet here you are, deep down when it becomes your moment, you go back on your morals, and you do this.”
“You have no idea what I’m about to do…” Aryanna stopped her chanting. Now, at this point, she was simply waiting.
“I don’t?” Kayla scoffed. “Because it looks to me like you’re going to offer the two of them up to save your own skin. How well am I doing?”
“You couldn’t be further off…” Aryanna smiled sadly. This caused the vampire to raise an eyebrow in confusion. There was no way, the warlock had to be bluffing. This had to be what she was doing.
“Then what are you contacting the red man for?” Kayla shook her head in disbelief.
“You might want to learn what he goes by if you’re going to work for him.” Aryanna sighed. “He isn’t just called the red man. He is known as the Lord of Lies.”
At this point, time had come to a complete stop, all except for the fire that was still raging in the room. That somehow burned even brighter and got even more intense. Somehow, Aryanna was still able to move around and see all of this happening. But when she turned around, she could see that everyone else in the room was frozen in time, Kayla with her sinister grin, Breonna and Pil on the ground, the blood stopped leaking out of them.
The fire erupted once more, causing the warlock to turn around. It was reaching the ceiling at this point, and out from the wall of fire emerged a red clawed hand, followed by the sleeve of royal red bejeweled robes. A tall red man, almost as tall as the wall of fire itself came out of the flame, his curved horns were the most noticeable trait.
Despite having made a pact with the lord of the Nine Hells, Aryanna still did not know that much about him. As it was with a creature of his nature, it would not do for others, especially mortals, to know his secrets. But despite that, the warlock still knew that the creature she was interacting with was older than time itself, just like the other entity.
The red entity looked down at the half elf and gave a faint smile. Despite his best attempt at trying to make himself look like a friend, an ally even, it was easy to see through that façade. This being had nothing but sinister intentions. He soon gave up on trying to appear friendly, and merely shook his head in disappointment at the scene before him. “I gave both of you mortals my gifts and like always, this is how you use them…” he sighed.
“Can we make this quick?” Aryanna pleaded as she crossed her arms. “It’s been rough lately…”
“That was always going to be the plan.” Asmodeus took a step closer to observe his other worker. “You know how busy I am as it is?” he shrugged. “Of course, not…” he opened his hand, and soon enough fire erupted from the palm of his hand, and it went out just as quickly. Only where there was nothing before, now there was a large red ledger sitting in his hand. “So, you already pledged your services to me back when you were a child…” he muttered as he scrolled through the pages. “I am curious, what is your offer this time? What else can you give me and what were you even hoping to bargain for anyway?”
“It’s simple…” Aryanna merely pointed at the fighter and the wizard laying down on the ground. The Lord of the Nine Hells turned and smirked before looking back at the half elf.
“You know what’s funny?” the archdevil chuckled to himself. “Even cornered like this, you still have a choice.” He pointed at Kayla. “But why would I want to make this deal? If she kills all of you, all of your souls go to me.”
“Those souls matter much more to me than they ever will to you.” Aryanna sighed. “I understand how easy it would be. But I have done everything you ever told me to, you can’t say that I haven’t. No matter how cruel, how gruesome the task was, I did it to the letter. I’ll continue to be useful to you, so long as you let them go…”
Asmodeus leaned in closer to the warlock, ready to whisper in her ear, as if there were other people around who could be listening. “And if I say no?”
“Then you only get two souls for your nine Hells.” Aryanna shrugged. “At that point, my services in this life, and my use to you would be over. Pil is not as powerful as I am, and quite honestly, you won’t get much now. You can forget about getting Breonna’s soul. Even now, Kayla wouldn’t kill her, it’s obvious that once the fight is over, she’ll either charm the woman once again, or take it to the next step and turn her. Either way, Breonna would belong to Kayla, not you.” The warlock stepped back and looked at the archdevil in the eyes. “But if you do make this deal with me, I will still be of use to you, I just want you to let them go…”
“I will let one of them go…” Asmodeus responded with a shrug. “You have only one soul. Your one soul, to save one of their souls…”
“You’re really going to make me say it?” Aryanna huffed and crossed her arms once again, but this pouting only amused the Lord of Lies. “Let Pil go, let him survive. Then the deal is done…” The archdevil held out his hand and Aryanna shook it. Right away, the warlock could feel a burning sensation, smoke emerging out from the palms of their hands, before he finally let the woman go.
“A deal’s a deal…” Asmodeus simply muttered, the ledger was open, and Aryanna could easily see her own contract in there. She could see the text within her contract start to change, and with that, the archdevil closed the ledger. In one moment, he was there, and then the next, he was gone. The moment he had disappeared, the time stop spell had dissipated and Kayla was able to move once more.
The flames of the raging fire in the room immediately started to move on its own and put up a wall between Pil and everyone else in the room. Kayla wanted to try and stop it, but she hesitated and instead faced the warlock. The flames ended up surrounding her so she couldn’t go anywhere. “What did you do?” the vampire hissed.
“I think you already know…” Aryanna muttered low. As if by some miracle, the wounds on Pil’s body began to close, and he found the strength to regain consciousness.
There was an audible grunt as he slowly got up from the ground and he rubbed his eyes, he looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. He could hardly see the three women past the tall flames. “Aryanna!” he called out.
“Pil…” she muttered, and he looked to her. Tears were already running down her cheeks, as she breathed a sigh of relief, seeing him stand up once more.
“We have to get out of here.” Pil stammered as he looked for his belongings, he realized they were gone. He surmised that they had to have been consumed by the fire.
“Pil…” Aryanna shook her head. “You’re the one who should be going…don’t wait for us…”
“What are you talking about?” Pil’s lips started quivering. “You’re coming too, right? We have to get out of here. This is too much; we have to bring more people back here. We have to put a stop to her.”
“That’s not going to happen, Pil…” Aryanna shrugged sadly. “Who would come back here? Where are you going? Back to Loudwater? They would never follow you back here, not after all of this.”
“Nowhere without you.” The wizard shook his head. “I refuse.”
“That wasn’t the deal Pil…” Aryanna shook her head. “Please, Pil…just go…I only had enough to save one of us and you were it…”
“But-“ Pil wanted to protest, but the warlock cut him off.
“Pil, I wanted to thank you.” The half elf wiped away her tears. “I’ve done things…horrible things in service to our patron. I hated myself for a long time, for letting myself stoop so low. But despite all of that, you didn’t care.” She smiled sadly. “You were still there for me. You looked past everything and treated me like no one else ever did before. You showed me that no matter how deep I go, that I can still do good. That I can still find my place…so please Pil…do this for me…”
Pil had stopped arguing at this point. He fought through the tears, trying to get one last look at her. Though the tears still ran down his cheeks. His shoulders were quaking up and down with each passing moment. His fists were clenched tightly, to the point where he was starting to draw blood.
“Take care of yourself…” Aryanna took a step back. “Don’t forget to eat just because I’m not there to remind you. Drink as much water as possible, I know how you love your liquor. Take care of yourself…live your life Pil…and live it well. I know you were dealt a bad hand from the start, but please…take care of yourself…for me…that is my one and only request to you…live…for me…”
“Aryanna…” was all Pil could get out, his voice was hoarse and quaked with every breath. He couldn’t even hide it anymore, he dropped to his knees, hiding his face in his own hands.
“Goodbye Pil…” Aryanna wanted to reach through the fire and give him one last hug. It took all of her strength to fight that urge. “Thank you for everything…I love you…”
“I love you too…” Pil shook his head and wiped away his tears, getting one last look at her before turning around. His back facing her, and he was slowly making his way to the exit. With the elven ruins, five of the Greyhawks made their way inside.
By the next day, only one of them emerged out of the lair. The wizard squinted his eyes and used his sleeve to bring the shade down over his face as he was the only one who was able to see the sun once again.
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So this is the penultimate chapter of the project, I just want to make that clear at this point if you made it this far. If you have made it this far, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting this far into the series. I want to thank you for your interest, and I want to thank you for your patience, this project was years in the making. I'll have another announcement when I post the final chapter. Until then, thank you, I hope you enjoyed my project.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 31
The ranger was almost all alone in the dimly lit underground ruins at this point. The only thing watching her back at this point was little Princess who had been watching over her own shoulders. At this point, she was starting to regret her decision to scout ahead, but at this point, she would know how best to deal with any possible traps along the way.
She was still able to see into the ruins, however, that did not change the face that it was still hard for her to be able to tell where she was. She focused on controlling her breath, for as long as she was able to do that, she wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.
There was nothing she could do about the light tapping her boots made with every step on the cold stone. Every time she would go further in, there would be the faintest echo, causing her to slow her pace.
As she went further down, the ruins themselves were getting ever darker. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somewhere she doesn’t belong. The hairs on the back of her neck were starting to stand up straight. Every fiber in her being was telling her that she should turn around and get out as fast as possible.
Eventually, it would become too much for her to handle and she would have to pull out a small flask from her own satchel. Inside, there was a bit of whiskey she could use to calm her nerves. She knew that drinking at this time wasn’t the best idea, so she only took a few sips just so she could calm herself down.
It was practically a maze, trying to navigate through these halls. She was surprised she hadn’t found anything yet. She wasn’t sure what she should even be looking out for outside of trying to find Kayla. However, at this point, the ranger was starting to question what she should even do when she would find the blonde woman.
If she were to try to confront Kayla directly, she would be entirely on her own, and she knew little of what Lady Trenton was capable of. She could try returning back to the group, but at this point, Kayla would already be gone by the time she would get to reunite with them.
She paused for a moment, considering her decisions and debating in her mind if it was even worth going deeper inside. She shook her head, and she started to turn around, and make her way back. “Keep an eye out, Princess.” Vedetta muttered to the bird she knew was resting on her shoulder. It was a little comforting, knowing that even though she was mostly alone, that the wizard was able to see what she was seeing. It made her feel like she had someone to talk to. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Pil; but, I’m headin’ back, this place is too fuckin’ creepy to go in alone…”
Princess didn’t make any kind of sound in response, but the raven did look at her as if giving a sign on acknowledgement.
As Vedetta started to navigate throughout the halls again, retracing her steps and making sure to watch out for land-markers. Anything that stood out to her while she was traveling through these ruins, she made a mental note of them and she was keeping track of the order in which she encountered these markers to make sure that she was on the right track.
Eventually, the ranger froze in place, as on the way back, she saw a lone figure in the darkness. She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what exactly that creature was before she would step forward. However, it was impossible to tell. It appeared to be some kind of humanoid, but that didn’t really help calm her down.
She took a step closer, trying to figure out if it was Kayla or not. However, it was hard to tell in the shadows. She already had an arrow in one hand and she lined it up with her bow, resting it against the bowstring.
When she was getting to a discernable distance, she would start to pull the arrow back, just in case. When she realized what the figure was, she stopped her movement and knelt down, trying her best to remain out of sight. It was another ghoul, here, there were ghouls outside of the manor, Lord Kristopher turned into a ghoul inside the manor, and now there was another ghoul in these ruins. At this point, Vedetta had started to see enough of them to be able to tell the difference between ghouls and other types of undead creatures.
She partially considered it a blessing, knowing what those creatures were capable of up close. “Princess…” she muttered. “See if you can find another way around…” The bird started to take off and fly around, investigating the other halls. She wasn’t as worried about Princess moving around in the cave as she was about herself.
Princess was well hidden in the dark, and with the way she flew, any creature who couldn’t properly see within the dark wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between her and a bat that lives underground. It was its own kind of comfort.
Pil tried his best to look for an alternate route for her, but he was having a hard time with seeing into the shadows himself. It didn’t help that he wasn’t even seeing through his own eyes, but the vision of his own familiar. It was strange, usually, with Princess, he didn’t have so much trouble with looking around during the night, as she was still able to see into the dark better than he was.
However, with this, even she was struggling to figure out everything that was going on. If there was one thing that the wizard was certain of, it was that neither Princess nor Vedetta had encountered any traps in these ruins yet. He figured that it was not possible to have this much poor vision and not accidentally set any off.
Having such a hard time looking around, he was able to figure one thing out. He was able to figure out that the darkness within these ruins were not at all natural. In fact, he would go as far as to say that this darkness was magical more than anything. It was because of this, that just being able to see into the dim light was not going to help.
He kept going on throughout the halls, hoping that he finally found a route for Vedetta to use so that she wouldn’t have to deal with the ghoul. Princess would merely point the way and she would follow, that was at least the plan he was coming up with while he was still looking around.
He would have kept going, but then there was this sudden movement from nearby within the shadows and moments later, he had lost his connection to his familiar. He instantly realized what had happened and opened his eyes.
He shot up from the patch of grass. The rest of the Greyhawks turned to him, each of them tensed up as they had all seen Pil’s horrified expression. “We have to get in there now!” the wizard stammered as he started to rush towards the entrance. The others were not far behind him.
At this point, Vedetta had been waiting for a while, and she was starting to get worried about whether or not Princess was still around. She figured that the raven would be back by now. If the familiar was not coming back, that at least let her know that the alternate path that Princess took was not safe.
The ghoul had not moved from its spot and Vedetta took a deep breath. She decided that it would be best to just kill this one and then just make a break for the entrance as soon as possible, as she knew it would scream just like the others. She also knew that if Princess wasn’t coming back, that there most certainly other ghouls inside as well.
She was getting ready to draw the arrow back and lined up her shot so that it would land right in the head of the undead creature. However, as she was about to let her arrow fly, she felt a sharp pain from behind, as if someone had taken a cold knife and just dragged it across her spine.
She could feel a warm substance slowly pour down her back after the feeling went away. She already knew that it was her blood. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run away, but when the feeling started, something else came over her.
Now I was as if she couldn’t move at all, no matter how much she wanted to. She was already in an awkward position, so it was not long before she started to lose balance and fall down to the floor. As she did so, she came crashing down with a loud thud, loud enough to almost certainly attract the attention of the ghoul that was ahead of her. It even started to look directly at her.
She was expecting the worse at this point, she was expecting that she was going to be swarmed with the undead creatures. However, nothing happened. In fact, the ghoul looked at her expectantly, as if this was all part of some twisted plan. ‘That’s not possible…’ she thought to herself. But that idea immediately disappeared when she felt a hand grab her by the foot and started dragging her across the floor.
Once again, Vedetta tried to scream, she tried to start moving, wiggle her muscles, anything to get out of this. But it was as if her own body would not even listen to her. She wanted to thrash, do something, anything to leave some kind of token behind. Maybe the other Hawks would be coming in and that way, they would be able to find her.
The darkness was growing thicker with each passing moment, and the ranger soon realized that she as now going deeper into the ruins than ever before. She was still struggling with getting her fingers or her tows to move.
After a while, down in a part of the ruin where she didn’t recognize at all. She had been let go, whatever was dragging her, it finally had the courtesy to just let her lay down on the ground. She was expecting the worst to follow up, but nothing had happened yet.
Instead, she started to hear footsteps coming up from behind. They were getting louder with each step and soon enough, she heard a familiar voice curse out from under their breath. Eventually, the ranger was rolled over onto her back and from there, she was able to see who it was.
If the ranger was able to make any expression, it would be of pure terror. She had found who she was looking for in all of this, she had found Lady Trenton.
Kayla was looking down on her with a terrified expression of her own, kneeling down and cursing under her breath again. “Oh Gods, Vedetta…why?” she muttered. “Why did it have to be you?”
The blonde woman would not get any response right now, but she knew that Vedetta could still hear and understand her. Vedetta was still motionless, but this would not be the first person who had been paralyzed by one of the ghouls.
“If you’re here…” Kayla started talking again. “Then the others are not that far behind you, are they?” she stood up straight and pulled on her own hair, having some kind of breakdown as she cursed yet again. At this point, Lady Trenton knew what was coming, and she knew what she had to do. She kicked a nearby chunk of rubble, causing it to bounce off the wall and break into even more pieces. She had to get her stress out somehow.
Vedetta wasn’t sure if kicking the thick piece of gravel had even hurt the woman. It didn’t look like that was the case. The blonde woman was wearing combat boots, but that should have bothered her, even if it was for a little bit.
“Oh Gods, Breonna…” Lady Trenton shook her head and knelt down once again, looking down at Breonna. “Why did you have to come look for me?” She then nodded her head in a direction, looking at the creatures that dragged her into the room in the first place.
It was at this moment when Vedetta could feel something tear into her from down below. Once again, it felt like the cold knife had been pressed into her flesh. She felt it tear across her leg. She couldn’t see much, but soon enough, she could see that now she was covered in the same warm substance as before, her own blood.
She wanted to scream once again, but her body still refused to do anything that she wanted to. All she could do was just lay on the ground. The feeling of the cold knife returned once more, only this time, it was like there were a dozen of them digging into her leg and she could feel a tug. The tugging would get more intense with every passing moment. Soon enough, she heard a popping sound, at this point, she knew that whatever was tugging at her leg, it was pulling at her limb so hard that it had snapped the bone right around the thigh area.
Another figure jumped on top of her, and she could see it was the ghouls. The way she was shoved, she could now see everything. She could see a ghoul that was a few feet away and it was holding onto what used to be her leg. It was biting chunks out of the leg, looking down at it as if that was the only thing in the world that mattered right now.
She could see the second ghoul had already dug its claws into her stomach, and with one good pull, it tore right through the skin and soon enough, she could feel a new warmth as she looked down. At this point, she knew that her own intestines were on the ground.
The undead creature just started to kneel down on the ground and started eating away at the organs that were now all over the floor.
At this point, she stopped caring about whether or not the Greyhawks were coming in to rescue her. She no longer cared about finding Kayla or finding out what the Lady of Loudwater was even up to. All she could think about was how much blood was pouring out of her onto the ground She didn’t know that she even had that much blood inside of her, it was a strange feeling to her, now that she was able to see it all for herself.
But there was one other feeling that had eclipsed all of the others. This was a new and strange feeling for her as well. It was hope, hope for herself. Hope that all of this terror would be over soon. Eventually, her vision started to get hazy, and soon enough, everything turned to just pure darkness.
At this point, the rest of the group were making their way inside the ruins and didn’t care about how much noise they were making. They knew that Vedetta had been caught by this point and just wanted to get to her.
Breonna was leading the charge, sword out and at the ready, turning her head and peaking around every corner just in case anything was there waiting to jump out at the group. Aryanna was right behind her and she already made a ball of flame float nearby and light up the hallways. However, that still was not enough, as it was only just enough for the group to see what was right in front of them.
To make sure that the darkness of the halls was dealt with, Pil was doing whatever he could to dispel the magical shadows that were surrounding the group. Every time that he would focus his energy on getting rid of the darkness, the group would be able to see further and further down the hallways. The wizard was mainly focusing on dispersing the shadows when they were ahead of the group as it would take him way too long to try to dispel the magic entirely. It was just too long and took too much time that the Hawks did not have.
As they were going further down the hallways of the ruins, they could see that there was a massive pile of blood all over the ground. This only made the group start to worry, as they could only guess whose blood that is. What was disturbing to the group was the sheer amount of blood that was spilt, there was no way that even a healthy, well-off person could survive long with that much blood lost. Their worries became all the more abundant when they had seen a severed arm that had been chewed on lying on the ground. That was all it took to let the group know that the ranger was gone.
They couldn’t be too sure as while they were looking around, they did not see any arrows along the way. Was it possible that they got to her before the fight could even start? If that was the case, then they were going by tactics and strategies. Undead, even ghouls are not inherently intelligent creatures, the main thing that they worry about is where their next meal is coming from. They don’t care about how hurt they get as they’re already dead.
Pil knew that if they were using strategies, even simple ones, they were being controlled by someone. At this point, the wizard had a strong feeling of who the person controlling these ghouls could be. Everything started to add up in his head. Why there were no zombies around the rich district, why there were only ghouls around the manor, why Lord Kristopher himself was turned into one of those ghouls.
There were still some holes in his theory, if she was really behind a lot of the attack, then how was it that Ancal was able to call to an evil lord of his own? Why was it that when the well of souls had opened and the mass of his victims rose up to drag him down with them, that those victims happened to be the residents of Loudwater? Kayla didn’t seem like she was working with the Roaring Banner at all. In fact, she seemed to be antagonistic towards them as well. The wizard recalled the time when Kelrac was ready to kill her just upon seeing her and that he didn’t know who she was.
If she really was working with them, then why help destroy the group? Pil still didn’t have the entire picture in his mind, but he figured that once they find her inside, they would have a better idea of what was going on. This mystery behind the attack was frustrating in itself, he knew all of the people who could have been responsible for it, and yet here he was with more questions than answers.
He shook his head, he figured that he should focus his attention on helping the group for now and rescuing Vedetta if that was still possible. As the group kept moving, they could see the end of the hall getting closer.
There were no other halls to turn into, in fact, this seemed to be a dead end. They stopped once they got close and they looked around. “Damn it…” Breonna hissed as she kicked up the dirt nearby. “Where could they have taken her? We must have taken a wrong turn or something…”
“Before we head back, let me just check something, this will only take a second…” the wizard stepped forward and closed his eyes. He slowly opened them once more and they were glowing blue as he was looking around for some kind of magic in the area. Other than the magical shadows that were inside all of the hallways, he couldn’t see much of anything else. He was hoping that perhaps the wall in front of them was only an illusion and that they would be able to travel through it. If it was magical, that would at least give him some idea of that notion being possible. But as he looked at the wall on the dead end, he could see no magic on it at all it was real. “Damn…” Pil shook his head and frowned as he looked at Breonna. “Sorry, I thought that this might have been a trick…”
“It’s alright…” Aryanna stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. As she stepped forward, the ball of fire that was floating nearby her was projecting its rays of light by the wall and even under it, causing the shadows to reveal a faint crack underneath. “Huh…?” She took another step forward and once she did, there was a very audible click.
The entire group started to look around as they could all hear gears turning and before they even realized it, the floor started to fall beneath them. It didn’t stop falling until it became this weird slant, as if it was like a slide. The group were, of course, sliding across the floors or falling down depending on how well they reacted to what seemed to be a lower level of the ruins that was now revealed to them.
Only this lower level was not at all like the hallways that they were running in. Rather, this new level was more like a pit. It was full of nothing but dirt and a dark liquid down at the bottom of it. Every one of the Greyhawks was screaming as they all started to fall down below into the mud down below.
The water at the bottom of the pit was beyond cold, and as every member of the Hawks were emerging out of the water, they were all practically covered in mud and dirt as their outfits were completely soaked through.
The ball of flame followed them as well, and it was the only reason why everyone was able to get themselves out of the pit without drowning, as the ball of light showed them where the surface was. Breonna was the first to emerge out of the water, but she didn’t pull herself up just yet. In fact, she stayed in the water and kept going back down to make sure that all of her companions were going to get out just fine.
Every member of the group knew how to swim, but she wasn’t going to rest until she knew everyone was okay, so she helped them climb up the mud and onto some solid ground around the edge of the water pit. While this was happening, everyone was hacking up water, as some of the members had swallowed it by accident, and the others were just trying to stay by the ball of fire, trying to warm themselves up as much as possible.
“How are we going to get back up there?” Pil looked up and he could see that the pit trap was closing from above, returning itself to the floor it once was.
Aryanna looked around and pointed out a large opening on the other side of the pit. “Through there…” she muttered.
“Something’s waiting for us on the other side…” Pil shook his head and sighed as he looked to the cave entrance.
“Not like we have much of a choice…” Breonna crossed her arms. “Wait, my sword!” she gasped, and she slapped herself on the forehead. “Damn it, it’s probably in the water there, I must have dropped it on the way down…”
She shook her head as she started to step back down into the water. Aryanna’s ball of flame gently floated above the small body of water, revealing mostly what was underneath. In fact, that ball of flame saved Breonna, for she only had moments to react to what was coming.
A ghoul grabbed her by the boot and started to use all of its strength to pull her under. She reached up and grabbed onto a large crevice so that she wouldn’t lose her balance. The ghoul realized that it was not going to drag her under and thus popped out of the water to reach up and try to bite her leg.
As it popped its head out of the water, a bolt of magic had lodged itself into the head, causing the skull to cave in. Pil was already getting started as he was paranoid about the entire underground dungeon and the undead has set him off.
“Do you see anymore?” Pil turned to the others unloaded the other two magical darts onto another ghoul that was lurking nearby in the muck.
“None that I can see.” Aryanna shook her head. “I think I see the sword, look!” she pointed at around the center of the small body of water and at the bottom, right at the center was the glistening sword.
Breonna was doubtful she would find a weapon in the dungeon that had such a supreme quality and she dove into the water to get to the sword. The others knew this was coming and Urenakk jumped into the water right along with her. At the very least, the two of them would be able to fight off anything that gets too close.
It was lucky for Breonna that the monk thought to come along with her. As another ghoul that was hiding deep within the mud emerged out and tried to grapple the woman from behind. However, moments later, the ghoul received a flurry of blows from behind thanks to Urenakk being there with her. He had hit the ghoul so hard that it had to let her go in response.
Breonna grabbed her sword and turned to the monk who was still fighting the undead creature. She swam over and thrusted her sword deep into the head of the creature, the magical lights in the eyes went out immediately. Once she pulled the body off of the blade, the two warriors swam up to the surface.
Breonna popped up and was gasping for air when she came up, Urenakk followed right after her. The two fighters swam up to the edge of the pit and climbed out with assistance from the two spellcasters.
“We need to get moving.” Aryanna ushered Breonna towards the cave. “We heard more shrieking; I don’t think it’ll be long before they get to us.”
“We’re just going to run right to them?” Pil widened his eyes in shock.
“We don’t have much of a choice.” The warlock shrugged. “Can you fly us back up and open it again?” The two ended the argument there, not wanting to waste anymore time. Everyone started running along the cave. However, it was not long before the system started to turn into a maze for the group.
Whenever the Greyhawks were faced with different directions to turn, they would go wherever the shrieking wasn’t coming from. As they kept running along, they could hear the footsteps of the creatures catching up to them. It was booming, threatening, but all over the place.
The footsteps were chaotic, the opposite to that of an army. An army would have rhythm, it would be organized, and there was obvious discipline. None of that could be observed from the undead creatures who were on their way to the group. These creatures were not at all like the humans or elves that they once used to be.
Eventually, the group came upon a large open room with all kinds of entrances, more hallways than anything offered in the cave system. There was one very large exit at the opposite end of the room.
They wanted to be carful about where they were going to turn next, at first very hesitant to enter the room. However, they could hear the shrieking and the footsteps of the undead getting louder with every passing moment.
The Greyhawks all started to make their way into the room. Breonna stuck to the front while Urenakk stayed closer to the back. No matter which direction the undead would be swarming the group from, there would be someone who can deal with close range combat nearby.
That was the plan at least, until Breonna had stepped onto a floor tile that sank deeper into the ground. Afterwards, there was an audible click. “The large exit, now!” Breonna barked and everyone in the group began to sprint towards the large opening. They could all hear the gears turning.
Breonna made it through the entrance, the same with Aryanna. The seal to the entrance started to fall down and Pil just barely made it to the other side catching up to the women. The only person who did not manage to make it was Urenakk, as the seal fell down in a couple of seconds.
The monk was still in the large room, and he could hear the pounding from the other side. “Urenakk!” Breonna was striking the seal to the entrance, trying to make some kind of opening. However, the seal would not even budge.
“I can try to melt it away.” Aryanna suggested as her hand began to glow a vibrant red. Soon she tried reaching out into the seal, and there was a loud sizzling that could be heard, smoke emerging, but so far, there was no noticeable damage. It would be a long time before a hole could be made, but Urenakk didn’t have that much time. “Maybe I should try a more powerful spell.” The warlock was thinking aloud.
“We’d end up cooking ourselves alive…” Pil sighed as he tried hurling acid at the entrance, once again there was more sizzling, but no noticeable damage yet again.
“You guys go on ahead without me…” Urenakk’s muffled voice could be heard from the other side.
“No!” Breonna protested on instinct. “I’m not leaving you! I can’t lose anymore of you!”
“It’s okay…” Urenakk shook his head as he turned around to face the rest of the room. At this point, he could see that the undead were starting to emerge from the other hallways and were making their way inside.
The ghouls were wasting no time and were already starting to rush in his general direction. “I’ll catch up with all of you later…” the monk sighed as he took a deep breath. Once he did, a spark emitted from him in just a small flash. Then there was another ember, then sparks started shooting out in all directions. After that, fire erupted all around him blowing away any undead creature that had gotten close.
Before, the undead creatures were rushing down a Githzerai monk all by himself. But they had no idea what he was capable of. For now, before them, there was no longer a Gith monk, there was now a Phoenix shaped like a man.
He took one step forward, staring down at the undead with an expression of pure thunder. He was not about to go down, not without a fight.
“Well father…” he muttered out loud as he rushed to the ghouls, burning them away without even touching them. “What would you say about me now?”
One of the more resilient undead creatures powered through the fire and rushed to dig its claws into the phoenix. However, Urenakk was more than ready for the fight and delivered a swift round kick into the ribs of the creature. The intensity of the heat was too much for the ghoul to handle, it melted the flesh and singed the bones. That was before the kick even landed. Once it did, the force sent the creature which was now on fire flying into a group of undead to the right.
The flame started spreading right away. The phoenix took to the air, releasing a volley of fiery strikes that evaporated the nearby undead. At this point, Urenakk descended back down to the ground, and he looked around. He could already see that more of the undead were piling into the room, just waiting to get their turn with him.
“Well father?” Urenakk muttered once again as he rose to the occasion and waited for the undead to come to him. “Am I worthy now?” There was no end to the ghouls that were pouring in and he knew that he could only last for so long. “You know what, you don’t need to answer me…” he smiled as he crushed the skull of one of the nearby ghouls with his bare hands. “I already know the answer…”
The phoenix burned brighter than ever, lighting up the room and released all of his energy into every strike. He was going to take as many of the undead down as he could. The flames spread across the entire room, engulfing the undead and consuming them. However, even now, there were still more coming in to deal with the monk.
At this point, Urenakk’s flame burned brighter than ever before. For he was finally able to believe in himself. He knew what he was capable of, and he was no longer searching for the approval of others, nor was he clinging to anyone anymore.
He was now his own man, the little boy who depended on everyone else had been burned away. From the ashes arose the man that Morqen saw in the monk. It would be the most powerful fire that would have ever graced the lands. However, even now, with as powerful as any flame can be, it can only last for so long. As after all, it is only a matter of time until every fire goes out.
What was left of the Greyhawks were making their way down the tunnel. This one was just one long winding tunnel that went on for a while. There were no other entrances or hallways to turn to like the rest of the ruins had.
This was rather frustrating to Breonna especially, as she was seeing no way to get to Urenakk. In fact, at this point, everyone in the group had an idea of where they were going. At this point, they had all realized that they were eventually coming to the end of these ruins, or at the very least, its deepest point until it gets further down into the Underdark.
This was the only place that Kayla could have been at this point, and now, after everything that had happened, everyone in the group was going to want some answers. This was supposed to be a simple mission where they would find Kayla and try to help her.
At this point, it didn’t seem like even Breonna was interested in helping her anymore. Pil was able to get a good look at the fighter’s expression and there was no malice, there was no worry, there wasn’t much of anything. It seemed like Breonna was reserving her judgement until she would finally see Lady Trenton and hear what she has to say.
Eventually the group stumbled into this large and wide room. It wasn’t quite as large as the one that Urenakk got trapped in, but it was still quite spacious. There were several hallways at each end of the room that the group could enter into.
However, the group would not need to move away from this room at all. On the opposite side of where they had all entered in, there was an elevated wooden platform held together with a scaffold. Standing atop that scaffold was the one person that they spent all of this time looking for.
It was Lady Trenton herself, and Kayla was already facing the group, as if she had expected them to enter through that tunnel. Everyone got a good look at her now, she was no longer wearing her cloak. Now it was the same blue corset over the white shirt with padded armor lined underneath. Similar to the kind of armor that Breonna herself was wearing at this point.
She was holding no outward expression, there was no fear in her features, there was no excitement. There wasn’t even any sort of resentment or confusion. At this point, it was a totally blank expression, as if she was still deciding in her head what she was going to say to them.
Breonna widened her eyes when she saw the blonde woman. She took a small step forward, but then realized what she was doing, and she had stopped herself. She shook her head and stood by the two spellcasters. The fighter herself was now changing her expression, going from confusion and shock to that of clear determination. She was not sure what to make of her friend quite yet, but no matter what was coming next, she was going to stick with her group.
Pil looked to Aryanna, “What do we do now?” he asked the warlock.
Aryanna sighed and she now began to step forward herself. “Kayla…” she started. “We lost you the last time we were all back at Loudwater. We wondered where you went, and we found you here. Here of all places, that is the part that I still don’t understand. All we wanted to do was find you and we lost Urenakk and Vedetta because of it. All we want to know now is why...?” The half elf stared up at Lady Trenton. “You owe us that much…”
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The Greyhawks are still trying to get to the bottom of what's going on with their dear friend Kayla. But, it seems like they have bitten off more than they could chew. This one is going to hurt.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 30
What was left of the Greyhawks were making it back to Loudwater at this point, each of them quiet along the way back. The feelings were rather tangible just from the funeral and coming back from the ceremony.
Pil started to look around, wondering just how many more of these would come around. Most of the town had been devastated by the attack. Would there be any time to hold such an important ceremonial session for everyone who did not survive? More than likely, there would be a select handful of people who might get the luxury of having their own. But with an attack as deadly as the one that beset Loudwater, most of the population being caught up inside. There would likely not be much of a chance to be able to handle such matters.
Everyone would have to figure out just how many they can do in a day, and just like with Morqen, it would all take a lot of time. Not only that, but it would also still cost resources that the majority of the people would not have. Unfortunately, for matters such as this, there would have to be mass graves or some other way to dispose of all the bodies.
It was absolutely necessary too. For if the townspeople were to not get everything taken care of in a short amount of time, even more people would start dying, as all kinds of plagues would start to infest the town. Though, disease would not be the only thing that the people of Loudwater would have to worry about. There would also be many creatures out there, undead and otherwise, who would happily dig up all of the bodies, whether it be for consumption or some other dastardly motivation.
The wizard was not even confident that what was left of the town would even be able to get it all done in time. A lot of these people are still grieving. The old lord of the town was dead, and Lady Kayla was heading out of town to gather her own thoughts.
If anything, Pil was getting a little worried as he thought on. Would the people even listen to Kayla? Even if they would, would that be enough? How long would it be until she was able to get these people to do everything necessary to rebuild?
That is assuming that these people would even be interested in following Kayla. After all, they are rather directionless at this point, emotions are running high, and there is just too much to do to be able to move on.
One decision these people could make, and no one could really blame the people for making this decision, would be to cut their losses with Loudwater to find somewhere else to live. With how much undead that appears in town, and now that a horde had marched beyond their walls. There was no denying that in some way, this town was cursed.
By no fault of their own, these people had to endure all kinds of hardships even before this deciding factor. It was bad enough that multiple adventuring parties were needed to fight off all of the danger around this town that wasn’t even that big. At this point, they had lost their homes, their livelihoods, their loved ones, and there was no way that even if they were to rebuild this town, that they would ever be able to recover from all of the damage that is done.
Though, that is only assuming that all of these people weren’t completely destroyed on the inside with this attack too. More than likely, there would be a handful of people who would be burying their families, leaving their final marks on the world before deciding to take their own lives. That was also in the realm of possibility.
Pil shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. While he was losing focus, getting lost in his own thoughts, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder for but a moment. The wizard turned to see that Aryanna was right there next to him. She frowned as she leaned closer so that the two of them could get some semblance of privacy. “How are you holding up?” she muttered.
“Well, you mean aside from the fact that we just had to bury one of our closest friends?” Pil sighed. At that point, the half elf had shot him a look and he shook his head. “Sorry…”
“No, it’s fine…” Aryanna shrugged. “I’m just trying to make sure that you’re still with us…that’s all…”
“I’m not going anywhere…” Pil looked at her. “Not as long as all of you are here…”
“That’s good to know…” Aryanna smiled slightly when she heard that response. “We really should stick together, now more than ever. After all, we’ve all made our own promise to take care of each other…each in our own way, but…”
“Yeah…” Pil nodded, he smiled sadly at her and the two of them caught up with the rest of the group, as they were starting to fall behind just a little bit. When they did finally catch up, Aryanna looked ahead to her friend who was walking all by herself, deep in her own thoughts.
“Bre, dear…” Aryanna muttered with a gently tone. “Where should we go now?”
“We’ll be going to Trenton manor…” the fighter turned to look at the warlock. Her expression was determined, on a mission. “I’m going to try to find some answers…”
“Will it be alright if Kayla’s not there?” Urenakk piped up. “I don’t want to make her upset or anything.”
“We’re always welcome there, she said so herself.” Breonna shrugged. “Besides, even if she were to get upset, I’ll take the fall. You don’t have to worry about it if she even does get upset.” The monk nodded his head in response.
At this point, the Gith was only looking down at the ground. He too was lost inside of his own mind, though it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what he was thinking about.
“There’s a couple of things, I’ll need to take from there anyway…” Breonna clarified as she continued to lead the way. At this point, the group was already passing the town walls, still standing tall, though protecting fewer people now.
“What do you need to get?” Pil asked as he tried to catch up. The group was already making their way to the higher end districts. Though, at this point, whatever class of people were in any part of the town hardly even mattered anymore. No matter what part of town the would go to, they would find survivors, lone undead that were wandering aimlessly, or would find nothing at all.
“A new set of armor, a new sword, a shield maybe…” Breonna started listing everything off in her own mind. “There’s still plenty of us left, and I’ll need all of the supplies that I can get to keep all of you safe.” She started to pick up the pace once again. Muttering low to herself. “That’s all that really matters at this point…” she sighed as she kept going. She had everything planned out in her own mind, gather her new gear, help as much as she could with what’s left of Loudwater, find Kayla. Either help her rebuild the town or, if push comes to shove, help get everyone to someplace that isn’t so deadly.
Those were the ideas that she was debating over in her mind as the group finally made it to the manor. The fighter immediately turned around to the group and held a serious, stern expression over her face. “Listen,” she started. “I need all of you to be careful while we’re inside.” She pointed where the ghouls used to be, but by this point, someone had come along and moved the bodies. “Please do not take anything unless you really think you need it. Don’t be greedy and be careful while you’re inside. I doubt that everything will just be sitting freely for us to grab, I’m sure there will be a trap or two.”
“Whatever you say.” Aryanna nodded as she was not far behind. “Though, I can’t say that if we find a few health potions in there, that I won’t be tempted.”
“Like I said, just be careful.” Breonna sighed as she escorted the group past the gate and held the door open for all of them. Each member of the Greyhawks tried to make as little noise as possible, more than likely, they were not the only people in town who had the idea to try and raid the manor.
This would be the best time to loot a place such as this, no one was home, everyone is still recovering from the attack; frankly, it would be shocking if there wasn’t a looter already inside.
Aryanna was the first to make her way inside, and right away she let out a small shriek before covering her own face, stopping herself. “What’s wrong?” Pil followed right after, and he widened his eyes in shock when he entered the manor.
There was a bloodbath inside. There had, in fact, been looters who have tried to enter the place and loot it. However, they did not make it that far. Blood, organs, and limbs were scattered in all directions, painting the entrance hall with a dark and yet very strong crimson. Flies were swarming the room; the stench of death and decay was abundant.
The rest of the group entered silently and carefully, just observing the carnage around the room. That was at least until they heard a soft, but squishy crunching sound that came from further within the room.
At the centerpiece, there was a large ghoul, who was still feasting on the corpses. Even though the bodies were days old, it didn’t bother the creature, as he devoured them, nonetheless. This ghoul in particular was wearing blue robes adorned with silver lining and silver metals adorning it. Sapphire jewels were placed carefully in each ring, necklace or other kinds of ornaments. The ghoul had distinctively blonde hair.
Breonna gasped the moment she saw the ghoul. “Uncle Kristopher!” she squeaked. She tried to stifle her cry, but she was not nearly as successful as the warlock. The ghoul immediately dropped what appeared to be what was left of a human arm.
The moment it saw her and the rest of the group, it let out an ear-piercing shriek. It’s voice became so loud, so quickly, that a shockwave came out from around him, causing some of the debris to start flying away in random directions.
“What the Hell!?” Aryanna hurled a small ball of flame at it, already charging her magical spells. The flame shot across the room and lit the ghoul afire. Right away, it began screaming once again, but this time, it was more of a shriek in pain than anything else.
Breonna reached down, already forgetting that she had left her mace at the shrine. It wasn’t entirely her fault; she was usually the one in the group to step to the front lines and do most of the fighting. It was more instinct on her part that she started to reach down to her belt, expecting to grab onto something.
She cursed under her breath, remembering why she even came to the manor in the first place. Luckily for her, Pil and Aryanna were both capable casters in their own right, and Vedetta has proven more than once that she was rather versatile with the bow. They would be able to kill the ghoul before it would even be able to get close to them. And even if they were to fail, Urenakk was more than capable of fighting the creature off.
She was right, as Pil was already casting his own spell, hurling a ball of acid at the ghoul. The moment it made contact with the undead creature, the sound of the liquid sizzling through the skin and eating away at the muscles and the bone became all the more apparent. The creature once again let out a tiny cry in pain, though not as much as it did with the ball of flame from earlier.
The creature itself began to lunge forward, already wanting to end the fight. It raised its sharp claws and swung at the warlock, digging right into her. For a brief moment, shadows emerged from out of the claw and entered into Aryanna’s body. However, nothing happened. Aryanna smiled, knowing what it was trying to do, and knowing that it failed because of what she is. Despite being in so much pain, the half elf couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.
The ghoul was getting ready to bite into her neck and take her down with it. However, before it could rear its head forwards, an arrow sank right into the temple of the creature. In one moment, it was standing up, digging its claws into the warlock, the next moment it had collapsed to the ground as Vedetta delivered a swift killing blow.
“Are you alright!?” Pil instinctively rushed over to her, trying to figure out how he could help.
“I’m fine dear…” she smiled as she raised her hand. It began to glow a bright red and she took a deep breath before placing that hand over her open wound. Once again, a faint sizzling sound could be heard once more. Aryanna was biting her lip as a bit of smoke was starting to escape from her spell. Pil was already going through his satchel trying to find a health potion, or something that could cover the wound up.
He ripped from his own sleeve and pulled out some alcohol, he carefully doused the cloth that he unceremoniously ripped off and was waiting for the half elf to take her hand off her own wound. Once she lifted her hand, he wrapped it around her waist, making it as tight as he could.
“We really got to stop ending up like this.” Aryanna let out a faint smile and chuckled at her own joke. Pil could only shake his head in response as he gave her some space.
“Yeah…” the wizard took a deep breath and then turned to Breonna right away. “Well…sorry about your uncle…” he couldn’t figure out anything else to say at that point.
“How did he end up like this?” Breonna knelt down, closely observing the body. “I’m not crazy, I saw her emerge from the manor, saying that she couldn’t save these people…but she also said that she dealt with everything in here, right? I’m not misremembering?”
“I think she did say so…” Pil nodded his head. “But if that’s the case, then why is he…?”
“We shouldn’t take too long here.” Breonna sighed, already making her way towards the training grounds. “Who knows what else could be lurking here?” she muttered as she wandered out into the yard.
It had only been a couple of days since they were last taken care of, but the plants already looked like they were starting to grow out of order. The estate wasn’t necessarily overgrown at this point, more like it was unkempt. The entire place, even after the fight was still unnaturally quiet.
Breonna couldn’t help but frown as she started to approach the fences that were circling a small area, remembering back to when she and Kayla would spar. She let out a tired sigh, thinking about how things were so much simpler back in the day. How, one of the only things she was worried about was training hard enough to eventually be able to win against her friend.
She stepped closer to the nearby rack where all the swords would rest in place. Most of these swords were custom made, either for Kayla, or for herself. She was still able to keep track of which rack would be made for who, and reached out to one sword that withstood the test of time. Despite sitting alone for such a long time, it still looked quite pristine.
The fighter picked up the blade by the hilt and started to swing the sword around very slowly, just to get a feel for it once again. “Alright…I found one thing I was looking for…” she turned her attention to the rest of the group, all of whom were mainly following her, and watching what she was doing. So far, none of them had really found anything they could use yet. “There’s just one more place I need to go…” she motioned for the group to follow her back inside the manor.
The others went along as well. Pil looked to Aryanna, but the warlock had simply shrugged in response. Urenakk was still lost in his own thoughts, not entirely here at the moment, but it was fine, the group was no longer in combat. Now with the sword in her hand, she would be able to take care of the ghouls that would find the hawks, at least if there were any more ghouls.
Breonna was heading right upstairs, already having it in her head that she was going to find something in Kayla’s room. When she creaked the doors open, she poked her head in the room to see if there was anything that stood out. Mainly checking for some kind of trap. “Pil, Aryanna, could you two take a quick look inside?”
“Uh, sure…” Pil muttered as he made his way forward. Breonna stepped out of the way for him and now he was the one who was peaking inside. He muttered something under his breath and slowly blinked. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing a deep radiant blue. He was trying to see what exactly in this room was magical and what wasn’t. He was rather shocked to find that just about every object, whether they be resting on the shelves or just tossed away somewhere, they were magical. He told the rest of the group what he had found before stepping back out of the room.
“Did you see any traps?” Breonna urged him, hoping that she wouldn’t trigger anything the moment she tried stepping inside. He shook his head in response.
“No, I didn’t see any drawn circled or runes…” Pil sighed. “But we should still be careful in there anyway, we don’t know what all those things do, I say we should leave most of those things alone.
“I would, but I need to put something new on.” Breonna made her way inside. “She wouldn’t mind, we’ve both stolen clothes from each other countless times. One of the perks of having the same size clothing after all.”
She had opened the door to a large walk-in closet filled with all kinds of dresses, outerwear, and most importantly, new armor. The armor the fighter was wearing was rather damaged from all of the recent battles. The fight with Kelrac had done so much to the armor already.
There, of course, would be no blacksmith in town to help with her armor, and even if there was, she didn’t have enough time to wait for them to repair it. She grabbed a set of chainmail fitted underneath a white tunic, it was custom made to resemble that of normal clothing but with the added protection underneath. She opened the door and poked her head out. “I’ll be right out…” she said. “I’ll just need a few minutes…”
With that, the rest of the hawks were left to their own devices inside of the room. Pil started going through her desk and he pulled out a small journal. He opened it slowly and started reading what was inside.
“Hey!” Aryanna nudged him. “That could be private!”
“Good.” Pil turned his head to the half elf. “Then maybe we’ll find something in here to give us an idea of where she could have gone…”
Aryanna rolled her eyes at first, but then she sat down right next to him and started resting her head on his shoulder. Anything that he would find inside of this small journal, she would be reading right along with him.
He couldn’t help but chuckle as he was looking through all of the entries. So far, most of the entries were talking about her views on her own family, she had some rather colorful terms for her own father, and it wasn’t long until she revealed why she had such opinions. Reading that, it became much less entertaining for the two spellcasters, rather it was more depressing. It only got worse as the journal would go on about how she would have these dreams talking to this same horned red man, however, it never got into too much detail about where those conversations would lead to.
“Hey, do you know anything about this red man?” Pil turned is head towards the warlock.
“All too well if he is who I think he is…” Aryanna let out a tired sigh, hoping that she would never have to hear about him and the things he does to other people in this world.
“Who would that be in particular?” Pil asked, but Aryanna simply shook her head in response.
“It’s best not to say his name out loud, dear…” Aryanna explained. “Not if you value your life…”
Eventually, as they kept flipping through the pages, trying to find things that were more relevant. They would eventually come upon all of these weird sketches of runes and symbols. “Do you recognize any of this?” Pil asked. “I can’t understand them…”
“I do…” Aryanna nodded. This was not foreign to her at all, it was the language of Hell itself, Infernal. “These are all very bad signs…Kayla could be in a lot of trouble…” Eventually, the two of them came upon another sketch, not of some more ancient runes describing ancient magical rituals. This was more of a rough sketch, to that of these old ruins had all kinds of runes of their own. Once again, Aryanna was able to recognize the language of these runes, however they were not carved in the language of the devils, rather, they were carved in the native language of elven kind.
These ruins were in a densely populated forest, as that was also drawn into the page. However, neither of the spellcasters were able to recognize what these ruins were. “Hey…” Pil turned to the other two who were nearby.
Urenakk was simply waiting by the exit, keeping watch for anything just in case. Vedetta was going through a chest filled with all kinds of trinkets, but not finding anything particularly valuable either. She dropped what she had in her hand and made her way over to the journal. Looking closely at the sketch. She squinted her eyes, as if she was making some kind of discovery. “Now that you mention it…” she muttered. “Those do look kind of familiar…”
“Where do you think you’ve seen that before?” Pil muttered, the more he thought about it, the ruins looked familiar to him a well. However, he couldn’t exactly figure out why that was.
After a few minutes of them trying to remember where they saw these before, Breonna emerged from the walk-in closet with new gear, a new outfit similar to the kind that Kayla wears herself. “Any luck on finding anything?” the fighter asked. “I tried looking for things while I was in there, but nothing really stood out to me.”
“Yeah, we’re trying to figure out what this sketch means.” Pil ushered the leader of the Hawks closer so that she could get a good look at the drawing herself. “Do you recognize this?”
“Wait a minute…I do actually…” Breonna brought the book closer to herself, as if she was on the cusp of a great discovery. She started to look around the room, as if she suddenly knew what to look for.
“Is that a good sign?” Pil asked with a shrug.
“I know I’ve seen this structure before.” Breonna explained as she was observing all of the decorations and portraits hung around the room and in the nearby halls. “In a painting, I know I’ve seen this before.”
“Really?” Vedetta raised an eyebrow. “Then why’s it look familiar to us too?” she started trying to find a portrait depicting ruins matching the one she saw in the journal as well.
Pil motioned for the rest of the group to follow along and soon everyone started going around every corner of the house trying to find this painting. They made sure not to split up, as they weren’t sure if there was another ghoul in the mansion or not.
If one was caught alone with a ghoul, everyone would be in serious trouble except for Aryanna. They searched the kitchen, the dining halls, the gallery, the library, the office. So far, there has been no luck. Breonna had even decided to look along the deck to see if anything had been hung there or if there was possibly a work-in-progress being made.
Once again, they had found no painting that resembled anything like the ruins they saw in the sketch. Most of the painting they would come across would depict the woods, the mountains, the rivers, the plains and the members of the Trenton family. There would be a mixture of all of these, as there would be some family portraits of Kayla and her parents in some serene natural background. It got to the point, where they were starting to get frustrated and were almost ready to give up.
However, Breonna had one more idea. There was one other part of the manor that the Hawks had not explored yet and that was the master bedroom. She shared her idea with the others, an with no alternatives, the group just decided to follow through.
When Breonna finally approached the doors to the master bedroom, she took a deep breath and slowly creaked it open like she did with Kayla’s room before. As she slid the door open, she looked directly inside and her grin turned wide, as she found what she was looking for.
The bed inside of the room was large enough to be made for a king. There were tall wooden posts on every corner of the bed that nearly rose to the ceiling. Tapestries were hung from each corner giving off a royal decorative effect.
That was not the end, for right above the bed post hung a large portrait. That portrait hanging above the master bed was what the group was looking for, what Breonna was looking for. There was the large painting depicting old ruins deep inside of a forest, the carvings on the ruins just like in the drawing were elven. She was about to take another step forward when a hand was placed on her shoulder, pulling her back.
“Let’s check and make sure that nothing is there waiting to spring on us when we enter, dear…” Aryanna smiled to the fighter, happy for her that she found what she wanted. Breonna paused and chuckled to herself before thanking the warlock. Aryanna then nodded to Pil in recognition, however he was already one step ahead of her.
The wizard’s eyes started to glow blue just like before as he wanted to see if there was anything magical inside of the room. He hadn’t found anything glowing on the shelves or the bed, the room wasn’t littered with all kinds of magical trinkets like Kayla’s. However, at the center of the room, right in front of the bed was a large magical circle that was drawn.
It was hidden underneath the rug; it would be easy to miss for those who didn’t know what to look for. “What’s this…?” the wizard muttered as he slowly stepped into the room. “I think I found something…” he turned to the others, gesturing for them to come in.
The others gathered around him, and Breonna was about to accidentally step onto the magic circle, that was at least until the wizard stopped her. She raised an eyebrow when he did. He pointed down at the rug and started to focus on another spell.
He held out his hand in the air which started to glow white. While this was happening, the white aura enveloping his hand started to move on its own. Slowly floating away from him, descending to the carpet.
The hand then grabbed onto the end of the carpet and slid it across the floor until it was finally resting against the bed post. There, the group were all able to look at the circle drawn onto the floor carved with all kinds of runes, similar to the ones found on the door to the ruins.
“A magical circle?” Aryanna knelt down. “What does it do?”
“I wish I knew…” Pil shook his head. “This is far too complicated for me, I’ve seen these in texts before, but I would need a lot of time to refresh myself on these…” He then lifted his sleeve to find that Princess had been resting there, finding a comfortable place for herself to sleep. “But I have an idea…” she soon woke up and ruffled all of her feathers, shaking herself awake and stretching her legs. “Princess, want to do me a favor?” He looked down at her and she just turned around looking down at the circle.
The wizard started to focus on his own familiar with his magic and closed his eyes. As he continued his concentration, he was eventually able to see through her eyes.
“So, what’s the plan?” Aryanna asked as she looked at him quizzically.
“It’s simple…” Pil had Princess hop into the circle. As soon as the familiar did, the circle started to glow and, in a flash, the raven was gone.
Pil frowned the moment that happened. “I can’t see through her eyes anymore…” he let out a tired sigh.
“Well, what happened to her?” Aryanna shook her head. “Did it destroy her?”
“No, I can still feel my connection to her, she’s out there somewhere, but too far for me to be able to see through her eyes.” The wizard explained. Soon enough the circle began to glow again, just like before, there was a flash, only this time, Princess had returned. “This is great!” the wizard smiled to the others. “Look! She came back without a scratch, wherever she went, we should be fine if we were to step into that circle as well.”
“You don’t know that for sure.” Aryanna shook her head. “For all we know, she just came back right before something dangerous could have nabbed her.”
“She would be so much more ruffled if that happened.” Pil shrugged in response. “Do any of you have better ideas? Because as far as I can tell, Kayla is wherever this circle leads to. I would bet my life on it.”
“Alright, well if that’s the case, I’ll go first…” Breonna readied her sword and stepped closer to the circle. “Just in case if there is something on the other side anyway, we can’t be too careful.”
“We don’t even know what we’re stepping into.” Urenakk sighed. “This is the opposite of careful.”
“He’s right, ya know.” Vedetta stepped forward and stood right alongside the fighter. “You ain’t goin’ in there alone.”
“Fair enough.” Breonna shrugged. The ranger readied her bow and pulled out an arrow just in case and the pair stepped into the center of the circle. Soon enough, it started to glow once more. In one moment, the two women were just there in the middle of the room, then there was a bright flash, the next moment, they were both gone.
The others waited a few seconds. However, as they kept waiting, the silence became all the more apparent. That was at least until the circle in the room started to glow once again, Vedetta had returned to the room, and she looked to the rest of the group. “Y’all should be fine when you step through, there’s nothing dangerous lurkin’ around.”
“What’s there on the other side?” Aryanna piped up; she was starting to approach the circle herself.
“The ruins.” The ranger shrugged. “We was right, she has to be there…”
Eventually the others started to gather together, and they had all started to step in just as Vedetta suggested. Just like before, the circle began to glow and then there was a bright flash. At one moment, they were inside the Trenton hotel, and then the next moment, the group didn’t know where they were.
When they all looked around, they were deep inside of this lush green forest right beside a mountain, a chilling breeze could be felt in the air. However, the stench of death, rot, and decay was quite abundant. The group stepped out of the circle and Breonna was waiting patiently for the rest of them. She was leaning against a large boulder lodged into the ground. “We found what we were looking for.” The leader of the Hawks pointed to her right and up ahead in the path stood the same elven ruins that was found in the painting, the same that was in the sketch.
“Where are we?” Pil looked around the woods. “Why does this feel so familiar?”
“Because we been here before.” Vedetta sighed as she pointed away, past the trees in the distance. “We was out there when we found this place. Way back when we were still workin’ with the Roarin’ Banner, back when we were goin’ after the bandits.” Everyone in the group had fallen silent, thinking back to the time, back when Kayla had just been introduced to them. It wasn’t long after that when she was traveling with them to deal with the ever-present dangers around the town.
“Well…we got a pretty good idea of where she is now…” Pil sighed. “What do we do?”
“We gotta get inside those ruins.” Vedetta stated coldly. “At this point, I’d say she’s hidin’ somethin’. Whatever that is, I don’t know, but what I do know is that we’ll find answers when we go in there.”
“What’s the plan?” The wizard started to find the most comfortable patch of grass to sit down and he started to rest.
“I’ll go take a look inside and I’ll let you all know when to come in.” Vedetta suggested.
“Wait, alone?” Breonna shook her head. “No, you have no idea what’s in there.”
“I won’t be alone.” Vedetta shook her head. “I was gonna ask Pil if he could lend me his bird.” That statement got a chuckle out of the wizard, and she immediately shot him a look. “Not like that ya fuckin’ donkey. I mean your raven.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Pil started to close his eyes so he could see through Princess. Soon enough, the raven started to fly up and perched herself on Vedetta’s shoulder. “I’ll let you guys know if anything happens.”
“I still don’t like this…” Breonna sighed, and she approached the ranger. “I know you can handle yourself, but if anything goes wrong, you immediately get the fuck out of there, you understand?”
“Yes, mum.” The ranger nodded as she started to approach the entrance. There was no elaborate contraption, she merely had to slide the door a bit to the side until she was able to squeeze herself in. What she didn’t expect to happen was for the door to shut behind her, but she shook her head. “Figures…” she sighed. “Creepy fuckin’ place like this…”
The rest of the group watched this happen from nearby outside and they all started to look to each other. None of them really had to say anything, they all held roughly the same feelings. They were all nervous. They were nervous about Vedetta going in there, almost entirely on her own, what they might find in there, and what Kayla might have been doing. The last part was the biggest mystery of all. They didn’t know what Kayla was hiding, nor did they know what they were going to find, and that made them nervous.
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The group wants to find out what else is going on with their friend Kayla, and soon finds out there is much more going on with her than is expected.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 29
The two young women found space outside the Loudwater manor to start their own little sparring session. They had their own swords to practice for this duel, the blades themselves were mostly covered. However, just to be safe, the two girls had padded armor on, just in case if one of them were to swing a little too hard by accident.
Despite that, both young women were enjoying themselves. They were in a circling fence, and they were free to use all of the space inside to their advantage.
On one side of the fence, there was Breonna. The servant was handing the young lady a refreshment before the girl put her face covering back on. “Just you wait!” the fighter turned to the opposite end of the fence. “I’ll win this time.”
On the other end of the fence, there was a young blonde woman in blue and silver clothing. She was simply cleaning her blade with a rag and adjusting her own gear just to get herself comfortable. “I won’t go easy.” Kayla smiled, shaking her head. “I’m just warning you now…”
“Good.” Breonna thanked the servant for the refreshments before brandishing her blade and assuming her own position. “Then there’ll be no excuses once I do win…”
“That had yet to be seen…” Kayla chuckled as she started to meet with the fighter at the center of the small arena.
“Gestures!” one of the other servants barked. The two girls jumped but then started laughing as they shook each other’s hands for formality. “On my mark!” the same servant shouted once again. At that moment, the two young women started to take things seriously and hold their blades in the air, pointing them directly at each other.
They were both in their own stances, but they still just stood still, waiting for the countdown to begin.
“Three!” the servant called out.
At that moment, Kayla was starting to regret that she didn’t have one of them bring her refreshments. She was standing out in the hot sun ready to duel, but that was enough to make her start breaking into a sweat underneath her padding.
“Two!” the servant called out.
Breonna was smiling confidently. Even though she had yet to win a duel against Kayla, she was not about to give up. Where some fighters would have felt some level of discouragement, this was only pushing Breonna to try even harder. She had expectations to meet and to even exceed, and she was not going to lag behind her one best friend.
“One!” the servant called out.
Both women were starting to lock swords, ready for the duel to start. One was determined to win, while the other was not about to let herself be defeated. Both women stood firm, ready to face the rest of the world with their resolve, and at this point, this meant that they would even be facing each other. They were not going easy, and they were not going to let themselves be defeated.
“Go!” the servant called out.
In just a blur of motion, the two swords let out a loud clang as the women had already locked their blades. When the blades made contact, sparks flew in all directions. Yet despite that, neither of the duelists started to budge in the slightest.
Neither of them could really see into each other’s faces well with the face coverings. They didn’t really have to. This made it easy for them to dissociate for a few brief moments that they even were each other’s friends in the first place.
Breonna stepped forward, trying to deliver a swift gut punch, in an attempt to disarm Kayla. However, the young Trenton lady saw this coming, and she quickly side-stepped out of the way, avoiding the gut punch entirely. Not only that, but when she stepped out to the side, she was able to get a good angle where Breonna was wide open, and she was going to take full advantage of that with her first swing.
Breonna was not about to let herself be taken advantage of in such a way. She quickly raised her sword and held up the blade to block the oncoming attack just as it was coming down. She could feel the full force of the swing, and she knew if she didn’t put all of her strength into deflecting it away, it would have hurt a lot, even with the padding.
Breonna realized that as she was blocking the attack, Kayla had opened herself up. Right away, Breonna pushed forward and lifted her hips, putting the full force of her body into one swift kick to the gut. The impact was so great that it caused Kayla to slide back a bit. “Yes!” Breonna cheered as she charged forward, swinging in an arch heading upwards.
Kayla had quickly recovered from the surprise attack and blocked the upwards strike with her own sword. This time, it was Kayla who came forward to deliver an unarmed strike. Kayla delivered a swift blow to the front of the face guard, just to disorient the fighter, if or but a moment. Just then, Kayla lifted her sword just high enough to where the blade would just be barely touching the fighter’s neck.
Breonna wanted to try and block the sword, but she couldn’t do it in time. She was open and before she knew it, she was already in a position where she was unable to fight back.
“Looks like you’re dead once again.” Kayla panted. “I won’t be losing so easily.”
“I really thought for a moment that I was going to get you.” Breonna sighed as she yielded. Both women started to stand up straight and shake hands. The servants who were watching nearby started to clap, it wasn’t clear if the servants were truly impressed at the prowess of the two fighters, or if they were just doing that for the sake of their employers.
Either way, both women started to take off the padding equipment and they were both handed rags to wipe off their sweat. Right away, the servants brought them glasses filled with ice cold water. Despite there not being any ice inside, it was still chilled to the touch thanks to one of the servants being nifty with magic. He merely had to hold the jug by its handle and the water would be kept cool even in the hot sun.
Both fighters started chugging down the water without any hesitation. Though, for Breonna, she was doing it a little too fast. Because of that, she started to cough a little bit up, spilling water all over herself in the process.
Kayla saw this and immediately started to break into a fit of laughter. She was spitting some of her own water just from how sudden that was. Both girls just couldn’t help but be embarrassed of themselves, despite that, they both just kept laughing and enjoyed the moment.
After a short while, the two young women decided to make their way to the balcony to relax and enjoy the view of the mountains off in the distance. They were up on the highest floor of the manor at this point, which stood taller than even the walls that protected Loudwater. Past the deck, one could see the open plains outside of the town that extend out into the woods. The furthest away in the distance were the mountains which were covered with snow at the top.
The two young women were served their own glasses and the servants had left a large container of wine for the two of them. Where the girls would be able to refill at their own leisure. They were practically left to their own devices while they were up there, and they could talk freely amongst themselves.
The people who worked for them wouldn’t necessarily say anything to their elders, but the two girls still were expected to maintain some kind of authoritative appearance. Now that the two of them were by themselves, they could act their own age.
“It never gets old…” Kayla sighed as she was leaning against the railing, swirling the wine in her hand as she was moving the glass around in her hand to create a circular motion. She gently raised the glass up to her own lips and took a small sip.
“What do you mean?” Breonna took a small sip from her own glass. Even though she didn’t really consume a lot of wine in her small sips, the flavor was still rather strong. At this point, she could recognize that the wine came from the nearby vineyard. Not only that, but there was still the strong sting of alcohol. To her, it felt like there was a weight being pushed onto her chest every time she took another sip. It felt like her own body was growing heavier with every drink she had.
“This…” Kayla turned around, this time her back was pressing against the railing. That way not she could get a good look at her friend. She was still smiling, yet somehow the tone had shifted. Before this moment, the two young women were just relaxing with their drinks and enjoying their moment together. But now, it seemed like this was going to turn into a more thoughtful conversation. “Wouldn’t you want to enjoy moments like this all the time?” Kayla asked. “I don’t know, I just feel like when I go through the training and all, I just go through the motions…”
“I don’t think I understand…” Breonna leaned back in her chair, half looking at her friend, and half looking out at the beautiful view. “You’re so good with the sword and you worked really hard to become the fighter that you are. You can do so much that so many other people can’t.”
“I know…” Kayla nodded her head. Taking another sip from her strong wine. “And yet, I just don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere…does that make sense? I just…even though people tell me that I’ve accomplished something great, achieved a life-long goal…I just…I don’t know I don’t get anything from it. I usually just look at things like that and just go ‘okay well, what’s the next step?’”
“Do you really mean that?” Breonna frowned as she looked down into her cup. She could see a disoriented reflection of herself as the wine was swishing back and forth along the inside of the cup. “You really don’t enjoy doing all of that? I thought you really did…I know I did…”
“I know that I should…” Kayla shook her head. “I just keep doing these things, I guess. Trying to feel something for myself, and yet all I can think about is everything that I regret happening…”
“Where is this coming from?” Breonna looked up directly at her friend. Even though this was a look of concern, it was still piercing to the blonde woman. “Are you still having those dreams?”
There was a slight pause between the two of them. Kayla being the one to look down below to the floor this time while Breonna was waiting for an answer. After a brief moment, Kayla started to slowly nod her head. This response immediately started to make the fighter worried.
“Can you tell me what happens in those dreams?” the fighter got up from her chair. “Does it always play out the same way? What happens with them?” She made her way over to the balcony railing and leaned her back against it right next to the blonde woman. She didn’t get too close, she kept just enough of a distance to not become imposing, but she wanted to be close by to provide Kayla with some level of comfort.
The blonde woman finally turned towards her friend and took a deep nervous breath. “It’s hard to say, because most of the time the dream is rather consistent.” She started. “I always see this tall red man and he just seems to know everything about me…We have conversations on just about everything you can think of…he knows things that I keep secret from just about everyone and he always says that he can help me.”
“What do you think he means by that?” Breonna asked. “What do you need help with?” Kayla merely responded with a shrug. After a brief moment of silence, the two girls started to empty their glasses before turning around to look out at the view. At this point, Breonna was looking rather worried for her friend, she had her eyes mostly fixated on the blonde woman, she was scared for Kayla. She didn’t understand what these dreams were or who this red man was. She was starting to think that maybe there was some kind of magic involved, but she didn’t understand magic enough to draw that conclusion. She merely regarded it as a possible reason why Kayla was even having these dreams. “Hey…” Breonna wrapped an arm around Kayla and started to pull the blonde woman closer. “You know that you’re my friend and that you can tell me anything right?” the fighter started. The blonde woman nodded her head silently in response for a second time. “I know that you might not be comfortable with talking about everything going on right now, or maybe you might not know everything that is going on. But when you are ready…I am here for you…my door is always open…”
Kayla started to face her friend and smiled sadly. “Thank you, Breonna…” young lady Trenton muttered. “You know, I really do count myself to be lucky sometimes. I’m lucky enough to live in a fine place like this…and I’m even more so with having you as a friend…” The two young women shared a hug for a brief moment.
It wasn’t long before one of the servants finally decided to break the silence by knocking on the entrance to the balcony. The two women turned while in their embrace towards the servant who started to clear his throat awkwardly. “Sorry for the disturbance, my ladies…” he started. “But it’s Lord Trenton, lady Kayla, your presence has been requested…”
“Is it urgent?” Kayla rolled her eyes. The servant nervously nodded his head in response.
Kayla started to pull herself away, leaving the wine glass and slowly opening the door to the mansion. “You know…” Kayla paused right at the entrance. “Maybe all I really need is for you to finally knock me on my ass…that could be it…”
“I won’t stop until I do…” Breonna chuckled to herself. She started to refill her own glass. She was going to stay out there for a little while longer and then head back inside the mansion. Neither of the young women really had to go anywhere tonight. Breonna was a guest, of course, and would be staying within the grounds while she was out at Loudwater. The fighter was going to enjoy the moment for as long as she could while she was still out there.
Kayla, however, had to start making her way inside. Young lady Trenton would have wanted to stay out there for a little longer, but there was someone inside she knew was waiting for her. She didn’t want to keep him waiting, otherwise she would get herself in trouble again.
The servant started to make is way past her towards the studies. He would have to give a proper introduction as was his duty as servant to the manor. He held the door open for young lady Trenton when they made it to the entrance, but then rushed past so that he would make it to Lord Kristopher first. “My Lord,” the servant bowed to an old nobleman in blue robes with silver accents. The robes themselves had different shades of blue made to resemble a feather pattern. “Lady Kayla as you requested, has come to see you.”
“Father…” the young blonde woman muttered as she entered the room. There was a slight quiver in her voice as she came in. Just being in the same room as the man was enough to make her uncomfortable. “You wished to speak to me?”
“Please, sit…” the nobleman motioned towards one of the chairs that were placed in front of his desk. Young lady Trenton pulled the chair up and sat herself down, quickly leaning forward and looking down to the floor, twiddling her fingers as she was waiting for the response.
“This is very important…” Lord Kristopher’s voice was stern, gruff and it unsettles the young woman greatly. “So I’m going to need you to look up at me when I speak to you so that I know you’re paying attentions…” He simply glared at her with a sense of expectation and after a brief moment of silence, Kayla did as he asked and looked up at the man.
“What’s wrong?” Kayla hesitated to ask, but she had an idea of what he was going to say. She was waiting for this day to come, and as much as she wanted to forget that it was happening, reality was going to drag her back in.
“It’s your mother…” Lord Kristopher started to lean back in his own chair. Despite spending a long time in his studies this day, he still looked relatively exhausted. “I…I don’t think she’s going to have that much longer…”
Kayla’s heart sank when she heard that. “And there’s no cure that you could find…”
Lord Trenton shook his head sadly in response. “I tried my best…” he sighed. “I spent days, several hours throughout the week and even today just burying myself in every tome that we have here. There are no ways that we could really help her now, at least not with the resources that we have…I’m sorry Kayla…but I thought that you should know…it’s only right that you have a moment to say whatever you like and maybe to say goodbye…”
“Right…” Kayla nodded as her voice became hoarse. “Thank you for telling me…” she sighed as she started to get up. She knew where to find her mother and was getting ready to leave. But she came to a sudden stop when she heard her father’s voice once more.
“Hey…” he called out to his daughter once more. This made her jump and she turned around hesitantly to face him once more. This time, the man’s gaze was no longer determined or formal, now it was simply tired. Tired and just full of despair and disappointment. “No matter what happens…” he started. “We’ll always have each other…you’ll always be my girl…”
Kayla recoiled the moment she heard that statement from him. Then left the room right after. As she was wandering down the halls, she was simply crossing her arms. It was as if she was trying to protect herself at this moment, as the adrenaline was rushing through her. She was in flight mode at this point. The young woman cursed under her breath, she was strong now, she would be able to fight off any foe that would dare to attack her. She only wished that she was always strong.
Now the one person who was trying to protect her back when she wasn’t so strong may leave the world soon. She turned around to make sure that she wasn’t being followed. At this point, the servant who had escorted her was starting to return to his usual duties and wouldn’t disturb her any longer. She looked around to make sure that no one else around was watching and when she realized that she was by herself, she just collapsed.
She started to lean against the wall, resting her arm on it while trying to hide her face with her other hand. Her shoulders started to tremble as she slowly descended. She started to rest on her knees as her vision began to blur. She sniffled as tears fell from the back of er hand, multiple drops landing on the wooden floor. It took every ounce of strength she had to quiet down the soft cry she let out as her voice broke. She didn’t want anyone to hear what she was doing and come rushing to her. She didn’t want anyone to give her false promises that everything was going to be alright and that she would make it through all of this. She just wanted to be left alone.
After she was finished, she started to make her way back upstairs towards the master’s bedroom. She knelt down and peaked through the keyhole. Her mother was still on the bed, looking emaciated, even from outside of the room, Kayla could tell that her mother was struggling to breathe. It seemed like every breath the old woman took every ounce of energy that she had. She was sitting upright in an adorned bed made for royalty, resting her back against a large pillow. There was a doctor who was standing beside the bed. He poured from a tea pot and into a small cup, sitting it on a small plate for it to rest in before handing it to the old woman.
The mother thanked the man before taking a sip of her tea and she couldn’t help but smile as she brought the cup back down. Whatever the doctor had brewed for her, it was at least helping to ease her pain.
Kayla saw all of this happening from the outside and took a deep breath. Shaking her head, wishing that this day would never come. But she knew that it was only right that she paid this one last visit. The young lady had been through so much throughout her early life and her mother was helping her through it all. It was her mother that inspired her to be strong in the first place. There was a time when the old woman laying down in this bed was a strong fighter herself. Kayla wanted to tell her mother what happened for so long. Yet she never did, she knew that it would tear her family apart. She knew that even though she would not have had to deal with Lord Kristopher again, she would be on her own. She knew that she would not be able to trust the people around her to keep the money safe for her. She knew that if she were to let her family tear itself apart, she would end up alone. She would have been left to starve on the streets and no one would even care. That was at least what Lord Kristopher convinced her of what would happen.
Kayla would not have the heart to tell her mother even now. For the old woman should at least be able to spend her last moments on this world in peace. Without having to live with any regret, she deserved that much at least.
Kayla took a deep breath and started to push the wide doors open and enter the master bedroom.
“Kayla…” the old woman laying down in the bed muttered. She let out a weak smile before putting her teacup down on the nightstand that was next to her.
“My lady, you should finish your drink…” the doctor insisted, trying to stop her from putting git all the way down.
“I will…” the old noblewoman sighed as she glared at the doctor. “I just want to spend a little time with my daughter…now if you’ll excuse us…” The doctor shook his head, tired but he relented and he let the woman put the teacup down. He soon turned towards Kayla and he bowed to her quickly before making his way out of the room. He slowly and gently closed the doors behind himself as he was leaving.
“Thank goodness he’s finally gone…” old Lady Trenton sighed. “If I have to spend another hour with that man today, I might not survive…”
“He doesn’t seem that bad, mother…” Kayla slowly took each step carefully across the carpet, somewhat hesitating to approach the older woman. “Other than that, you seem to be doing just fine…”
“I am, now that you’re here…” Lady Astrid looked up at her daughter and smiled sadly. “Please…” she held her arms out in the open expectantly. “Come closer…” Kayla obliged and sat down on the bed before wrapping her arms around her mother, the old woman soon returning the embrace. “But how are you feeling, my little owl? How was your time with dear Breonna?”
“We sparred with our swords today…” Kayla turned towards a nearby window, looking off into the distance as if entering some deep thought. “It was rather amusing, she was trying to best me once again, but I’m still the better fighter between the two of us…that and we spent some time out in the balcony just talking about…well everything…it was lovely, I was able, for a small while just be able to forget all of the things troubling me right now. If only for a moment, I was able to feel like that happy little girl once again…I missed having those feelings…the sense of wonder…the mystery, I feel like when I’m staring off at those mountains with her, those feelings just make their way back to me. I didn’t even know that I had lost them…”
“I’m glad…” Lady Astrid cooed as she ruffled the young woman’s hair. “You two are always better off when you are together. No matter what, even on your worst days and when you were tired most of all. When you had lost interest in most things that you used to enjoy…I used to get so worried about you, you know?” Kayla nodded silently in response. “But then Breonna comes over and without fail, you always seem to be rejuvenated. Your energy returns and you are full of passion once again. You two always seemed like you had a bond that has no kind of comparison…”
“I know, mom…” Kayla was starting to drop the formalities entirely. Right now, in this moment, she was no longer the strong fighter that had bested Breonna. She was no longer the scared, cornered animal trying to hide away from her father. Now, she was just the little girl who had come bubbling her way back to the surface. It was as if this girl had been hidden beneath the layers for all of this time, and only now was she finally able to come back out. The only other time she was able to feel this way was when she was with her best friend.
“Promise me something…” the old woman mumbled and clenched Kayla just a little bit tighter.
“Anything…” Kayla looked up into her mother’s eyes. She was trying her best to hide her own tears at this point. Her eyes shined brighter just due to how watery they were getting, but there weren’t any tears running down her. It took all of the young woman’s strength to fight off the urge to cry. She wanted her mother’s last memory to be a happy one.
“Promise me…that even after I am gone…even after both your father and I are gone…and when all of this becomes yours…” she started. “Please…no matter what happens…don’t let anything get between the two of you…what you have going on there is beautiful and don’t let anyone say anything otherwise. Take care of each other, and no matter what happens…enjoy the life that the two of you have together…not everyone is born to be as lucky as the two of you, so please enjoy it and do not take it for granted…”
“I promise…” Kayla hugged her mother tightly. In spite of being bedridden at this point, and despite not knowing everything that was going on inside of the manor. Lady Astrid was still so good at understanding what her daughter needed. She was still able to be so supportive, even in this state.
At this point, Kayla was no longer able to even hide it. She was outright sobbing into her mother’s robes, not wanting to let go. “I’m so sorry, mom…” Kayla wiped her face. “I tried so hard to make this moment last for you…I wanted our last time together to be happy for you…”
“I know you did…” the old woman gently lifted the girl’s chin up so that they were looking directly at each other. “It’s okay, Kayla…” Lady Astrid was smiling at her own daughter. “I am happy right now…I am happy that you came to visit me. I am so happy that you wanted to see me, even if for one last time…and I am so proud of the strong woman you have become…you are going to do incredible things…I know it…”
Kayla nodded and sat up straight, wiping her face again. “Thank you, mom…” her voice cracked as she was struggling to speak. “I love you…” she then got up and handed the old woman her teacup again. She wanted her mom to at least have this final moment of enjoyment. Despite being a better fighter than Breonna, and despite knowing her way around the politics in Loudwater. No matter how capable she may become, the young woman does not feel strong. Not in the slightest, though she was not about to argue with her mother over this.
Instead, she was going to find a way. She was going to find a way to become the strong woman that her mother thinks she is. She will never be scared of anyone ever again. She would never let any man take advantage of her ever again. She wasn’t entirely sure of how she was going to accomplish this, but she knew that eventually she would find a way. She just needed a little more time. For now, she was just going to let the little girl take over once again, and cry for as long as she had to until it would be time for her to go.
Soon enough, the young blonde woman started to make her way out of the master bedroom when it was time to go. The doctor was waiting patiently outside and the moment he saw Kayla leave the room, he bowed to her again before going back inside.
“Oh wonderful…” Astrid sighed as she saw the man enter. “You again…” The doctor let out a tired huff before closing the doors behind himself once again.
This time, Kayla made her way to her own bedroom. One of the servants out in the hallway spotted her. “My lady!” the servant called. “Oh, there you are. None of us had seen you for quite a while and we were starting to get worried.”
“I’m fine…” Kayla sighed. “I was just with my mother…”
“Oh…” the servant nodded with a frown. “What will you do now, my Lady?”
“I’ll be off to my chambers…” the young woman looked away. “Do me a favor and prepare one of the guest rooms tonight for Lady Breonna, she has had a lot to drink and is in no state to travel…”
“Yes my lady…” the servant bowed to her before running off. After that, Kayla went right to her bedroom and made sure that no one was nearby. She shut all of the windows, closed the blinds, lighting up the room was a small candle inside of a lamp. It was sitting on a nearby desk by itself.
The young lady changed into more appropriate clothes for bed. In spite of closing everything, there was a little area where the moonlight could still shine past the curtains. It lit up the room just enough for Kayla to still be able to see everything.
She made her way over to the candle and blew it out, the moonlight was the only thing lighting the room. Pulling the covers over herself as she laid in bed, she adjusted herself to make herself comfortable and closed her eyes.
She didn’t know when she finally fell asleep, it was rather seamless for her. Yet she was still in the same location as always. She was inside of her own manor, but everything was different somehow. She could tell that she was all by herself, it was totally quiet and yet everything still remained as if it was cleaned, maintained.
Kayla was in the attire that she usually wears when she goes outside. The white shirt with the blue gown over it, pants for exercise and combat boots. Underneath all of that was a custom-made padded armor that was still able to protect her from a blade, but thin enough to look inconspicuous beneath the dress.
This was made specifically so that she did not look threatening, even though she would have her sword. People would assume that she would not be wearing any armor and would treat her that way if they were to fight her.
Despite all of this, wearing her gear, and being all alone, she was still afraid. All because she knew where every hallway would lead to at this point. Even if she were to take the exit, it would only take her to her own father’s chambers, and there, an all too familiar face would be waiting for her. She shook her head, deciding to get this over with. She made her way to the nearest entrance and walked inside.
Where there should have been a desk, instead sat a throne. There was a bright red light that illuminated the entire room. Looking behind the throne, where the window was, there was still the moonlight, shining down into the room. However, in the dream, the moon was blood red. Just like the man who was sitting on the throne.
At this point, Kayla still had no idea who the red man was. Only that he was more ancient than anything she had ever studied in her entire life. “What do you want from me?” Kayla huffed right away, not wanting to deal with all of the formalities that she was so used to. She was far too scared right now.
“Come now, girl…” the red man sighed. “Can’t an old friend come to visit? You used to tell me everything…even though I already knew. I just wanted to express my sympathies…”
“And that’s it?” Kayla shook her head, crossing her arms. “Nothing else?”
“That’s all that this is, young lady.” The horned man shrugged. “You know how I always felt bad…you never deserved it…what happened to you. Just like how you don’t deserve losing her…”
“What do you know about that?” Kayla furrowed her brow. “Did you ever even have a mother? How would you understand?”
“I understand that for the longest time, she was your only protection…” The red man answered. “I know that she was one of the only people in this world who was able to keep you sane…”
“Are you going to offer to save her life?” Kayla inquired.
“I could…but that’s not what you want deep down…” the red man shook his head.
“How do you know what I want?” Kayla started to tear up once again, just thinking about how everything was out in the open at this point. How, right now, she was unable to hide anything.
“It is my job to know, young lady…” the red man smiled. “You, deep down want to be able to protect yourself. You want to have the strength needed so that no man could ever harm you again…”
Kayla wanted to argue, she wanted to object, but no matter how much she had a desire to just fight back, she knew that deep down that he was right. She merely sighed and continued to have her arms crossed.
“Listen to me Kayla…” the red man started. That got her to drop her guard and pay attention to him. “You want the strength to protect yourself because as you know, you would rather be able to handle everything than to corrupt the family and see the manor fall apart. I understand that and I support your decision. But now, you have another decision to make. Soon, your mother will be leaving this world, and I can have her under my care. If you do that for me, I will give you the strength that you always wanted. I will make it so that you won’t have to see another day, when you are completely powerless. If you do not do what I say, exactly, then you will not get the strength that you need to survive…”
“And what do I need to do…?” Kayla muttered; her hands lowered down at this point.
“All you need to say is ‘We have a deal’ and everything I promised will become yours…” the red man continued. Kayla was still silent, she started to look away, disgusted not just in the idea itself, but disgusted with herself as she knew that deep down, it would be so easy for her to say such a thing. “Kayla…” the red man started again. “You do not have that much time left. Like I said earlier, if you say nothing then you get nothing. If you are so scared that you will see those men again, and that you are scared that you will have to fight, not just that one man off, but every other man that comes your way. You owe it to yourself to give yourself the strength needed to fight back. Fate has brought you to this point, to make this decision. You can either run, or you can embrace what’s ahead of you. Come now Kayla, no matter what, you will need to face your destiny.”
Kayla took a deep breath, shaking her head and then looking directly at the horned red man. She cursed under her breath and then stepped forward. “Alright…we have a deal…” she muttered.
The red man’s smile grew wider.
________________________________________________________________
A bit of a flashback story about our two rich girls. They both have quite the past, and one of them might be hiding a few skeletons in her closet.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 28
The sun was slowly setting as the day itself was coming to an end. Despite that, almost no one would be resting in their beds tonight. There was too much to do, too many bodies to move, too many stragglers of the undead, too much damage to repair.
There was always this innate desire to rest during the night. Not just because of the natural function of people, but also because it was also psychological too. People, especially in the earlier stages of life, would rather spend the night resting rather than wandering around aimlessly. It mostly had to do with an inherent fear that has been built up from centuries of survival.
It was a rather familiar fear for most people. The fear of the unknown. Most people aren’t afraid of the shadows and the darkness by themselves. It is rather a fear of the possibility that something might be lurking within that darkness, and they do not know it is there.
It is easy for anyone to hide in the shadows. With that, anything could be nearby. People not being able to see what was in front of them, not being aware of their surroundings. It would put them on edge, especially if they were wandering anywhere in the night.
Not only that, but there would also always be stories that the most dangerous creatures out there. They would come out when the sun was gone and that would be when they would hunt their prey. That prey included normal, everyday people as well.
That is why many people would seek shelter by nightfall. By the time the sun would set, and the darkness would envelope the world, the people would have familiar surroundings. If they are somewhere that is familiar, a home, a tent, a camp, an environment where there is familiarity. That is what got people to not be so afraid.
After all, when the surroundings are familiar to everyone, they would be able to tell when there is a sudden change to that environment. There, they could detect if something was wrong and then act accordingly.
With this strategy, the unknown would become known and there would not be any fear anymore. That was the hope that many people would desperately cling to when the night would come. Not only that, but the people would also surround themselves with familiar company.
If they were surrounded by people they trusted, there would be no fear. Even if something was going wrong and there was something that was lurking in the darkness, the people would not be alone. They would have each other, and they would depend on their numbers to fight off any foe that was looking to hunt them down in the dead of night.
None of that even mattered anymore to the people of Loudwater. They no longer cared about what was lurking about in the middle of the night. They no longer cared about the possibility that they were one their own. They were no longer afraid of the unknown. As if there was one thing that they could be sure of, it was that they never understood what was happening around them.
They no longer cared about whether or not something was out there hunting them. They had already faced everything that the world could throw at them by this point. That by no means that they were hardened people.
In fact, they were the opposite of hardened, they were getting exponentially weaker as the evil of the world would come after all of them. They were no longer afraid of what was lurking in the darkness because of all the horrors coming out in broad daylight. They could not depend on each other, for they were heavily outnumbered from the start. With every casualty, that would only add to the ranks of the monsters that were hunting them. They were far from safe in their own homes. In fact, it would have been better for them to flee and leave their homes behind, it would prevent them from being trapped and it would stop the horde from congregating into one place.
Just when the people needed their heroes to step in and save them the most, those heroes were bickering amongst themselves. Worse than that, they were all throwing accusations at each other, killing each other.
The only thing that would have stopped both the Greyhawks from being completely ostracized was that many of the surviving townsfolk witnessed the members of that group taking out huge portions of the undead.
Despite all of the efforts the Greyhawks put in to saving as many people as possible, this would not change the fact that a good majority of the town was lost in the attack. That would not be able to bring many of those lost back to life.
At this point, any kind of resurrection spell would be the last thing anyone wanted as far as Loudwater was concerned. That was the pressure the Greyhawks were now going to have to face when returning to the town.
Breonna and Kayla were both escorting Kelrac back into town. He had not bothered with trying to fight back. The black Dragonborn failed to keep the promise he had made, he had nothing left to fight for. There was nothing left, not even his own strength was able to save his brother. The hulking brute had just decided to stay silent and let whatever was coming happen to him. At this point, even he felt that he deserved it.
Aryanna and Pil were both helping Urenakk with moving Morqen back into town. Aryanna had cast a levitation spell just so that neither of the boys would struggle with hauling the body on the way back into town. Urenakk was pushing the body along, right along where the elf’s head was. The monk’s astral form had disappeared at this point. Pil was gently pulling onto the feet as it floated across the ground. Despite that, his mind was miles away, as he was thinking about all of the possibilities in his mind about what could have happened. Vedetta was just walking along with her bow out. Just in case if there were stragglers nearby, she could easily pick them off.
As far as the wizard was concerned, the Greyhawks were lucky to still be alive. He had recognized who that entity was. If Pil would never have to see the Blood Lord ever again in his life, that would still be too soon. At this point, it was fairly obvious who Nayola was worshipping, and who Ancal’s patron was. However, despite all of that, there were still some things that did not add up in the wizard’s mind. If the Roaring Banner were really responsible for the undead horde marching into town, then why didn’t they call the undead to help them wipe out his group? It would be an easy enough story to cover up, the Roaring Banner would just have to kill them and then say they couldn’t save the Greyhawks in time. Why was it that the undead were making larger appearances in certain districts, while hardly any would visit the richer districts in town? Wouldn’t it make sense to have the horde just mindlessly overrun the entire town? While the wizard was contemplating the possibilities, his spell book was dangling loosely on his satchel. It was bouncing up and down so much that it had fallen off the buckle and hit the ground.
The wizard turned his head when he realized what happened. Before he could bend down to pick it up, Aryanna had already reached down and held it up for him. “You need to be more careful with your things, darling…” the warlock smiled sadly at him.
“Thanks…” Pil smiled sadly while taking it back. He went back to moving Morqen back into town. “Where should we take him?” the wizard muttered to the others.
“Perhaps, the best place would be the church…” Vedetta shrugged as she peaked around every corner. She was anticipating for a zombie to jump out of hiding and start charging at the group. “If those priests survived all of this, I’m sure they’ll have a better idea with what to do…”
“Do you think one of them could bring him back?” Urenakk stammered, a glint of hope entered his expression. All only to disappear almost immediately as he turned to see Breonna shaking her head.
“I don’t think so…” The fighter sighed as she looked back at the carnage they were all leaving behind. “There was only ever one person who I saw that was capable of such a feat, and we killed her…”
“Sorry Urenakk…” Kayla sighed. “That church, while it is exempt from our taxes, they don’t exactly have their pockets filled with coin. I doubt they would have any diamonds on them, let alone be able to afford any…”
“Right…” the monk started to hang his head low in response. He simply looked down at his late friend, already thinking about all of the good times the two of them had together. Now all of those memories were the only thing he had left of the elven rogue.
“We’ll make sure that he is given the proper rites that he deserves…” Aryanna tried to reassure the Gith, but she didn’t seem to confident in that response. She didn’t even know if the priests they were heading to were still alive, and if they were in a state where they could perform a ritual such as this.
“I think there’s a better way of handling this…” Urenakk sighed. “Just had to do the same thing for his mother not too long ago as you’ll all remember…” The monk looked off into the distance behind him, as if trying to find a very specific spot out in the woods. “We didn’t really end up burying his mother. Coffins are very expensive and we didn’t have enough gold to get a proper one for the poor woman. Instead, we had to go with cremating her and putting her ashes in an urn. The priest said his rights and Morqen wanted to take her outside of town…” he turned around and pointed out the closest mountain in the distance. “Perhaps after everything is done at the church, we can take him there.”
“It only makes sense…” Breonna shrugged as she kept moving the hulking brute along. “Now for the other issue…” It wasn’t long until they were back in town and one of the remaining guards saw them. He approached them rather confused at the sight before him.
“You’re back…” the guard said. “And…why do you have him in custody? He’s with the Roaring Banner…”
“The Roaring Banner fought with us…” Breonna struggled to gather her thoughts. She wondered how she should word this, but it seemed to her that a few minutes ago, this would have been much easier. “We fought them outside of the town because they were the ones behind the attack…”
“That’s a rather heavy accusation…” the guard crossed his arms. “I hope you have the proof to back it up.” He sighed and shook his head. “I hope you understand, you might think they’re responsible but-“
“Trust me, we understand…” Kayla sighed. “Innocent until proven guilty. But I would just like to point out that the leader Ancal, we all witnessed him performing dark magic rituals and making contact with evil entities.”
“I can’t just take you for your word…” The guard sighed. “I’m going to need some kind of evidence…”
“We’ll get it for you…” Kayla stepped forward and looked the guard in his eyes. He paused for a moment, as if in shock, like he had seen a ghost. “We have the evidence we need to convict them…” the woman repeated.
“A…Alright…” The guard nodded his head. “I hope to see it by the end of the day…”
“You will…” Kayla nodded her head. Breonna turned to the others in the group, not directly speaking, but moving her lips to ask what she had just seen.
The other Greyhawks were just as perplexed as she was. First one moment, the guard wasn’t quite ready to believe the group and was all for providing the hulking brute with a fair trial. Then, Kayla shot the man a look and all of a sudden, he was fine with going along with her requests.
Perhaps it was the influence House Trenton had over the town of Loudwater. It would not surprise any of the Greyhawks if that influence extended to the town guard. After all, Kayla was still cloaked up, to the point where she was covered up almost everywhere and it would be hard to recognize her.
It seems that Kayla just had to reveal herself for a moment to the guard and his tune changed once he realized who he was dealing with. That was at least, the only plausible explanation for what the hawks had just witnessed and it was good enough for them to just write it off as a weird interaction.
Soon enough, the fighter and the blonde woman followed the guard over to an all too familiar place for most of the group. The guard held the door open for the entire group. Kelrac still did not put up any kind of fight as Kayla and Breonna were leading him inside.
There was no doubt that the hulking brute was also familiar with the place. But he seemed to still be staring off into space. As if his mind was distant, far away from where he currently was. It was not out of the realm of possibility. It was also possible that he just simply did not care anymore about what happened to him.
The guards followed the three warriors down towards where all of the other prisoners were kept. Making their way past most of the prisoners, who had survived the attack as they were relatively safe behind the metal bars unlike the rest of the population. Not only that, but the prison was also kept in a small corner of the town out of the way of most of the accommodations that Loudwater had for the populace.
Of course, most of the prisoners would either just ignore what was happening in front of them. Others would throw all kinds of innuendos at the women who were escorting the black Dragonborn inside. Once again, the guard stepped ahead of the three fighters, looking through his belt for a set of keys. Once he had found them, he unlocked the largest prison cell within and held the entrance open for the two women.
Once again, the women hardly had to struggle at all aside from making the spice to move along the edges of the cell as they escorted Kelrac inside. The two women left the cell and turned around to see how the new prisoner was doing at this point.
The hulking brute was looking in their direction, but he wasn’t looking at them. Rather, he had a thousand-yard stare going on instead. Entrenched in his own thoughts, he didn’t seem responsive at all to anything that was happening to him. The guard sighed before slowly shutting the entrance to the cell and locking the black Dragonborn inside.
The two women emerged from the barracks, at this point wanting to catch up with the rest of the group, who had kept going while they were dealing with the prisoner. Kayla stretched her arms and hissed, quickly rubbing at a sore spot on her hip. “I’m sorry about everything…” Kayla sighed and she turned to Breonna. “I didn’t want all of this to happen…”
“I know you didn’t…” The fighter nodded her head. She placed a reassuring hand on the blonde woman’s shoulder, smiling sadly as she was trying to comfort her friend. “Though it seems now like the threat to your town has been dealt with. What will you do now?”
“I think for now, I’m going to head outside of town for a couple of days…” Kayla shrugged. “I’m sure that there’s still going to be a lot I can find outside of town. Maybe there will be more undead. Maybe the Roaring Banner left something out there that I can find. Either way, I think it’s time that I head out there for a little while.”
“We can always come with…” Breonna piped up. “You’ve helped us through so much at this point. You might as well be another member of the group.”
“I appreciate the offer…” Kayla sighed. “But I think I need to do this on my own. I think I need to go out and do this on my own…besides, your group has done so much for this town. You deserve to have a bit of rest.”
“It really would not be a big deal…” Breonna insisted, trying to make sure that her friend would be safe for the journey. Wandering about, especially after everything that’s happened, it would be rather dangerous.
“I don’t think you quite understand…” Kayla shrugged. “I’m also doing this so that I can also clear out my own thoughts…about everything and how it played out…”
“What do you mean?” Breonna shook her head. At this point, she was getting worried about Kayla, and was wondering if she was going to have to come along whether the blonde woman liked it or not.
“Father’s dead…” Kayla finally just revealed what was deep in her mind. “It was one of the ghouls…they got to him in the manor…”
“Lord Trenton is…?” the fighter was taken aback. Not entirely able to process what she heart until she saw a nod of confirmation by the blonde woman. “So then…that means…”
“I am Lady Trenton…” Kayla nodded. “I will now be the one in charge of Loudwater…” she kicked a rock across the dirt path aimlessly. “I need to gather my thoughts because…well…I’m finally free of him…”
“Right…” Breonna nodded. “If you wanted to just get some fresh air for yourself, why didn’t you just say that from the start?” the fighter seemed rather perplexed. “Unless if you really do think there’s more out there…”
“Both…” Kayla shrugged. “Though now you can see why I wanted to do this alone…”
“Right…and sorry…” Breonna nodded her head. “Good luck Kayla…” before the blonde woman could say anything else, the blonde woman pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around the new Lady tightly. Kayla had flinched at first, but knew that Breonna needed this, so she sighed and just returned the hug to her friend.
As for the rest of the group, they had kept going. Heading in the direction towards the church. Vedetta was able to pick off a couple of the undead who were wandering the streets. Luckily for most of the group, there was no large amount of danger along the way.
During the attack, when the Greyhawks were fighting together to get rid of the hordes that had the town overrun, they were dealing with a good majority of the undead in the area. Despite that, one shouldn’t consider Loudwater to be safe. Who knows where the undead could be lurking at this point? They were aimless, no longer organized.
None of that really mattered to the group at the moment. Rather, they were more focused on making sure their friend got the rest that he deserves. They were getting close to their destination, and yet not many people in the group spoke to each other.
Rather, there was nothing they could do to distract themselves from what was happening around them. The group eventually made it to the church, where they could see there were large gatherings of people outside and around the church.
Of course, the hawks wouldn’t be the only ones seeking the holy men for comfort in these trying times. A lot of the townsfolk would be sitting in makeshift tents or using supplies to make sure that everyone else was okay. Everyone sat around, surrounded by what was left of their families. It was moments like this where reality just snapped back into the hawks.
The group of adventurers lost one of their own, and they were in the worst part of the town, dealing with most of the undead. But they were also well-versed adventurers who could easily take care of themselves when the time calls for action.
The rest of the people in this town were not so fortunate. The people gathered around the church. They lost a lot more people today than just one person from the group. A lot of these people lost their families, their homes, they lost everything.
While this wasn’t necessarily a competition in terms of who lost the most in the attack. It was still a cryptic warning to the adventurers that they could have lost a lot more today.
Aryanna was still making the body levitate and Pil was still helping out with moving it in the right direction. Vedetta lowered her bow and put her arrow back in the quiver so that she wouldn’t scare the people around her so much.
Urenakk was already making it to the front entrance. He stepped before the door and looked up. It was incredible and terrifying how much taller these doors were than him. For just a moment, looking up at the church, the Gith contemplated just how small he was in this world.
He turned around, looking at the rest of the group only to find that they were all just as small as he was. He took one deep breath, at least before creaking the doors open and heading inside. There, he would be greeted with the people who had lost the most in this attack.
These were the people who were either dying because they had been attacked by the undead, or their loved ones were. Either way, they were seeking out the holy men to make it as easy of a passing as possible. Maybe even prevent themselves from rising again.
A lot of folks were clinging desperately to their friends and family, crying as they would draw their last breath. It was here, that the devastation of the attack could be seen.
Despite that, there was one priest who had seen the group enter inside and he carefully approached them. “May the Dawn Father bless you all…” the priest muttered, going through a ritualistic motion with his hands, kissing his ring finger before looking up at the ceiling. “How may we serve you today…?”
“Hello Father…” Urenakk nodded his head in acknowledgement of the hoy man before turning around and motioning towards Morqen. “I’m sorry to disturb you in these trying times but our friend and companion…his name is Morqen Reshert, and he fought hard to protect the people of this village. We only ask that he be given a proper service, like you had done so before with his mother…”
“I see…” the priest nodded his head, frowning as he looked at the body floating in the air by magic. “The poor boy…he left this world far too soon…I remember his mother…” he looked up to the Gith with a determined expression. “I would be happy to help him move to the great beyond. How shall we assist?”
“We were hoping if we could cremate him, like we did with his mother.” Urenakk sighed. “Do you have an urn we could put him in?”
“Yes, of course…” the holy man motioned for the group to follow him. “Downstairs in the chambers…we can take care of everything there…”
“How much will this cost?” Urenakk stepped ahead of the priest, already reaching down into his satchel and grabbing his coin purse.
“Well, this is to make sure they would pass on without an issue…” The priest pondered for a second, resting his chin on his hand. “It would be about three hundred gold, that’s about the same as the material cost for this ritual…”
“Of course, here…” Urenakk handed the priest the gold before they continued on. Doors behind the altar had creaked open. Underneath were a set of stairs that led down into a nearly dark tunnel below. The only light source were the candles on the wall, and even then, they were only lighting just enough for the traveler to know where they were going, and not much further ahead.
Eventually, as the group traveled inside, the space inside became tight. Everyone was struggling to keep up the pace with the holy man who would frequently stop and wait for them to make sure that they would not get lost.
As they traveled down, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Inside were large chambers full of different molds and caskets lining the walls. The morgue contained all kinds of tools. As not only did it store bodies that were awaiting burial, but there was also a chamber where those looking to pass on through alternate methods were also available. One of these being a chamber for the body to be cremated, and beside that chamber sat a shelf full of similar looking urns to store the ashes.
The priest slowly opened the chamber to the cremation chamber. “Please, put the poor boy here if you would…” Pil nodded, and moved the floating body inside. Just as he was exiting, Aryanna dispelled her levitation magic, making the body slowly descend before gently resting on the ground. “Now, this will take a while to activate…” the priest started to adjust everything, playing with the contraptions to activate the chamber. “There we are…” Soon enough flames erupted from inside, just as the chamber was sealed. The room began to get rather hot as the group stayed inside. “Now then…” the priest picked up one of the urns and placed it on a nearby worktable. “What shall I transcribe into this?” he looked at the monk.
“Morqen Reshert…” Urenakk sighed. “Fellow member of the Greyhawks and a true friend…” The holy man nodded as he clutched his holy symbol. Focusing his attention on the urn, it began to glow with this golden hue. Then, as if by miracle, there was a loud screeching from the metal as it was being reshaped along the surface. New carvings were being formed to match what was said before. Soon enough, the urn was finished.
“It’s done…” the priest carefully placed the urn by the cremation chamber, uttering words of prayer for the elven rogue who was inside. “I’ll let you all know when he is done…” the man said. “May I have your name again? I can cast sending and let you know right away…”
“Of course…” the monk said. “My name is Urenakk.” The Gith pointed to the rest of the group who were with him. “The woman in black is Aryanna, the wizard is named Pilienries, and the woman with the bow is named Vedetta…”
“Right…” The holy man bowed to the group. “Thank you all for your patience…”
The Greyhawks paid their respects to Morqen inside the chamber and thanked the priest before exiting the church. They had all decided that they were not going too far away. Rather, they were just going to wait outside for the rest of the group to catch up.
The group as all surprised when the only one catching up of course, was Breonna their leader. She was simply heading in the direction towards the church as she knew that’s where the rest of her group wanted to go.
They had immediately got up and made their way over to her. “How did everything go for you?” Pil asked when they caught up to her.
“Is everything alright, Bre…?” Aryanna looked around, as if trying to find someone else. “Where is Kayla dear?”
“She’s fine…” the fighter nodded. “She just needs some time to herself…”
“Why what happened?” Vedetta raised an eyebrow.
Breonna looked around, trying to make sure that no one else was listening in on the conversation. The group huddled together so that she could whisper into their ears, as everyone could already tell that this was something they should not pass along to anyone else. “She had been through a lot before with her father, the lord of Loudwater.” The fighter explained. “He died in the attack, and she will be named the new ruler. She needs some time to herself to collect her thoughts…” she then turned her gaze towards the monk. “Though she did also say that she wanted to pay respects first…”
“I see…” Aryanna nodded. “Then does that mean, she is trying to retrieve her father?”
“I don’t think he’ll he given the same treatment as Morqen…” Breonna sighed. “It’s not my place to say…I already said too much as it is…”
Everyone in the group had decided to stick together. At least for a while, waiting outside. That was until a strange feeling took over Urenakk.
“Hello Urenakk, this is Father Ike, the priest you met earlier. Corvoril is done, his urn is ready.” It was strange, like Urenakk had just suddenly heard the priest’s voice speak to him in his own mind. It was the sending spell.
He got up right away. “He’s ready…” the monk told the others. “The priest just cast a sending spell to tell me.” The others got up and followed him back inside where the holy man was waiting. Once again, the group was escorted downstairs to the morgue. There, the priest handed an urn with the carvings to the Gith.
“Thank you…” Urenakk sighed and turned to face the rest of the group. “Come on…let’s get this done. I know he would have wanted his ashes scattered, and I know just the place…”
The others all agreed to go along, and just like that, they were heading back out of town. This time, the Greyhawks were heading a little way into the woods towards another one of the hills off in the distance.
“It’s not much further…” the monk reassured the group as he was moving the tree branches out of the way. For a while at this point, the group was off any trail and just trudging through the bushes, luckily there weren’t that many animals, or any undead to bother them along the way.
Once they came upon a tiny shrine made with stones cobbled together. Leaves were covering most of it and vines were already growing through most of the stones. However, atop this hill, by the shrine, behind it was a cliffside that gave a stunning view of the Dire Wood and the Gray Vale. Just at the edge of the village sat the town of Loudwater, the town that the elven rogue met the rest of the group. The group that he would give his life for.
Atop this shrine had already sat another urn. It had the carvings “Jonala Reshert, beloved mother taken too soon from the world.” Nearby the urn was a small book containing several stories to read to children before bed, and the other was a pile of herbs gathered for a specific tea.
Urenakk took a deep breath. “Alright…” the monk looked to the rest of the group. He walked up to the altar, placed Morqen’s urn down and then turned around. “I feel like the best way to go about this is that we all say something, perhaps even leave a gift for him, as that’s what we did for his mother…” He turned to face the shrine. “Who would like to go first?”
“I’ll go…” Pil stepped forward. The wizard walked up to the shrine, turning around to look at the group. He then reached into his satchel and pulled out one of his old tomes that he used to study magic with. Particularly, protective and restorative magics. “Hey Morqen…I know that we didn’t start this thing off on the best foot. Yet despite that, I can think of many times where I would have died or would have been lost without you. I think that if I learned anything from you, it’s that we can always work past the hate and become better as we do, and that in turn makes those around us better for it. Though, if I’m being completely honest, this doesn’t feel real at all. It’s like a strange dream to walk around and not see you in the corner joking around with Urenakk. You should still be there, but you just aren’t. Maybe you’ll understand where I’m coming from…anyway, I wanted to leave this to you. I think that with how much time you’re going to have, wherever you go…you’ll need some reading to pass the time…goodbye Morqen…” he placed the book down gently before returning to the rest of the group, nodding to whomever wanted to go next.
It was Aryanna who stepped forward next. She reached into her satchel and pulled out an old charm she put together with feathers and bones that were strung together. “Hello Morqen…” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry that we didn’t have time to get to speak together much. I wanted to get to know you, but it just seemed like things just kept pulling us away. I just wanted you to know that we are okay…Urenakk is okay. The bastards that put you here in the first place…they are most certainly not okay. I always wanted to protect myself and even those dear to me with the power that I’ve acquired. But…I was not ever able to protect you, and ally and a dear friend…and for that, I’ll be spending the rest of my life regretting that. I only hope that the bastards who took you away are burning in my fire. But enough of that…” she placed the charm down. “I leave with you, this charm for luck…it served me quite well over the years, and I hope that wherever you go, it will serve you too…” She turned around, making her way back to the group.
Breonna was next. The fighter stepped forward, pulling out her own mace and resting it against the shrine. “Hello Morqen…” Breonna started. “I just wanted to say that I am sorry that things played out the way they did. You didn’t deserve to be taken away so soon. I just want to let you know that if I could trade places with you, if it could be my urn laying down on this shrine instead of yours. I would do it without a second thought. You were a friend, you were part of our group, and you were part of my responsibility. As the leader of the group, I failed to protect you when you most needed it. Even with me wielding my mighty mace, I couldn’t protect you. So, I am giving it to you…you’ll have far better use for it than I did. If you get lost, or encounter any enemy wherever you go, use it to protect yourself…protect yourself better than I was able to protect you…” The fighter shook her head and turned around to rejoin the rest of the group.
Vedetta was up next. While she was approaching the altar, she took off her long cloak made out of an elk’s pelt. She rested on the shrine and taking a deep breath. “Morqen…” she started. “I just…I’m not good wit’ these kinds o’ speeches. But I just…I’m sorry that I treated you the way that I did…I’m sorry that I caused you so much pain and made you feel like an outsider for a long time…I’m sorry that nothing I can do will make up for that…not now, not in the past, not ever…right now…the best I can do is offer you my pelt…I don’t know where you’re gonna go…but you’ll need something to keep you warm…good luck Morqen…I’m sorry…I’m fuckin’ sorry…” She wiped her tears away with her sleeve before marching back to join the group. She was hiding her face the whole time, whether it be out of grief, shame, or a mixture between the two, it was hard to tell.
Finally, Urenakk stepped forward to the shrine. “Hello old friend…” he smiled sadly at the urn. “I just wanted to thank you…I wanted to thank you for seeing potential in me when even my own father didn’t. I wanted to thank you, for accepting me and treating me like the little brother you never had. I wanted to thank you for everything that you had done for me in the short time we knew each other, and I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to protect your mother…I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to protect you…and I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed a friend in your life. While I was thinking about it, I came upon that realization…when I thought about our friendship. It was more than just you seeing potential in me. I think you saw yourself in me…and I think that deep down, you wished that there was someone for you when you were at your lowest points. I think that’s why you were there for me. You were trying to be that friend that you always wanted so much, and I am sorry that I wasn’t able to do the same for you…But despite that, I know that where you go, you are going to be happy. In the end, at this point, that’s all that matters to me. The others said they don’t know where you’re going…but I do…” He picked up the urn. “You’re going to explore the world…you’re going to visit all those places you never had the opportunity to see before. You always said that what you really wanted…for your entire life…was to be free.” He opened the lid, standing over the cliffside. “Which is why I give you your last gift. Your freedom…be free my old friend…explore the world like you always wanted to…and if we ever see each other again…tell me all about your journeys since you left…goodbye Morqen…my dearest friend…” He then hoisted the urn even higher into the air, causing the ashes to fly out and be caught into the breeze. There was a small cloud of ashes at first, making its way across the sky, but soon enough that cloud dispersed. As all of the ashes went flying in all of the different directions. Morqen was finally able to explore the world. Morqen was finally free.
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The Greyhawks still have plenty to do, even after their hard fight. There are still plenty of matters to resolve and they all still have much to do. This isn't over quite yet, but the finish line is on the horizon. Get ready, there might be some things that will surprise you.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 27
In the world, within the Dragon Sea sat the beautiful but dangerous island of Laerakond. In the shape of a horseshoe, these lands were unlike anything else that could be found on the world of Toril. As the skies consisted of this substance known as Arambar, an elusive energy originally found within the world that this island is from. It is all over the skies, and with that, it causes the skies to change color into this Greyish hue rather than the normal blue sky that would be encountered everywhere else. This effects were not outright harmful, rather, they created an environment that was unlike anything else in the world. The people who lived on these land would call this effect the “steel sky.” This steel sky had an effect on how the light would bounce off the surface. If one were to look for the sun while on these islands, they would find that looking through this steel sky that the sun would appear to be blue more than any other color.
The energy derived from this, the Arambar is of course a resilient substance. It is remarkable how even though the island was magically transported here from a different world. This was where a good majority of the Dragonborn lived. But of course, they were not the only inhabitants of these lands. The kin that they derive themselves from, the Dragons also resided here and were the rulers of the land.
Over the course of several centuries, because of how possessive and ferocious most chromatic dragons are, this land would be overrun with tyranny. The humans, the Dragonborn and other races being slaves to their dragon masters.
Of course, this would not always be the case, as there would eventually come a revolt. The humanoids would fight back against their Dragon masters and would even come upon a rare substance that could be used to fight off the Dragons. This would come in the form of the rare crystalized mineral known as Dragonbane Amber. This substance was lethal to the Dragons and thus, the former slaves would weaponize these crystals in their rebellions. Using these to kill their former masters and claim the lands for themselves.
Like all things, nothing lasts forever, that includes this incredibly unique substance. The people of these lands had eventually depleted Dragonbane Amber and with that, the surviving Dragons would retaliate. Without having to fear this substance anymore, the Dragons eventually reclaimed these lands and resumed their dominance thereafter.
These were the lands that most Dragonborns had come from. These were the lands where Irden decided to have her children. The woman had green scales and wore black robes, spiked fins protruding out from her head and down her spine.
She had chosen to set up a small little hut of her own dep into one of the many forests in Laerakond, deep into the region known as Skelkor. The lands were dangerous, teaming with life, and the governing powers that ruled these lands were ruthless with the denizens. She wanted no part of that, she wanted her children to understand what it was like to be free, or at least as much as possible.
These woods were among some of the most dangerous creatures there could be. That was the main issue with living on this island in general.
The woman would try to move away from the island, to get on a boat with her egg and her one child, but she was no confident that she would ever make it that far in the water. It would be all too easy for one of the Dragons who still ruled the island to spot her and destroy that boat soon after. And even if she didn’t have to worry about the dragons on the island, there were still the many dangerous creatures that lurked deep within the oceans themselves.
The woman was growing frustrated while inside of her own hut. Irden had the one little egg resting in her lap, as she reclined in a chair, rocking it back and forth as she had a small book full of wonderous illustrations in her own hands.
She would tell the story of a group of adventurers who took up arms with the people in a small village. This small village was under the tyranny of a great red dragon, and the people inside had no knowledge of how to defend themselves, or how to drive this great beast away. The group of adventurers would come along, showing the village people that they were much braver, and much stronger than they could ever know. These people had one thing that the red Dragon wanted more than anything, treasure. He would frequently visit the village to collect his tithe, and so the adventurers came up with a plan.
One day when this red dragon would visit again to collect his due, the people would jump out in a surprise attack on this dragon. The adventurers were the first to jump into the fray and inspire the villagers to not be afraid. Everyone had fought bravely, and by the end of the fight, it was the dragon that had become afraid. It eventually flew away and the people of the village started to celebrate, thanking the adventurers for their help.
This was Irden’s favorite story to tell. This would be the one she would read to her eldest when he would struggle to sleep. She wasn’t sure how well her other child could hear her from inside the egg, but she kept it warm and it made her feel as if her youngest were already here with her.
The woman heard footsteps as the door swung open and she slowly closed her book. A tall red Dragonborn who was well built stepped inside, holding hands with a much smaller black Dragonborn. “Darling…” the large man acknowledged Irden as he nodded his head when he saw her.
“Elthac, dear…” Irden smiled warmly at him. “How’d everything go?”
“Well, we got more firewood…” the red Dragonborn smiled and motioned for the black Dragonborn to step forward. “Taught our little Crusher here how to split the logs, he did that while I went and got us our dinner. He did really good today…”
“Yeah!” the black Dragonborn approached his mother. “Father gave me an axe and he showed me how I can chop all the logs in half with just one swing! I did like a dozen of them!”
“That’s incredible!” Irden made herself look a lot more fascinated than she actually was, but it still made her smile that her son felt like he had accomplished something great.
“And what have you been up to?” Elthac leaned his back against the wall, rubbing it there as if trying to scratch an itch like a bear would when leaning against a tree.
“Oh…just reading to our little one…” The woman smile down at the egg that was resting on her lap. “I think this one was his favorite story…”
“Darling…” Elthac frowned almost right away. Seeing that the love of his life was still clinging desperately to that little egg. “It’s been a long time, dear…”
“What do you mean by that?” Irden raised her brow. “I mean sure, it is taking longer for him to hatch than I originally expected, but I’m sure he’ll come out soon…”
“Kelrac, my boy, could you do me a favor and chop some more wood for us?” Elthac nodded his head towards the door, trying to give the boy a cue that the parents needed the room.
Of course, being a child, Kelrac wasn’t able to take the hint and just looked at his father like he had three heads instead. “What do you mean?” the boy crossed his arms. “I already chopped plenty, there should be enough.”
“Just do as I say, alright?” Elthac knelt down until he was at the boy’s level.
Kelrac just shook his head and disbelief and looked to his mother, hoping that she would contradict him and say that he could stay inside. Irden waved a hand towards the door as well. “Just a few more logs, my little defender…” she sighed. “Your father and I just need to talk for a few minutes, and we’ll meet you out there, alright?”
The black Dragonborn groaned and reared his head back out of frustration. He opened the door and stepped out, as if he had to just drop everything and take care of an emergency. Irden couldn’t help but laugh when she saw this, taking the moment to enjoy her melodramatic boy. But as the door closed, the aura around the room changed as everything got quiet. “Alright…” the woman slowly got up, carefully resting the egg in her arms, as she started to make her way over the a nearby window. Wanting to watch her son and make sure that the boy was still safe while he was outside alone. “I know you have something you want to say to me, so just say it…” the woman sighed, not even looking at Elthac.
“Darling…” Elthac sighed as he slowly started to slide his feet across the floor. As if he knew that what he was going to say next was inevitably going to lead to a heated argument between both of them. “Let’s just take a moment and think about how long it’s been since you have had that egg…”
“I don’t know…” the woman shook her head dismissively. “A couple of weeks maybe. It’s been hard to keep track of time, you know with how we live out in the middle of nowhere and all…”
“It’s been almost two months…” the red Dragonborn sighed. “You can’t say it’s really that hard either, hon. We have our ways of tracking how many days it’s been. I know I’ve been keeping track…”
“You want to get to your point?” Irden squeezed her egg tightly. She was holding onto it desperately at this point. Worried that something would just appear into the house and either take it away from her or knock it out of her hands.
“Do you remember how long it took for Kelrac to hatch out of his egg?” Elthac sighed as he looked out the window, standing right behind where the green Dragonborn was standing. Even now, at this moment, as close as he was to the woman, Irden still looked away and out of the window. Whether it was because she just wanted to hide from his gaze or if she was feeling some level of shame towards the man, she didn’t know which feeling was stronger between the two.
In the end, it didn’t really matter what her motivation for looking away was. She would rather be having any other conversation at this point. She already knew exactly where this was going and what kind of suggestion that Elthac was about to make. At this point, the woman just didn’t want to hear it. She wanted to just tune out as much as she could and go bac to taking care of the egg, and keeping it warm. “I don’t remember…” the woman played coy. She knew, she was just putting on an act, hoping that somehow this would act as some kind of distraction. Hoping that somehow, she could find something to change the topic.
“Three weeks…” Elthac clarified. He tried to rest a reassuring hand on the woman’s shoulder, but the moment he touched her, she just recoiled away. He pulled back, hating every moment of how he had to see her like this. “It took Kelrac three weeks to hatch out of his egg. You have had this egg for two months. I really want there to be our second born in there, but, hon…I just…”
“Just what?” Irden huffed. “You just want what? You want me to give up on them? I’m sorry, I just can’t…I can’t be like you and just count the days and be like ‘oh well it’s taking a while, well I might as well just toss this thing aside.” She finally turned around to look at her husband.
“You’re painting me like I’m just this heartless brute and that’s not fair.” Elthac shook his head. “Look, I am sorry that this is happening to you, dear. I really am, but I need you to be there with me so that we can both raise our son. He needs his father and his mother…”
“And so does this one!” Irden snapped as she raised the egg, holding it up to the red lizard’s face. “Why can’t you help me with this one, huh? When was the last time that you were the one who was trying to keep him warm? Why is it always me that has to hold him? Why am I just taking care of this one by myself, huh? I need you, they need you too.”
“You don’t even know if that egg is even going to hatch.” Elthac growled, baring his teeth. “There’s a better chance that it won’t even hatch at all.”
“Already calling our child, it, huh?” Irden shook her head in disappointment. “That’s just nice. You can’t say them, or him or her. You just have to treat them like an object and make it all the easier for you to just toss aside later, right? Well that won’t happen, not as long as I’m here to take care of them. And have you thought about them and how they would feel?” she held up the egg once more. “How do you think they would feel if they were to ever learn that their father spent more time and energy trying to disregard it more than anything else? That their father would end up doing anything other than take care of them like he is supposed to?”
“You think this isn’t hard for me?” Elthac hissed. “You think you’re the only one who is just dealing with the entire world resting on your shoulders? This is hard for me too. But I need us to be here and be a family once again. I need you here, with us, raising our child who is alive right now.”
“Is that what you think is going on?” Irden turned away. “That I’m just turning my back on the both of you while holding this? Remind me again who cooks for you? Who cleans up after you? Who does the laundry? So I don’t want to hear you say that you think I’m not paying any attention to you or our son.”
“I’m going out there gathering our supplies together.” Elthac pointed at the shelves filled with all kinds of trinkets and essentials. “I’m going out there making sure that we do not starve out here. I give you what you need to cook with. Not only that, I’m going out there and I’m teaching our son right from wrong, but the problem is that it is just me out there. But I am doing all of that by myself and he needs both of us to raise him. He needs you too.”
“I’m not giving up on our second child.” Irden shook her head. “So if you were hoping to convince me that I should maybe just toss them aside just because you are getting tired of waiting, then you have got another thing coming. Because I am not going to.”
She brushed past the tall red Dragonborn, still clinging to her egg while heading towards the front door. It wasn’t the first time they’ve had this argument, and more than likely it was going to happen again soon. Either way, the woman just did not have the energy to keep going back and forth with her husband.
She would rather, at this point, just be spending this time with her son outside. Watching the boy work hard at chopping all of the wooden logs made the woman smile. She made her way over to him, slowly approaching from behind. “Could I get you some water dear?” she nudged him gently. “You’re doing such a good job.”
“That would be great, thanks.” The boy smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow as he put down the axe. “Mother…can I ask you something?” The green Dragonborn paused for a moment and looked inquisitively towards her son, already having an idea of what this was about. “Am I really going to have a brother or a sister?”
“Of course…” the woman nodded her head. “Look, your sibling might be having a hard time with…coming out. But that does not mean that they’re going to stay like that forever.” She started to make her way towards the house once again. “I am doing everything I can to make sure that they are going to come out of tis happy, and healthy. You’ll see soon enough for yourself…” She made her way back inside to get the boy a glass. Not even paying attention to the man who was still inside.
There was nothing much left for either of them to say to each other at this point. Rather than having yet another argument inside, the man just sort of glared at her silently and he glared at the egg. Irden was disturbed, as while this was happening, she had felt as if she was just some kind of animal being stalked by a predator. She didn’t want to stay in the house for much longer as that was happening. She poured her son a drink and quickly left the house without saying a word.
This sort of tension remained poignant for the rest of the day. Even when everyone sat together at the dinner table. Everyone was just silently poking away at their food with their forks and taking small nibbles every other moment.
They wouldn’t even be engaged in any kind of conversation beyond the occasional request for something to be passed over. Kelrac was quietly switching his gaze back and forth between both of his parents as he would take a sip from his drink.
Irden did not take her eyes off of her own plate, keeping her head down low the entire time. She knew that eyes were on her, and yet despite that. It was as if as long as she would not see the gaze upon her, she would not be so upset about it. She tried to remain as calm and composed as possible here.
Elthac was just glaring at the egg that was kept on a nearby pillow by the dinner table. It was wrapped in a blanket, closest to the fireplace. That was probably the most disturbing part for the woman when she was sitting down with everyone. The fact that her husband would spend more of his time glaring at that egg rather than glaring at her.
After their meal, Kelrac retreated to his room and closed the door behind, not wanting to acknowledge what was happening around him. It was better for tonight that he would just keep to himself. Elthac would simply lay down on the couch, resting his head against a pillow, just staring into the fire. It was as if he was deep in his own thoughts contemplating over something.
Whatever it was, Irden did not want to find out. She had the bed to herself that night. Taking the egg with her and keeping it nearby, she didn’t want it to be anywhere too far away from her. She simply focused on the thought of having another child, someone else to just brighten the day made her smile and brought her as close to a peace of mind as possible. It wasn’t long before she would lose track and slip away into her own dreams.
When the woman opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but cough heavily. But every time she did, her throat became more strained, she was struggling to catch her breath. She wiped her eyes, her back ached as she must have lied down uncomfortably, but that was when she realized that when she was down, she was on a rather rough surface. She looked around and all she could see was just pure darkness. She wasn’t sure what she was seeing, was it dirt? Her eyes were not fully adjusted yet and she went to rub her eyes.
As she reached up and started gently rubbing at them with a closed fist, she felt a weird, thick substance come off of her hands and stay on her face. This woke her up and she shot up straight. Standing up completely. When she did, she finally realized why it was so hard for her vision to adjust. It was because she was somehow deep inside a large hole, roughly the size of her entire body. She really was just looking at dirt in the dead of night.
She panicked, poking her head out from her hole, her heart sank when she realized that she was not anywhere near her own home. She did not see any trees, or her hut, or anything resembling the island she lived on.
Rather, when she looked up at the moon, and she climbed out of the hole, she could see that across the horizon was just this endless desert of pure nothingness. There were no signs of life, the silence was deafening. Irden would have started screaming, but it was stull hard for the woman to catch her breath, her voice was already hoarse just from the strain it took to breath alone.
She took one step forward and looked down, afraid that she might trip over and fall into another hole. But instead, she found something else, something small, something red. She slowly reached down and gently wrapped her fingers around it. As she did, she was finally able to see what was on her hands as she was finally exposed to the moonlight. She was disturbed when she saw it, as she recognized the thick substance was of course blood.
The blood was on her hands, ran down her arms and she looked around and she could see that her body was practically covered in the substance. Not only that, but when she got a closer look at her own arms, she could see deep cuts across the blood vessels. It wasn’t any kind of normal cut either, rather it was carvings across her arms, and studying magic, she was able to recognize what language these symbols were represented in. This was none other than the language of the abyss, the home of demon kind. She could feel the squishy texture when she picked the small object up. At a closer look, the woman could finally see that it was a very tiny heard, about the size of a strawberry.
The woman simply looked at it until she realized that the blood on her hands and on her arms started to move, the blood forcing its way inside of the heart. The woman panicked, not understanding how this was possible outside of some kind of dark ritual, but she didn’t know what this was. When all of the blood moved across her body and started pumping its way into the small heart, only then was the heart finally starting to beat.
Her own heart started to race, and the woman opened her eyes once again, jolting herself awake and sitting up straight. At this point she realized that se was no longer in the dead lands, rather she was back in her own bed, in her own home. It was early in the morning, early enough that the sun had not come out yet. She let out a deep sigh of relief, not knowing what that dream was supposed to mean. Instinctually, the woman turned towards where she put the egg, only when she looked in that direction, there was no egg at all. Instead, it was just a pillow and a rolled-up blanket.
The woman shot up instantly, the egg was gone. She rushed over to see if it was anywhere on the ground, but there was nothing on the floor. Nothing on the floorboards at all. Irden got down to her knees, wondering if it had rolled anywhere underneath the bed or the shelves. When peaking under, her eyes were able to adjust to the darkness. Once again, she had found nothing.
The green Dragonborn’s heart was racing as she started to patrol the inside of the house, swinging doors open, not even caring if the rest of her family was still asleep at this point. She had to find the egg, she had to find the little one. Even if she had to travel across the world and spend eternity to find them, she would do that.
She flew across the hallway, making it over to the kitchen. Muttering to herself that she should have tried to hide the egg better. She was already guessing at what could have happened with it, who could have taken it and why they would.
At that point, she was opening the drawers, looking for a large utility knife, once she grabbed the biggest knife she could find, she hid it in her pocket. She didn’t care about being careful anymore, the only concern she had was finding her egg. She closed the drawers before making her way out the front door.
Once she stepped outside, she widened her eyes in horror. As it turned out, she did not have to travel far, and it did not take her long to find her egg, or what was left of it. Right outside in front of the hut, the egg was shattered, bits and pieces were scattered in all directions. A small reptile that was covered in fluid was laying down in the pile as well.
The woman dropped to her knees once again, tears already flowing down from her cheeks. Her voice was hoarse as she was sobbing uncontrollably, trying to gather all of the pieces of the egg and put it all back together. There were too many, and there was no way she would be able to find them all.
She gently picked the embryo up and held it gently in her hands. She just looked down at it, wondering why the universe would be so cruel to this boy, be so cruel to her by taking him away so soon. The woman just continued to bawl her eyes out. Despite everything she was doing, she could still hear the door creak open slowly from behind.
Suddenly, she had gone silent, and just kept staring at the embryo, not saying a word. She didn’t have to turn around to figure out who was behind her. It was fairly obvious who it was in the deafening silence. Elthac, the red Dragonborn had his arms crossed as he just shook his head. Frowning at the woman and clearing his throat. “I’m sorry…” he started. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, but you wouldn’t listen. You know that egg was well past the spoiling point. I guess now you can finally see that for yourself…”
“A boy…” Irden muttered. “He was going to be a boy…do you know what I would have wanted to name him…?” She turned her head around quietly. “Ancal…”
“Dearest…” Elthac growled. “How many times do I have to tell you? Your second born son was never in that egg. Alright? Do you think I enjoy doing this? I don’t. But you have to see reason. You have to understand that this was not your son…it was just an egg…”
Irden gently laid Ancal back down onto the grass. After that, she slowly started to stand up straight, slowly approaching her husband while still looking down at the ground. “I just wanted us to raise him together…” she muttered as she stood before the man. “I just wanted us to be a family…”
“We still can be…” Elthac held out a hand in the air. “I know you hate me, right now. I can understand why…but we can still recover from this. We can still be a family…for our one son who is still alive…”
“How can I trust you again…?” Irden finally looked her husband dead in the eyes. “After you destroyed my heart…how can you understand how I feel?” She drew out her knife and planted the blade immediately in the man’s heart. He let out a gasp of horror as she stared down at the blade in shock, coughing up blood before looking back up at his wife. She was still staring at him with a blank expression. “How can you understand…unless if you went through that yourself?”
Irden watched as the light left her husband’s eyes. The red Dragonborn soon collapsed to the ground, he was dead before he had hit the floor. However, the woman widened her eyes in horror once again. For standing behind the red Dragonborn was Kelrac.
The little boy at this point was nervously twiddling his own thumbs as he watched everything that happened. “Mom?” he muttered, tears already streaming down his cheeks. “What did you do?” his voice cracked as he tried to ask her. He hardly understood why everything was happening, all he knew was that his father was dead, and that his mother was the murderer.
“Kelrac…” Irden gasped as she reached out to comfort the boy, but he reared back in terror, screaming. “Kelrac listen to me!” the woman pleaded. “You don’t have to come close, just listen to me!”
The little boy stopped in his tracks as he was about to run away. He turned around slowly, trembling as he looked at his mother.
“I need you to promise me something…” Irden started. “I’m going to try to save your brother. I need you to promise me something. I need you to take care of him, protect him. Show him everything you know and do not repeat the mistakes your father and I made. When the two of you are together, I want the two of you to take care of each other, alright? Promise me that you won’t let what happened today change how you feel about him. Promise me…”
“I…I promise…” Kelrac nodded his head. He wasn’t sure how everything was going to play out, he wasn’t sure what else he could do at the time. He just decided that doing what she says would be his best option for staying alive today.
“Thank you…” Irden wanted to hug the boy, give him one last kiss on the cheek. But when she tried to approach him again, the black Dragonborn recoiled. The woman frowned, shaking her head before getting one last look at her husband who was laying at her feet. She turned around to see her beloved son Ancal. Then she looked down at the blade that was still in her hands, the entire thing red with blood, still dripping off at the end of it. The woman thought about her dream, remembered the carvings on her arm, and remembered an old ritual she had studied long ago when she traveled the world.
She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like she was being watched. Not just by Kelrac, but by something else as well. She brushed it off, with the resolve to make sure that her son would finally get to live. She knew what she had to do.
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A new member joins the family of the Dragonborns. Maybe...maybe not...it's complicated...
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 26
As time passed, the fight would only grow more intense. No one in any group could really stick together when the fight would reach its peak. That was just the way things had played out. Corvoril, Morqen, and Vedetta made their way further into the woods, finding places to hide, to take cover and to surprise each other. This was the ideal spot for them to continue their fight.
Vedetta and Morqen would often try to hide behind cover, usually either behind a tree or some bushes. It was hard in this case as Corvoril would stick to using his illusionary clones to run around in the forest to try to divert their attention.
“Don’t suppose you can tell which one is the real Corvoril…” The ranger huffed as she pulled out another arrow. “I don’t like this…” The woman shook her head. “Every time I waste an arrow, I have to run on out there and collect them. I’m just puttin’ my life in his hands…”
“Wish Kayla were here…” Morqen shook his head. “She was able to tell which one was real, but I’ve got no idea how.” He materialized his dagger and threw it at Corvoril who was running away. It landed in his back and the moment that happened, that Corvoril turned into a bundle of leaves that just faded off into the wind. “Damn it…” the elf rematerialized the dagger in his own hand.
“You know, it didn’t have to come this far!” Corvoril called out, another jumping out from a nearby bush and rushing towards them. Vedetta released her arrow at that moment and hit the older elf square in the head. That Corvoril was reduced to a bundle of sticks after the arrow had shot straight through, ending up on a nearby tree trunk.
“See?” Vedetta shook her head and started to take off towards the arrow that she just shot, hoping that she would be able to retrieve it before they would be attacked again. As she was making her way over, she saw something move in the corner of her eye. She gasped and turned around to see that Corvoril was chasing her.
Before the woman could react, the older elf had tackled her to the ground. “There we are!” Corvoril laughed as he was trying to pin her, restrain her so that he could finally gain the upper hand.
Morqen saw this and was ready to throw another dagger, or even rush over and try to stab the older elf. But with the way the fight was playing out, he was worried that he would just end up accidentally stabbing Vedetta instead.
It wasn’t long either; in just a matter of seconds, the older elf was able to pull the woman up to her feet. Just when he did that, he pulled out his own dagger and held it against her throat. “Now then…” Corvoril smiled, satisfied with himself. “Because I’m just such a nice person, I can give you all one last chance.” He now pointed the knife at Morqen. “I want the two of you to surrender, not only that, I want your group to admit that you were the ones who were behind the attack so that we can still put you in a fair trial. If you’re lucky, since I doubt either of you were the ones casting the spells, we can try to just put you behind bars for the rest of your life. I want you to agree to these terms now, and if you don’t…” he raised it once again at the ranger’s throat. “I’ll kill her right now…”
“Why are you still on about this?” Morqen sighed. “You are trying way too hard to just pin all of this onto us when it was obviously you. If you really have to resort to holding a hostage to deny the reality of the situation, then there is no bargaining with you…”
“Not true…” Corvoril moved the knife slightly just to draw a little bit of blood. “I’m being extraordinarily patient, am I not?” He then scoffed when he looked at the ranger. “Though I suppose with you, anyone else would have been a better hostage…”
“What the Hell are you talking about?” Morqen raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve seen the way the two of you interact with each other.” Corvoril shook his head. “Nothing but venom spewing out from the both of you. Though, if I’m being completely honest, I do feel bad for you. I mean, we both kind of started off on the wrong foot as well. Look, I get that you were just forced to work with the bandits, but I was also just following Ancal’s lead, you can’t blame me. We all deal with people in our groups, and I know that when it comes to you, she is the one that you have to put up with…”
“Are you really tryin’ to turn us on each other?” Vedetta gritted her teeth. “Do you really think that would-“
“You shut up, you vile bitch!” Corvoril smacked her in the back of the head with the handle of his dagger. “I know the way that this woman treats you Morqen. To be honest, you have a lot more patience than I do. With all of the hatred that comes out of her, all the resentment. I see it, even if I did want to turn the two of you against each other, I wouldn’t have to try very hard. I would have slit this woman’s throat a long time ago if I had to work with her. But I’ve got a better idea…” At that moment, Corvoril had stepped forward, still restraining the woman.
Morqen was dead silent as he heard the older elf go on in his speech. It was true, there was a time when he did hate that woman. She was the one who got him away from his mother, she was the one spewing all kinds of hateful things at him. But what was most disturbing of all was that he completely understood where Corvoril was coming from and even sympathized with the older elf.
“I’ve got a better idea…” Corvoril shook his head. “After mulling it over again, I came upon this realization. You were never really a part of their little group, you were forced to work with them. You were forced to work with her. It needs to be you…you need to one to put an end to this racist bitch and her hatred. You do that, and not only will I say that you helped us save the town from the undead, but that you also put an end to those who were responsible. Not just for the devastation of the town, but your very own devastation.” He stepped forward again, putting away his dagger, and bringing the woman even closer to the rogue. “So go on, do it. I know you would want to get away from these people who have hurt you so much…”
“You know what?” Morqen smiled. “You’re absolutely right.” He raised his glowing dagger, pointing it at the woman.
“Morqen…” Vedetta muttered, starting to tear up.
“There was a time…” Morqen nodded his head. “There was a time when I absolutely hated this woman and everything she stood for. For a long time, this would have been a dream come true for me. You’re right that I never really asked to become a part of the Greyhawks.” The elven rogue paused. “However…” he sighed. “that seems to be what life tends to do. I think if I stayed the course that was originally made for me, I never would have ended up here. All I wanted was to be free, to make my own decisions. To explore the world on my own terms. You’re right that I didn’t ask to be a part of this group and that I hated this woman…” Morqen’s expression fell. “But life has a way of giving me things I never knew I needed. Despite the circumstances, I no longer hate Vedetta, I’ve gotten to know her and she’s proven time and time again that she wants to change and become better. If I just kill her now, I would be no better than what she used to be. That’s the thing about this group, we were all brought together, forced together, but we were all made the better for it. Even me…you’re right that I don’t have any obligations to stay with the Hawks, but there are people in the group who I’ve come to care about deeply, and that…is good enough for me…”
Corvoril reached down for his dagger to try to pull it from its hilt once more. But by the time he got to it, it was already too late. Morqen lunged forward with the glowing dagger and planted it deep into the older elf’s throat. Corvoril widened his eyes in shock, letting go of the ranger right away, he dropped to his knees, choking on his own blood. He tried covering his knew wound with his hand, but too much blood had poured out already. He looked up at the younger elf and tried reaching out with his free hand, visibly trembling.
Morqen simply stood there and watched the older elf slowly expire, helping Vedetta pick up her belongings and help her heal by handing her a small health potion. At this point, Corvoril was lying down on his back, gazing up into the light above through the trees, his hand still reaching out and trembling, but this time towards the light above. All before he finally collapsed and drew one last breath.
“Morqen…?” Vedetta turned towards him, wiping her tears away.
The elf gave her a pat on the back before turning away. “Let’s go help the others…” he said plainly. “Then maybe we can talk later…”
“Right…” The ranger nodded. Soon both of them started to make their way out of the woods to meet up with the rest of their group and help them with their own fights.
When the pair had left the woods, they could see that Pil and Aryanna were struggling in the fight with Ancal. The dread lizard was pushing them away from everyone else, towards the destroyed hill where Khorek and Urenakk fought before.
Over by the farmhouse, Urenakk and Breonna were trying to work together to take down Kelrac. But like always, the hulking brute was just too much of a one-man army. He was not going down easily. The ranger and the rogue had to make a quick decision if they wanted to quickly save their friends.
“Alright, you go help the lovebirds deal with Ancal, and I’ll go help out against Kelrac…” Morqen pointed back and forth at both areas while he was going over his choice.
Vedetta nodded her head. “Right, see you on the other side…” the woman pulled out an arrow and started sprinting over towards the hill. It wasn’t extremely far, but it would be a moment before she could start firing arrows and take the undead warlock by surprise.
As for Morqen, he stuck to the shadows, trying to get closer to Kelrac. It was hard to watch this entire time as the brute was making short work of Urenakk. At this point, the black Dragonborn had gotten used to dealing with all of the crushing blows dealt by the monk and they started to not hurt so much anymore.
The rogue just wanted to rush in right away, but he wasn’t quite close enough. That was the downside with relying on the element of surprise. He has to take his time and make sure that it is the right time to strike. He can’t just simply hide and try again.
He watched as the brute slashed at Urenakk and was about ready to tear the Gith into pieces. That was until Breonna stepped forward and absorbed most of the blows with her shield, the claws leaving a large dent in the metal once the brute was done pulling away. “This is getting rather tiring!” the fighter shouted as she swung her mace.
She landed a clean hit into his shoulder and the black Dragonborn howled in pain. However, this was far from the end, as the brute’s eyes became bloodshot once more. He looked right at her, taking his attention completely off of the monk. However, he did not charge at her, nor did he start swiping away at her.
Instead, the brute started to bare his teeth, almost letting out a hissing noise. In one moment, he was just glaring at her. The next moment, he jerked his head in one small blur of a motion and before Breonna realized what was happening, she heard a sizzling noise down below.
The fighter looked down to find that he had hurled a glob of acid right into the center of her shield. She could see that the fluid was already starting to corrode the metal. The shield itself going from this fancy silver to an ugly dark brownish color. The acid was already starting to eat it, and what little was left of the shield was starting to fold in on itself.
Breonna shook her head, tossing the shield aside, knowing that the fight was just about to get much worse from here on out. Before, she was able to step in and just take a lot of the hits for the monk, but now it was not going to be so simple anymore.
“Pathetic…” Kelrac growled as he raised his claws high in the air. He was ready to finish he woman off. That was when Morqen finally chose to strike. Soon enough, a glowing purple dagger flew from out of the bushes and landed in the spine of the black Dragonborn.
Kelrac let out an intense roar in response as he turned his attention, thinking that it was the monk once again. However, all he could see was this shadow emerge out of hiding. It got in close and before he could do anything to stop it, another dagger had already been planted into his chest. When he looked down, he saw that the figure attacking him was not at all Urenakk of course. Instead, it was the elven rogue who had run off with the ranger to fight with Corvoril.
Kelrac started to open his mouth once again, ready to release another bile of acid, this time at point blank on the rogue. However, before he would be able to use his breath attack, he received another stunning strike down below.
He looked down to see that this time, it was the monk who was attacking him. And now, the monk was enveloped in the same glowing flame that he used to fight off the bandits from before. Four arms were unleashing a flurry of blows in multiple locations of the Dragonborn’s body.
At the very last moment, he received yet another blow from behind. This one being much harder as it was coming from the mace that Breonna was holding onto. This gave Morqen the opportunity he needed to get away and build some distance between himself and the hulking brute.
Urenakk took a step back as well. “You came…” the Gith smiled. “Then that means…”
“Corvoril is dead…” Morqen nodded. “Vedetta is off helping the two lovers deal with his brother. Breonna needs help with this one I see. Looks like it’s you and me again kid…”
“You hear that!?” Breonna pointed her mace at the hulking brute. “One of your allies is already gone. Surrender now, and no more of you have to die…”
“You’ll be joining him soon enough.” Kelrac started to bare his teeth once again.
He started to let out this hideous guttural roar of pure rage that was just boiling over at this point. The rest of the group saw this coming, and even though Breonna offered him the chance to turn himself in, even she knew that the fight was far from over at this point.
The brute started to charge forward right towards the leader of the Hawks. The fighter herself swung her mace once again, however, this time he caught it and he hurled another glob of acid hitting her directly in her armor.
Breonna started to panic and screamed in pain once the acid made contact with her flesh. She tried getting the fluid off, dropping her mace at this point. The hulking brute slashed her with his claws and landed with such great force that the woman was sent flying almost right away. She was heading towards the shack.
The brute then turned his attention towards the monk who was already rushing towards him, ready to deliver another devastating series of blows that were set on crippling the black Dragonborn. Not only that, but the elven rogue was also looking to come in with a surprise attack.
Morqen thought that this would be another good time to strike. He figured that coordinating with the monk, he would be able to deal a serious blow. If not, then the kid would instead. However, that plan went awry when the brute turned towards him. Claws were at the ready, the rogue wanted to step back, to jump out and away from the danger, but it was already too late.
Breonna was already getting up and running back into the fray. The woman widened her eyes in horror when she saw it. It was the brute; Kelrac had dug his claws deep into the elf’s abdomen. It was so deep, in fact, that the claws punched straight through the small figure and were sticking out on the other side absolutely drenched in blood.
Urenakk screamed in terror once he realized what was happening. “MORQEN!” was all he could muster up as his mind was still processing what was happening right in front of him. The brute was smiling at his accomplishment, lifting the rogue high into the air before flicking him away off into the distance towards the monk.
“Morqen!” Urenakk slid to his knees, catching the rogue and gently lowering him so that he was comfortable. The monk immediately reached into his satchel in search of a health potion that he could give the elf. He kept searching and searching, but as he was emptying everything out of the bag, turning it inside out. He realized that at this moment, he was out of health potions. “It’s going to be okay!” Urenakk tried to reassure the elven rogue. “You’re going to be okay, I just need to get you to a doctor…”
“Kid…” Morqen coughed up a lot of blood, a lot more than what even he was a expecting. “You can’t just leave her…” he muttered. “You need to see this through, this is our only shot…”
“We’ll have a better chance as long as you’re with us…” The monk’s vision began to blur, letting the elf’s head rest on his lap.
“I wish I could be there kid…you know that better than anyone…” Morqen was coughing even more blood. He place his hand down on his own wounds, he could feel his own guts when he was reaching in. He knew this was going to be it for him, if there were any doctors left in town, they were busy as it is, they wouldn’t have the time to save him, even if they could.
“You can be.” Urenakk nodded his head, trying to wipe away his tears. “We just have to meet the right doctor inside…we’ve got the money…”
“Kid…” Morqen smiled sadly, reaching out to hold onto the monk’s hand. “It’s okay…it’s okay to accept the fact that these things are happening. We have to…you know better than anyone how hard the both of us fought to try to rise above everything…” he looked off into the distance, towards the hulking brute.
At this point, Breonna was back to fighting Kelrac, already in her own enraged state, she was actually pushing him back.
“But I need you…” Urenakk tears were already pouring down the monk’s cheeks once again.
“I know, bud…” Morqen started to cry as well. “I wish I could just make myself better and be there wit you…I do…you know all I ever wanted in my life was to be free…and even though I was forced to be in this group at the beginning…I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything else...even now…and do you know why?”
“No…” Urenakk shook his head. “Why?”
“Because I met you…” Morqen smiled sadly. “Kid…Urenakk…you’re so strong…so much stronger than you even realize…don’t ever listen to people like your father kid…and it’s okay…it’s okay to feel resentment towards that man. It’s what makes you a person, kid…” The elven rogue started to reach up and grab the kid by his robes. “You are so strong…so much stronger than what he says you are…I’ve seen it first-hand…you were able to lift me up from my lowest point, kid…and I need you to do something for me…”
“What is it?” The monk wasn’t even hiding it anymore, he was sobbing uncontrollably as he was holding onto his dear friend. Possibly talking to him for the last time ever.
“I need you to do the same thing again…right now…” Morqen sighed. “I need you to use that fire inside of you right now…get all of our friends out of this…they still need you kid…they still need you to be their fire…”
“Of course.” Urenakk nodded his head. When he did that, he felt the hand he was holding onto go limp. “Morqen…?” the monk tried jostling his friend awake, but it wasn’t working. Morqen was already looking off into the distance past the mountains, past the horizon. “Oh Gods!” the monk began sobbing once again, holding onto his friend tightly.
That was when something else caught his attention, it was screaming. He looked up and saw that Kelrac was once again starting to win the fight against Breonna and had her pinned. However, with the brute, his eyes were not fixated on the fighter dealing with him. No, they were staring right at the monk and his dear friend. “Tch…” Kelrac spat at the ground in their direction. “That elf spent his entire life letting himself get pushed around by those greater than him…what would he know about strength?”
“Shut up…” Urenakk muttered low.
“What did you say?” The brute scoffed as he continued to apply pressure to the fighter.
“I said shut up!” Urenakk shot up, flames burning brighter than ever. Like usual, there was an extra pair of arms that emerged from the astral form being projected. Not only that, but the usual mask was also being formed over him as well. However, he continued to burn, glowing even brighter, the intensity of the heat caused the hulking brute to take a step back.
Kelrac tried hurling another glob of acid however as he launched it, the force erupting from the monk was so great that it just went flying right back at the brute, hitting him instead. Kelrac hissed as he wiped the acid away, off of his own scales. That monk would dare cause him to humiliate himself, he was going to pay. The brute started to charge forward once more, baring his sharp fangs and claws.
However, at that moment, Urenakk erupted in a torrent of flame as he not only had an extra set of arms, he had wings, bright red feathers, the mask becoming much more whole than ever before. It used to be just flames taking the shape of a phoenix, but now, it looked like an actual phoenix was standing in Urenakk’s place.
“So that’s it…” Breonna muttered as she stared at the being in shock. “That’s his…his full potential…”
“That won’t be enough to save you!” Kelrac shouted as he dashed towards the monk once again. Once he was finally ready to land his strike, he received a crushing blow from the phoenix standing before him.
Urenakk had delivered another strike, causing the hulking brute to cough up a ton of blood. Then before Kelrac could even anticipate it, another blow was delivered to him right away. Then another, a series of continuous blows from the four arms, the legs, the punches and kicks, all of which melted the scales every time they had made contact with him.
For the first time in a long time, Kelrac started to whimper from the pain. The monk started to make him cry out from the pain. The monk than jumped into the air, spun around to build momentum for the final kick he delivered to the black Dragonborn, knocking the hulking brute back. That was when a new feeling started to take over the brute, it was a strange new feeling to him. It was not rage anymore, no, this time it was fear.
“Urenakk…” Breonna muttered out loud. She was still just stunned by everything that was happening.
The phoenix was staring daggers at the hulking brute, with a look of absolute certainty. The absolute certainty that he had finally found his inner fire and brought it out for the world to see. Then the monk started to grow worried as he remembered that Morqen’s body was nearby him. The phoenix turned around to see that there was not a single burn mark on the body. In fact, at this point, Morqen didn’t even look dead, he seemed warm, at peace, his eyes closed as if he was merely sleeping.
Urenakk just looked at the elven rogue. Realizing that the flames did not burn him at all. In fact, they only seemed to have burnt Kelrac, whom he was intent on hurting anyway. Perhaps this was the potential that Morqen saw in him all this time. The monk was able to burn brightly and be the light for his group. He was a bright fire that not only could keep his friends warm but burn away his enemies. It took a moment, but the monk finally came upon the realization. He had finally mastered his fire; he was finally complete.
He then turned his attention back to the hulking brute who was a small distance away. The brute gnarled his teeth before releasing another bile of acid at the monk before running towards the destroyed hill. Kelrac knew his brother was fighting in that direction and at this point, he needed to back up.
When the acid was finally getting close to the monk, his aura erupted once again with the brilliant flame. In a flash, the acid was flying through the air, and then the next moment, it had evaporated into nothing but smoke.
The monk leapt into the air, staying high above ground, his new wings fluttering graciously in the air, he soared towards the brute. Closing in on the distance soon enough, like a bird of prey swooping down from above while on the hunt.
In one simple strike from a kick, which at this point, the feet looked like extended talons landed on the brute, sending him flying towards the hill at this point.
Atop the hill, or what was left of it at this point, the center of it where the peak would be stood a crater instead. Vedetta was firing multiple arrows at the dread lizard at this point, trying to get his attention. But every time she thought that she was finally going to land a hit, Ancal would raise his hand and a magical barrier would form around him, shielding him from the arrow. The worst part about it is that he would just maintain his assault on the other two spellcasters involved in the fight rather than turn towards her. At this point, the leader of the Roaring Banner was doing this on purpose just to antagonize her and she knew it.
Even though the ranger knew what was happening, it still got to her. She grew ever the more furious with each arrow failing to meet its mark. Ancal started to fire another eldritch blast in the direction towards Aryanna, a blue beam of fire extended out from the orbs floating around him and all three were targeting her.
At this point, Aryanna had no choice but to use one of her own spells. She couldn’t quite raise a protective barrier like the Shield spell as this was not a physical attack. Instead, she opted for a different spell where she would still take the damage, but it would soften the blow for her.
Her flesh began sizzling as the blue flame hit her, she winced in pain and glared up at the other warlock. Opening the palm of her hand, a large ball of red flame appeared and illuminated the entire area around her. She threw it almost instantaneously at the Dragonborn, however, just like before when Pil did it. Ancal merely snapped his fingers and the ball of fire had fizzled out right before it could touch him.
The half elf cursed under her breath when she saw that. Just when Ancal was starting to revel in how he was dominating the fight, a familiar shadow loomed over him. It swooped down, enveloped in shadows and with her own talons raised, Princess clawed at the Dragonborn, successfully landing her attack.
However, that was not all that was going on. For when she attacked him, the shadows left Princess and burrowed deep into the wounds that she created. Soon after, blood began to spurt in all directions, pouring out from the lizard. He screamed in pain, he was no longer towering above everyone around him. He turned around to see that Pil was smiling triumphantly.
Ancal snarled and glared directly at the wizard. “DAMN YOU!” he shouted. But then that rage quickly turned into fear as the leader of the Roaring Banner soon saw what was happening off into the distance. He saw his older brother running away from the phoenix, upon realizing what was happening, the dread lizard panicked.
“No…” Ancal looked around to see that his own opponents were closing in on him. “No…” he came upon the realization that because he was fighting more people now than at the start of the fight, those reinforcements had to have won their fights with the other members of the Banner. The Greyhawks were pushing the Roaring Banner Back, and at this point, Ancal was about to be taken down right alongside his brother.
A new sense of rage, fear, and desperation welled up within the lizard. He looked around, trying to find some way out of this, but it was too late. The damage has already been done and there was no escape at this point.
That was when it dawned on him. There was a way out of this, only he wasn’t the one who couldn’t get out of the situation. If he wanted to survive this fight, he would have to call for help, and there was only one being that he could think of who would still be willing to help him, at least for a price. Before he went on with his plan, he created a protective barrier, surrounding it around himself so that the others couldn’t disturb him.
He then dropped to his knees, closed his eyes and thought about the great being that gave him his life, gave him his strength, the being that Nayola prays to each night. “I know you can hear me…” the dread lizard muttered. “And I know you are watching me, I need your help, now more than ever! Whatever the price may be, I am willing to pay!”
In that moment, it seemed as if time itself slowed to a crawl as the ranger and the spellcasters caught up. By the time they were close, there was nothing they could do about what was happening. For blue flames erupted from within the barrier, spreading across the battlefield. Aryanna went to cover herself so that she wouldn’t get burned, but when the flames touched her, they did not hurt. Instead, they went right past her, stretching all the way out to where the monk and the brute were fighting. Then the flames kept going, expanding into the horizon, as far as anyone could see.
When the half elf was done bracing herself, she could see that she was still standing atop the crater, but the sky had changed. It was pitch black, and the breeze had become far colder than before. Even with the warmth Aryanna gets from her own magic were not able to stop her from shivering. She looked around in a panic and found that her companions were still right alongside her.
Pil was down on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “Are you-“ that was all Aryanna could make out before she too became out of breath. It was strange, it was hard to breath here, in fact, it was as if there was hardly any air at all. The wizard looked around, trying to figure out just what was happening. He wasn’t sure what this place was, or how Ancal got everyone here, but there was one thing he was certain of. The people who were all brought here, the people who the blue flames touched, they were not around Loudwater anymore.
Vedetta joined the two, struggling to breathe as well. She motioned for the others to look at where she was pointing and the two spellcasters obliged. There they could see that Ancal, the leader of the Roaring Banner was kneeling before a great throne. And sitting atop this throne was a being unlike any the Greyhawks had ever seen. The creature sitting on the throne was large, larger than Kelrac, in fact it was about the same size as the city walls. It had a rather all-encompassing aura about it, the beat itself was red, the flesh itself was rotting. It shared all kinds of bestial features even though it appeared to be humanoid, hoofs at the bottom of its legs instead of feet, large membrane like wings, large rotating horns similar to that of a ram, all adoring this massive animalistic skull that was protruding out where the face should be. It reeked of death and decay, and this being held in its hand a large scepter of sorts, with a massive skull sitting atop on the base.
The being did not speak yet, but the Greyhawks were able to come upon a couple of realizations. The being that was before them was older than time itself and the only feelings protruding out from it was just pure hatred. This was no hatred of anything alien either, rather this was the hatred of all things living in all of existence.
“You would dare call upon me…?” the being spoke low, but its voice echoed across the horizon, everyone who was transported to wherever this place was could hear it. “You would dare disturb me? Speak now and state your business while I allow you to breathe, insect…”
“My lord…” Ancal did not move a muscle. He was afraid of the dire consequences that would follow if he did. “I have called to make a bargain with you…I am one of the beings that gives you your souls to feast upon…”
“I remember you, brat…” the being chuffed. “The apple does not fall far from the tree after all. But you have served me well over the years, I suppose I can humor you…for now…” the being stood up, lifting his scepter high in the air, and as he did, the screams of thousands, no millions of souls could be heard from across the land. It was deafening to everyone inside except for the great being himself. “What is this deal of yours?”
“I humble beg for your protection, my lord…” Ancal finally looked up. “My brother and I…our group, or what’s left of it…we need protection from the Greyhawks. What’s left of us…we need to survive this fight…I am begging you to please…wipe them out…”
The being paused, and raised his hand, resting it upon his chin, taking everything into consideration. “And what would you have to offer me?”
“Souls…” Ancal hesitated. “You will be given several more souls of the dead to do as you would like.”
“I am not here to fight your battles for you.” The being raised a hand, stopping the dread lizard in his tracks. “That is no offer, that is merely a request…I do not fulfill requests…not for something so insignificant…”
“Then what else would you like?” Ancal started to tremble. “Coin? Magical artifacts? The Roaring Banner has plenty-“
“Do I look like I would be interested in any coin, or your useless baubles?” The being slammed his scepter down onto the ground, causing the endless sea of the dead within the realm to scream once again.
“I can give you more souls…” Ancal pleaded. “Please, I would just need more time and I can give you as many souls as you would ever ask for. I just need to survive this day…”
“I do not care about later.” The being shook his head. “Do you think you are the only one in the world who feeds me? You said you have something to offer me. You said you have a deal. I want what you have to offer now…you will give me something…something priceless to you now…or I will consider this a waste of my time…” The scepter began to glow with this ugly green hue from within the eye sockets. “Do you know what happened to the last insect that wasted my time…?”
“You’re saying it has to be valuable…to me…” Ancal hesitated, realizing where this was going. “If it’s a soul you would want, would it be mine?”
“You could offer that if you wanted to protect your brother…one soul for one life to be spared…” The being nodded his head. “You could also offer your brother’s soul to me, and you will be spared instead, where you will spend the rest of your existence continuing to feed me…” The dread lizard gulped, if his heart could still beat, it would be racing at this point. “Now…” the being continued. “Make your choice…”
“Brother…” A voice called from behind. Ancal turned around to see that Kelrac, despite all of the injuries he is suffering from, came all this way to catch up to the leader. “You know what to do…” the hulking brute collapsed.
“Kelrac…” the green Dragonborn whimpered. The hulking brute started to cough up more blood, causing the dread lizard to rush over to his aid. “Kelrac, brother, it’s going to be okay…”
“You best make your choice fast…” the being called from behind. “While you still have time…”
“It’s okay…” Kelrac held his brother’s hand gently. “I’m ready…I am not afraid…if this means that you will be safe…then I shall spend eternity here gladly…”
“Kelrac…” Ancal wasn’t aware that he could still produce tears, he wiped them away before he heard a loud slam from behind.
“Enough stalling!” the being roared. “Make your choice now!”
The pressure was getting to the green Dragonborn. He rubbed his temples, dropping to his knees in a panic. “I…I…”
“It’s okay, brother…” Kelrac smiled for the first time in a long while. “You know what to do…”
“Yes…I do…” Ancal became resolute. He stood firm and looked at the being directly. “I’ve made my decision…” Ancal proclaimed. “As the leader of the Roaring Banner and little brother to Kelrac, he has been the one true friend I have had my entire life. I understand why you would want him, for he is priceless to me. That is what lead me to this decision…I…I just can’t offer him up…he is far too precious…which is why instead, I offer my own life. My soul so that he can live today…I know that you won’t just wipe out the Greyhawks, I am not asking you to fight my battles for me anymore…I only offer my soul…for his…”
“Brother!?” Kelrac shot up. “What are you doing?”
“Very well…” The being tapped his scepter onto the ground one last time. From behind the throne emerged a large hole, the screams of the damned souls became even louder.
“It’s okay, Kelrac…” Ancal smiled sadly, not even paying attention to what was going on from behind. “It’s what I want…”
“But I need you!” Kelrac pleaded. He watched in terror as the souls that were spinning around endlessly in this void soon started to rise out from this well. A large conglomeration of bone, and flesh, thousands of limbs were extending out from the center of the well. These were the souls that the being would consume. And with each passing moment, this mass of writhing flesh was getting closer to Ancal.
“I know…” Ancal nodded his head. “I know you do, and I know that the coming days are going to be hard…but you are strong…you are the strongest being I have ever known, so please…live…live your life well…for me…”
“But I made a promise…” Kelrac was sobbing at this point. The flesh was already behind Ancal now. The Greyhawks watched in silent terror, and when Pil got a closer look at the writhing mass, he could recognize a couple of beings that were melded inside. The first being from the flesh to grab onto Ancal was none other than Felix Castor, Sherriff and Captain of the guards in Loudwater. The man smiled maniacally as he grabbed the lizard from behind. His daughter was right underneath him. She was grabbing onto Ancal’s legs.
“I know you did…” Ancal muttered. “And you kept that promise well…goodbye brother…I love you…” the mass soon lifted Ancal into the air, dragging him away towards the well. The screams of the damned souls grew ever louder, the deeper the lizard got inside the well.
The leader’s smile was the last thing Kelrac was able to see before the well closed up. As soon as that happened, the blue flames started to appear from out in the horizon again. This time they were heading in the other direction. When they finally got to the spellcasters again, it consumed them, and just like before, it did not hurt one bit. Despite that, everyone had braced themselves for the worst, not knowing what to expect with this entity.
But when Pil had opened his eyes once again, the sky was no longer pitch black. And at this point, it was much easier to breathe once again. Aryanna turned to the side and she could see the town walls once again, they were back home in Loudwater, right where they had left. All eyes turned to Kelrac, expecting him to rage and go on a murder spree once again.
But the hulking brute was doing none of that. Instead he was staring down at the ground, motionless, absolutely defeated at this point. Urenakk rushed over as fast as he could, carrying Morqen over his shoulder, Breonna was not far behind.
“What was all that?” Breonna stammered when she caught up. She then pulled out some rope from her satchel and tied them around the brute’s limbs while he was still just sitting there.
“In the end…” Aryanna sighed. “He gave himself up to protect the one thing he cared about…that was his patron…”
“Wait, where’s Kayla!?” Breonna stuttered and looked down at the forest. As if on cue, the blonde woman had emerged from the woods, carrying a figure slumped over her shoulders. When the woman got closer, everyone could see that the being she was carrying was in fact the white Tiefling, now red, absolutely covered in her own blood.
“I see you managed to deal with her…” Breonna muttered hesitantly when she looked at her friend. Kayla was covered in all kinds of cuts, scars and seared flesh. She looked much worse for the ware, and much paler than she should be.
“Yes…” was all the Lady of the Trenton house could respond with. “It was…difficult…” She tossed the figure aside and into the creator.
The Tiefling’s bloody face revealed, it appeared to be a look of terror. Vedetta got a strange feeling when she looked at the late cleric. She saw that the woman was covered in all kinds of cuts, but the most gaping wound was on the neck. There were two holes punched into the neck, not really sure how a sword could make something like that.
Vedetta shook her head and closed her eyes. Wanting to think that it was some kind of result from a spell. It wouldn’t be the strangest wound caused by magic. There was only one other possible cause to that kind of wound, but the ranger didn’t want to jump to that conclusion.
“So, what now?” Pil asked hesitantly.
“We go back inside…” Kayla sighed. “And we’re taking him with us…” she pointed right at the Black Dragonborn. It took both the monk and the fighter to lift the hulking brute to his feet, but Kelrac didn’t even try to fight back, the black Dragonborn just kept looking at the ground.
Soon enough, everyone made their way inside the town once again.
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The Greyhawks vs The Roaring Banner, it is time to see how this fight will go and who will come out on top. Both groups have come a long way and it’s time to see who are the true heroes to Loudwater.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 25
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you bastard…” Breonna muttered low. Gripping her mace tightly, she was already wanting to bash the elf’s head in if he so much as gave her the wrong answer. “That isn’t your stuff to search through.”
Corvoril grunted and reached for the old woman, yanking her away from her husband. He pulled her in front of him and held his dagger by her throat. “You know, at the end of the day…” the older elf shook his head. “We’ve all done something that makes us bastards…”
Breonna’s grip loosened. At this point, it would be a good time to call for her back up. Though, taking the older elf by surprise would likely kill him. Not only that, but now that he had a hostage, there was a large risk that she could be killed as well. She wouldn’t be able to get any information out of him and would still be left totally in the dark. She shook her head and lowered her mace, but not letting go of it. “The town’s been overrun, though there’s not that many undead around this area.” She kept a straight expression and a stern tone of voice. “You also happen to be here, and I find you doing this. It doesn’t look good…”
“Please, Lady Dreamflare…” the old man was on his knees, his hands clasped together. His voice was hoarse, and he was choking up from the pressure. “Please save my wife…”
“If you just tell me what I need to know, no one will get hurt…” Corvoril maintained his composure, the old rogue was resolute in his decisions, and he was not backing down.
“I don’t want to die!” the old woman pleaded. She was already sobbing from the ordeal. “I’m not ready yet! Please, a few more years! I just want to see my grandchildren again!”
“I want you to see them again, too dear.” Corvoril shook his head.
“You better stop talking.” Breonna muttered low. “I may or may not bring every able-bodied person I can after you and your little group depending on your answer.”
“Fine.” The older elf scowled. “You’re absolutely right, it is strange that everyone in this village was attacked except for these two. I looked around and realized that it was strange that this house didn’t have that many undead surrounding it so I wanted to take a look. I take a look at the couple and I see magic within them.”
“You think they did it?” Breonna sighed. “These two, who have a family in this town. These two, who as far as I can tell, are a normal old couple. And that still doesn’t explain what you were doing, searching through their belongings.”
“I was looking for some kind of magical artifact.” Corvoril sighed. “A spell book, a talisman, something that could help me point the finger at them.”
“Please…” the old man shook his head. “We never even studied magic. I don’t even know the first thing about how to cast a spell. Even if I did, do you really think I would be working my butt off on a farm?”
The older elf started to sweat as the tension grew with every passing moment.
“You know what I think?” Breonna raised her mace, pointing it directly at the rogue. “I think you’re full of shit. I think you, and the rest of the Roaring Banner are in control of the undead that attacked this town. I don’t know why, I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. We’ve seen what you are capable of. I know that on the night we attacked that little bandit camp; you and your group caused the undead to stir and attack us in the middle of the night. As far as I know, the only ones I suspect that are capable of performing dark magic is you and your group. I think you control the undead and set this spot up to be your little cover story. That’s what I think.”
“Oh, that’s what you think?” Corvoril rolled his eyes. “How do we know it’s not just you and your group, huh? You’ve got a couple Greyhawks that practice dark magic themselves. Your necromancer stands out in my head right now. How do you know he didn’t do this? He’s never even tried to hide what he knows and what he practices. How do I know you’re not just in cohorts with him, trying to put the blame on us instead?” He adjusted the dagger slightly, drawing just a little bit of blood. It caused the old woman to yelp. “He’s not even the only one that practices dark magic; what about that half breed in your group? A warlock none the less, you know how warlocks are made? They make a pact with an entity who grants them incredible power. She uses the flames of the Nine Hells themselves to destroy her enemies. Which devil did she make a pact with, huh? Oh, I know…the big man. The one who rules in the bottom most layer, the Lord of Lies himself…How do we know that the two of them didn’t just work together on this, huh? You would really put your trust in the two of them?”
“Aryanna has been a dear friend of mine for a long time.” Breonna snarled. “As for Pil, he’s not even well versed enough in magic to even do something like this. Something you would know if you spend a lot of time with your group. I do, I still do even now, where as you…” she raised her mace high in the air. “You were stupid enough to come alone…” she lowered it once again, pointing it directly at the older rogue once again. “NOW!”
In a flash, the window had shattered as a large skeletal fist punched through. Corvoril jumped, letting the old woman go, widening his eyes in shock. The fist kept coming and crashed into the older elf hard, sending him flying into the nearby wall. Kayla was the first to rush into the fray, her sword already drawn.
The rogue rushed back to his feet, pulled small pellets out from his satchel and threw them at the ground. They exploded with loud cracks, flashing on the floor before smoke started to emit from all of them. It soon covered the entire room, causing everyone inside to start coughing violently.
Breonna struggled to keep her eyes open, she had her shield raised just in case if he would use this as an opportunity to get the jump on her. Kayla was also struggling here, but not as much, she could make out the figure of the older elf through the smoke.
However, what really stood out to both women in this moment was that they could hear the rogue was casting some kind of spell. After another few seconds, the smoke had cleared out and all eyes turned in the direction of where Corvoril was.
He was still in the room. However, now there were four of him, all standing around each other. “That’s the thing, my dear…” he started chuckling, as if he was proud of himself here. “I’m not really ever alone either.” He sheathed his dagger and started to break for it, rushing towards the open door frame. The clones were moving right along with him, mimicking his motion perfectly.
Breonna stepped in front of him. She took a deep breath and then roared, using the force of her entire body, she slammed her shield into one of the rogues. However, when she made this move, she had passed right through him. She realized she was attacking one of the clones. The clones themselves were an illusion spell. The fighter cursed under her breath when she realized.
She thought for a moment that he was going to get away. However, Kayla reached forward with one hand and grabbed Corvoril by the throat. This was the real one, it was strange, like somehow, the blonde woman was able to see through the illusions somehow. She knew which one was the real one and grabbed him right away.
Breonna figured that it was either from some kind of spell that she was able to cast on herself or it was just a lucky guess. Either way, the fighter figured that it was good to have her friend around.
Kayla shoved the man back, her sword drawn. By this point, Pil had entered the house, another spell at the ready.
“Are you sure that you want to attack me?” Corvoril looked directly at the wizard, spitting onto the floor. “You can still walk away, even now. I don’t want you and Ancal to have a fallout…”
“The fallout’s already happened…” Pil growled from underneath his breath. “Now I get it, I get why you guys were so eager to help me, wanting me to improve. It’s the same reason why you’ve got the undead around wherever you go. It was all going to be at my expense, I finally get it. You still want to be the heroes that swoop in to save the day. But you don’t get to have that if you don’t have your villain right? That’s the problem with it. I can’t be your friend, because from the very beginning, I was being set up to be your villain. Everyone wants to be the hero in their own story, you’ll lie, cheat, kill, do all kinds of things and justify it by saying that it was for the greater good.” Pil shook his head. “I’m not like that. I know what I am, I know what I do. I accept that in all of this, I am the bad guy. But I’m still not as bad as the rest of you…”
“A shame…” Corvoril shook his head. “Ancal will be very disappointed to hear that…”
“Like we’re just going to let you walk out of here?” Breonna scoffed. “I don’t think you fully understand what’s going on here, you’re coming with us, one way or another…”
“No, my dear, it is you who does not understand…” Corvoril smiled, raising his hand in the air. “I meant what I said earlier, I am NOT alone.”
One of the walls of the house began to shatter in one moment. Kelrac, the hulking brute entered the scene, acid pouring out from his mouth. He spat his acid at Kayla, the blonde woman widened her eyes in shock. She dashed out of the way.
Breonna swung her mace at him, but he grabbed it with his hand as she was trying to hit him. He reached forward and grabbed her by the breastplate with his other hand, lifting her into the air. His hand was large enough to cover the woman’s entire torso, he towered over her.
As he picked the woman up, he tossed her through the broken window, she flew out of the house and crashed into the yard outside on her back.
Pil’s skeletal hand appeared once more and clenched into a fist, slamming right into the black Dragonborn. Kelrac shrugged it off as he continued his onslaught. This time he turned his attention towards the wizard.
Kelrac had his mouth wide open as he leapt into the air. The wizard ran away, narrowly escaping the hulking brute. He was lucky, as he otherwise would have either lost a limb or would have bleed out if he did get bitten.
Kelrac still kept coming. In fact, something caught the wizard’s eye as the brute continued to come closer. The brute’s fingers were getting longer, turning into razor sharp claws.
Kelrac glared at the wizard, fixated on him. Pil took another step back, looking for options. Finally Kayla jumped in and struck the lizard from behind. The sword plunging straight through the brute’s abdomen.
“Don’t forget about me!” Kayla barked. However, as she did this, the lizard’s eyes became bloodshot. He spun around, smacking the blonde woman with the back of his hand, the sword still implanted into him. She was sent flying right into the wall and she howled in pain when she crashed.
“Lady Trenton!” the old man called out afraid. He was desperately clinging to his wife. Both of the old people were mortified at the sight. They couldn’t stand to see their home being destroyed. They couldn’t stand to see their heroes fighting amongst themselves.
The blonde woman dropped to her knees, coughing blood. “Damn it…” she muttered as she looked up. Looking at where her sword was, she saw that it was still glowing. At this point, most people she would be fighting would already have their energy drained. But not this brute, he was still going, even with the sword deep inside of him.
She stood up straight, staring right at the brute. He was not letting up, he grabbed the sword by the handle which was behind his back and he pulled it right out. “Dropped something…” he muttered, before hurling it at the woman.
Kayla dived out of the way and watched as it planted itself into the wall, grazing her hair, just barely missing her. She picked it up right away. Kelrac had closed the distance with her already and his claws were already raised in the air.
Pil wanted to step in and try to get the brute’s attention again. He charged another spell to try and deal some damage, but just when he was about to release it, a dagger had been planted into his back. The wizard coughed blood before turning around. Corvoril stood behind him smiling.
“Can you really afford to be distracted?” the older elf whispered into Pil’s ear.
Breonna was already rushing in but was horrified when she came back. Corvoril faced her again, but this time, pulled the dagger out, causing the wizard to cry out in pain once again, all before the older elf held it up to his throat.
“Damn it!” Breonna hissed as she stood there, trying to think of a way to get the wizard out of this.
“Funny how things play out…” Corvoril shook his head with a sneer. “Everyone thinks that they’re going to see through all of my tricks. Your first mistake was assuming that I couldn’t fight back…”
“I could say the same about you…” Pil muttered before clasped his hands together. The moment that happened, a thunderous boom echoed from all around him, the force so intense that it knocked the older elf into the air.
Corvoril hissed as his own hands began to glow, a bright flame emitted from the palm of his hands. “You know what?” Corvoril smiled. “You’re right, consider that lesson learned…” he slung the bolt of fire at the wizard.
Pil roared as a searing pain punched into his chest, a new burn mark on his already scarred chest. He dropped to his knees clenching his chest.
Breonna had kept by the wizard, making sure that neither the older elf, nor the brute would try to do anything else. She understood that spellcasters were not as good at taking hits as her. Pil was already down bad and he needed help.
The fighter looked off into the distance, hoping that the rest of the group would be approaching the farmhouse by now.
“You can still do the right thing.” Corvoril smiled. “You don’t have to take it any further-“ he didn’t even get to finish his sentence, an arrow had been planted into his shoulder and he screamed in pain as the head shot out to the other side. The rogue growled and turned around, he already knew who it was, he just wanted to see how he could fight them off.
Urenakk had already charged forward and delivered a devastating gut punch, knocking the wind out of the older elf. The Gith proceeded to grab the arrow and yank it out, causing the older elf to yelp once more. Corvoril had already dropped to the ground, laying on his back.
The older elf wanted to regain his composure, maybe even strike back. But before he could, a purple glowing dagger was held over his throat as Morqen knelt down. “Don’t you move a fucking muscle.” The elf snarled.
“Looks like we came in on time.” Aryanna and Vedetta caught up. The half elf turned her attention to both the wizard and the fighter. “Is he going to be alright?”
“I’ve been through worse.” Pil nodded his head.
“Where’s Kayla?” Vedetta peaked through the door frame to find that the blonde woman was still having a grudge match with the hulking brute inside.
She had to be careful so as to avoid the razor claws that were as long as her sword. She did her best to keep side stepping the attacks, trying to find good angles to dig into the scales with her blade. She was hoping that eventually she would create a large enough cut to bother him, and that the magic of her blade would eventually tire him out.
If that wouldn’t work, Kayla could try keeping at a distance and fighting him off with spells. Either way, she was being driven to a corner.
Vedetta, of course, started firing multiple arrows inside, trying to divert Kelrac’s attention. Aryanna wanted to toss a fireball in, but she didn’t want to hurt Kayla. She resorted to letting Xiaz fly in and attack the brute instead.
Before she let her imp fly in, she decided to charge it with one simple touch spell, burning hands. The spell would activate the moment that he would attack Kelrac. The imp’s claws were already glowing a bright red just from the spell. When he dug those claws into the brute, he dug through the scales and got into the flesh. A sizzling could be heard as Kelrac grunted in pain.
The black Dragonborn tried to swipe away at the little fiend, however Xiaz would not let up. The imp flew away, avoiding the claws and then in a flash, jerked its tail, planting the stinger right into where he created the wound.
Kelrac got even angrier, if that was at all possible, and just started charging at the group that was outside. He crashed through the door frame, ripping apart what was left, and hoped that he would be able to just unload onto the group.
Urenakk however, was the first to stand up and face him. The monk charged forward, delivering a series of blows, aiming for different vital points to either knock Kelrac’s sail or to knock him off balance. Either way it worked, as the brute was unable to do anything.
While he was busy recovering, the rest of the Greyhawks other than Morqen started to unleash everything they had.
Aryanna was the first, she had three bright red orbs floating around her. As she was charging her eldritch blast, she looked right at the brute. From those orbs came three beams of light made from the flames of Hell, scorching Kelrac across his entire torso.
Vedetta had decided to follow the warlock’s lead. She had ignited a few of her arrows that were slicked with oil and unleashed them all onto Kelrac as well. Plunging each arrow into a different area of the body. One in the leg, one in the abdomen, one in the shoulder, and finally one for the head. She was hoping to finish him off, but the brute snarled and moved his head out of the way just at the last second.
Breonna charged forward, first bashing the brute with her shield with such great force that it even knocked him back. Even Kelrac was amazed at this feat of strength, he widened his eyes in shock. The woman was far from finished, she swung her mace at his leg, hitting it so hard that the bone popped out. Then she swung again, this time hitting him in one of his arms, completely dislocating it. She aimed one more time for the head, however Kelrac opened his mouth and jerked his head. A large glob of acid emerged from deep within his throat and just absolutely covered the fighter. Breonna screamed in pain as she took a step back, trying to get it off of her.
Kelrac was about to swing his claw to try to rip her to pieces. However, Pil, the wizard was charging forward. He had a spell charged, shadows had enveloped his hands and he was about to unleash one of his most devastating spells onto the brute. The only problem is that it was a touch spell and that he had to get in close to the brute.
“Pil, what are you doing!?” Aryanna cried out when she saw him running towards the hulking brute. As injured as Kelrac was, he was still a deadly fighter and more than a match for a small human wizard like Pil.
“Don’t worry about me!” Pil smiled, willing to take the risk. He wasn’t stupid, he knew what would happen if he got in close and the spell didn’t work. However, at this moment, protecting the Hawks, protecting his friends, his family, that meant a lot more to the wizard in this small moment than anything else. He was not afraid to get up close and get dirty himself either, he wanted to show everyone just how much he was catching up as well. His hands that were enveloped into shadows looked more like razor sharp claws at this point. Once Pil dug into the brute, the shadows left his hands and found their way inside Kelrac. The brute opened his mouth again, coughing something up, only this time it was blood instead of acid. Not only that, blood began pouring out of every wound that was opened during the fight.
With how much damage that was done to the brute, Kelrac collapsed and fell on his back. Glaring up at the wizard who was now towering over him. “This is no longer your story…” Pil muttered low. “This town deserves real heroes, people who will protect it, not just create more problems. That’s why it needs us, the Greyhawks.”
“My, someone has grown fairly brave.” A voice called from a distance. Pil turned his head to see a large beam of blue energy flying straight towards him. By the time he saw it, it was already too late. The wizard took an eldritch blast to the chest and he was reeling back in pain, screaming.
While this was happening, Kelrac began to glow with a bright white aura, all of the blood that was poured everywhere started to return to his body as his wounds were slowly closing. The brute’s limbs were snapping back into place, including the bone that was once protruding out from the leg.
Aryanna turned to where the blue beam came from and saw both the green Dragonborn and the white Tiefling approaching everyone. She widened her eyes, looking like a deer on the road, pausing for a moment. However, after that brief moment, she shook her head and rushed over to Pil, pulling a health potion out from her satchel, she handed it to him right away and helped him back to his feet. “Think you can do that again?” she asked.
“As long as I got all of you backing me…” Pil uncorked the bottle and downed the contents before wiping his lips with his sleeve. “I think I can do that as many times as you all would want to…” His expression turned serious once more when he turned to the pair that was approaching the scene.
Nayola’s mace started to glow and soon enough the glowing aura separated itself from the actual mace, as if creating an exact replica with it, floating in the air. The floating mace started to spin rapidly and make its way towards Morqen who was still holding the older elf in place.
As it got closer, Morqen had to make the decision between being beaten to a bloody pulp and still holding onto Corvoril, or having to let him go and to live. Even if he was being beaten up, he would eventually lose the energy to hold Corvoril in place, and he knew he would be needed for the fight that was not far at all in the near future.
He dove out of the way right before the floating mace would get to him and he dashed to join the rest of his group. Of course, the moment he went away, Corvoril smiled and got himself right back up. “Well, isn’t this just a surprise…” he chuckled to himself as he turned his attention back to those he was fighting with previously.
“We’ve beaten you once already,” Morqen growled. “We can do it again…”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Ancal rolled his eyes as he reached down and helped his brother up to his feet. “So, Nayola and I were out trying to find whomever caused this and we come back to meet up with the rest of our group. And what do we find when we get here?” He motions towards the destroyed house, and inside, still laid the old couple, covered in blood at this point from what had been going on between Kayla and Kelrac, there was just no way of getting out of there. Their mangled bodies were still inside, underneath all of the rubble. “Would anyone care to explain what’s going on here?” Ancal looked at the Greyhawks. “Tell you all what, if you tell me just what you are doing to my friends and my family, I might just let you all live.”
“Oh please…” Pil rolled his eyes. “We know that you are the ones behind this. I know that you just want to put the blame on me for being a necromancer. What you’re doing is so obvious, you didn’t want me to improve just because you cared about me. You wanted me to improve just you I would be a more believable scapegoat for this.”
“Why?” Ancal snarled, showing rows of sharp teeth. “Who told you that? Her?” He pointed right at Aryanna, as if to accuse her of putting these thoughts into the wizard’s mind. “She doesn’t know the first fucking thing about me or how I think.”
“I know a lying psychopath when I see one.” Aryanna sneered.
“Shut the fuck up!” Ancal snapped at her, pointing at her with one finger. “I’ll tell you when it’s your turn to talk, girl. Right now, it’s between the two grownups.”
“You’re lucky that I’m patient.” Aryanna crossed her arms. “You know, since you want to talk a big game, talking down to me like I’m not a person myself. I don’t even know what kind of conversation you want to have.” She stepped forward. “As far as I care, you can take whatever you want to say and just shove it right up underneath that tail of yours.” Her hands were already glowing a bright red, radiating with the flames of Hell.
“Whatever speech you want to give, we don’t want to hear it.” Breonna stepped forward. “We’re done talking with you. We let you talk your way out of too many things as it is. It’s time you all answered to what you’ve all done for once.”
“Ever since you found our group, you’ve been nothing but trouble.” Morqen materialized his soul knife. “You’ve gone and tried to scrutinize every little mistake that we would make, and try to break us down, mold us into whatever shape you wanted. We’re not going to be doing things your way anymore.”
“You fuckers brought this on yourselves.” Vedetta spat in their general direction. “Don’t think that we’re just doin’ this just ‘cause we’re tired of all o’ ya. You gave us plenty o’ good reasons in the time you spent with us.”
“We’re doing this.” Kayla pointed her sword at Ancal. “Not just for our own sakes. Not just to protect the people of this town. But we are also doing this in the memory of all of the dead who cannot speak for themselves anymore. The dead whom you’ve disturbed on numerous occasions with your attempts to grab power. We’re not ignorant, we know dark magic when we see it. And you positively reek of it.”
“It’s about time that someone finally steps forward to tell you that you don’t run things anymore.” Urenakk growled. “We have all come too far just to become your playthings. I’m not talking about just us as a group, nor am I talking just about the people of this town. I’m talking about everyone who you will try to manipulate in the future. It’s about time that we put a stop to it.”
“Well, I guess that settles it then…” Pil glared at the green Dragonborn. “I don’t think there’s anything else that needs to be said…”
Ancal just stood there, stunned for a second. Then he started to smile, it broke into this sinister chuckle as he shook his head, glaring at the rest of the Greyhawks. “So you all finally let it all out, you revealed your cards that you’ve been so desperately holding onto your chest for so long.” He started to glow with a blue aura, magic started to swell up and dance around his entire body. “I tried so long to be the good guy, to help you all out and this is how you feel. No, you know what?” His scales started to fall off as he went on with his speech. The flesh underneath was melting. The magic aura enveloping him has not turned into a dark blue fire. “I’m glad…” he smiled, half of his face was already starting to slide off, nothing but his skull was underneath. “I’m glad that you all showed me what you truly think. Because for all of this time, if you all were only ever interested in finding a monster…” The blue flames erupted, most of the flesh on his head had melted, revealing only the skull. “Then you fucking got one!”
“What the fuck…” Pil muttered as he started preparing another spell. Unleashing a large ball of fire and having it fly towards the dread lizard.
Ancal snapped his fingerbones, right before the large ball of flame would even reach him and it fizzled out in the middle of the air.
“He’s got Counterspell.” Aryanna unleashed another barrage of her beams of Hell fire at the leader of the Roaring Banner. This time he wasn’t fast enough, and the beams singed what little flesh he had left on his body.
Kelrac was about to step in and tear the half elf to pieces, but Urenakk charged forward and delivered a swift kick to the abdomen. However, the hulking brute caught the kick and spun around, throwing the monk away midair. “I’ll slaughter you first!” the hulking brute roared.
At that moment, a swift but devastating blow was delivered to the back of his head by Breonna who was already behind him. Kelrac had realized that if he wanted to support his brother, he would have to work his way past these two first. “I’m not letting you get to him that easily!” the woman barked as she delivered another swift blow to the black Dragonborn’s head once more.
There were already illusionary clones of Corvoril running in all directions, however Kayla had pointed out to Vedetta where the real one was. The ranger immediately started to fire several arrows in that direction, hoping to catch him off guard. The older elf anticipated this and took a dive, the head of the arrow grazing his skin, leaving a mark that stretched across the side of the head. Before he could react, a dagger had landed right on his forearm. He looked over and saw the purple glowing dagger protruding from both ends of his arm. “Watch where you land.” Morqen chuckled as he snapped his fingers and the purple dagger reappeared in his hands.
Corvoril looked down to see that the wound was still there, blood protruding out with each heartbeat. The older elf quickly ripped his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound to cover it up. He then pulled out a health potion that was inside a small vile. The pain immediately went away once he was finished with it. “Someone’s been learning a few new tricks.” Corvoril grunted when he stared at the rogue. “Though it seems to me like you’re still new to using the Soul Knife. It shouldn’t be leaving wounds like this.” He raised his forearm, pointing it out to Morqen with his middle finger. “A shame, if you wanted to fight me today, you should have tried mastering that technique beforehand…”
“You must be fairly disappointed in yourself to be losing to someone without such mastery to my unique skills.” Morqen chuffed as he took another step forward. The two rogues started trying to think of ways that they could trick each other with right away. Though, this was much harder to do with Corvoril, since Vedetta had been supporting Morqen the entire time. Arrows were flying at the older elf once again.
“What, you’ve got nothing to say?” Corvoril launched another bolt of fire at the woman. It hit her right in the abdomen, burning right through the woman’s leather armor.
The ranger grunted in pain, gritting her teeth. But she decided to just fight through the pain and keep firing her arrows away at the older elf. “Got nothin’ to say to you at this point.” The woman fired back. “So shut the fuck up and die already.”
The ranger kept supporting the rogue in the fight.
At this point, Kayla was left with Nayola and the two were already locking their weapons. “Looks like it’ll just be you and me.” The blonde woman smiled. “Good, your friends won’t be able to protect you.”
“I could say the same about you.” Nayola laughed as she started to glow with a white aura. “Though, it seems to me like you would need the help more than I would.”
“Oh please.” Kayla rolled her eyes before stepping back and unleashed her own eldritch blast at the cleric, unleashing a beam of blue energy. Even though that this beam was glowing blue much like the beam that Ancal would unleash upon his foes, this one was different in some regards. Instead of it being a beam of necrotic energy draining the life force out of the target, this was more like a beam of fire, more along the lines to what Aryanna has. Only this flame glows blue from it being a perfect combustion, from the moment it is unleashed until the moment it touches the Tiefling’s skin.
Nayola grunted in pain but she fought through the pain. Now the glowing mace was heading towards the direction of the blonde woman, it was already spinning rapidly in the air. “For how long I wonder…” Nayola shook her head. “I can see into your being, I can see your soul. You might be able to hide it from everyone else, but I see right through you. I know that deep down, you would rather be having this fight with anyone else from the Banner. You can hide from everyone else, but you can’t hide from me.” The glowing mace was already overwhelming Kayla. The woman had to keep moving while the glowing mace was chasing her wherever she would go.
“If that’s the case, I’ll just have to deal with you quickly.” Kayla dashed towards the Cleric once again. She unleashed another beam of blue flame, causing the Tiefling to get distracted. Kayla knew about Tieflings and knew that they had a natural resistance to fire. That was why the Cleric was able to just fight through the pain and make an easy comeback earlier. “I’ll kill you before you get the chance to help out your precious friends.”
“So very confident.” Nayola chuckled darkly as she swung the mace in her hand at the blonde woman. “But are you sure that you’re going to be able to keep this up? In the middle of this very hot day?”
“I’m just fine.” Kayla muttered as she swung her sword again. She was hoping that the magic of the blade would make the Cleric tired, Nayola seems to be able to withstand the pressure much like Kelrac was able to.
Nayola smiled maniacally as she kept swinging her mace, hoping to land a hit soon. “Oh, I can’t wait to shine my light on you and drag you out into the sun. You’ll be there for the whole world to see and there will be no one around that can help you.” The two women were locked in their weapons once again. At this point, there was nothing else to say, this was going to be the deciding fight and both knew that. Nayola preferred it this way, putting everything on the line, revealing all the cards. She noticed that Kayla, however, was not so thrilled about what was happening. In fact, it would not be insane to suggest that the woman was, at this point, out of her element.
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Negotiations between the Banner and the Hawks are not going well. In fact, you might say that they're disastrous.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 24
By the time that the horns had blown, it was already too late. Waves of the undead were already flooding the walls and the gates. Piling on top of each other, throwing themselves at the doors, some of them were able to punch a hole through the barriers and would latch on, trying to rip into the holes they created and rip their way inside.
The people behind the gates could only watch in terror, waiting for the end to come. Others were already running in the other direction, practically trampling over all of the people in the pathway. They were all making their way towards the docks. When some of them got to the docks, they could see that the boats were already filled to the brim with people and they were all being cast away.
One of the people standing on the docks kicked the ground out of frustration, watching the ships float away. However, at that moment, that was when he saw limbs emerge out from under the water, and bodies started climbing onto the boats. People on the deck screamed in terror and started attacking any zombies or skeletons climbing their way up. But each time that one would let go of the boat and fall into the water, two more would emerge out from under to replace it.
The people on the docks would be relieved, until they realized that the undead were climbing their way onto the docks as well. The people in the town knew they were surrounded and that there would be no way out. While there was still time, many people took to barricading their homes and preparing for the worst. Others decided to embrace the chaos and broke into others homes to steal or rob what they could.
Some people, closer to the edge of the perimeter would simply accept their fate. They would watch as the hordes would inch closer with each passing moment. One of the people on top of the wall stood over the edge and closed his eyes. Taking a step forward, he figured that if he were to just let himself go now, that he would spare himself the pain of being torn apart later.
His wife watched as he jumped off without warning and she screamed his name. She watched as the moment he slammed into the ground, the undead below started to eat away at what they could for a short period of time. However, despite the fact that the man wanted to find some escape from this chaos, an escape from the undead terrorizing his home, he would simply fail at the end. After a few moments he was gone, and then a few moments later he was back on his feet again, among the ranks of those who were invading his home.
Disaster had struck the town and the people were drowning in the devastation already. A good portion of the people were already dying on the inside whether it be from killing each other or the criminals, who seized the opportunity, being killed by the guards. Loudwater was, of course, not ready for this attack and it became all the more apparent.
So many lives were needlessly taken away before the dead had even made their way inside. This of course, only reduced the already dwindling morale of the guards who tried to fight the horses off as much as they could.
The sheriff of the town was struggling in all of the chaos as well. Felix was at the front gates, he had his sword raised, waiting for the undead to break through at any moment. Eventually the zombies would just burst through, ripping their way into the town as they used the strength that came from their unadulterated rage.
“Hold, men!” Felix barked as the rest of the guards around him had braced themselves. They had already accepted that they were not going to survive. They knew that they would eventually be overrun. “This is it, men! Our moment has finally come!” The guards had all charged forward as the zombies broke through the entrance. The undead had already been piling on top of each other and were just trampling over each other, rolling around and in generally jamming themselves together. Some would break through and charge, but the guards stuck together and cut down any straggler that would make their way through.
The guards maintained formation and began cutting away at all of the bodies that had already piled themselves up, ensuring that they would not be able to get up and attack later. Castor was moving forward when he heard a familiar voice call out from a distance.
“Daddy!” a little girl shouted from behind.
“Selena?” Felix turned to see his little girl running towards him, already screaming and crying. A couple of the zombies were chasing her and were eager to finally catch up to the little girl. The Sheriff didn’t hesitate to charge forward and cut one of the zombies in half as it got close. He didn’t stop, he swung his sword at the other that was rushing into the scene until it had stopped moving.
He turned around to see that his men were still fighting off the bodies that were breaking through, though he knew it would only be a matter of time until that would come to an end. He caught up to his little girl and hugged her tightly. “Thank goodness, you’re alright…” his voice was hoarse as he kissed her on the forehead. “Where is your mother?”
“She told me to run as fast as I could.” The little girl whimpered. “She told me to find you and that you would keep me safe…”
The guard captain put the sword away in its sheath before hoisting her up. “You did good.” He muttered. However, their brief moment of peace was interrupted as the undead broke through the front entrance. They had already started to overwhelm the guards that were trying to hold them off. One of the zombies leapt forward, throwing themselves on top of the guards and just thrashing about before biting off a large chunk of flesh. The guard screamed in agony.
More zombies began breaking through and it was not long until the rest of the guards were overrun. Instinct had taken over Felix at this point, he was no longer thinking as the captain of the town guard. He was now thinking only as a father who wanted his daughter to live. At this defining moment, he turned tail and ran with his daughter in his arms as the zombies were breaking through.
The man sprinted as fast and as far as he could, brushing past all of the people who were running beside him, screaming in terror. Of course, the zombies themselves were not that far behind. In fact, they were catching up to the people running away rather quickly.
The zombies, while one of the most basic types of undead in the horde, were also quite deadly. They did not have the intelligence that a regular humanoid would have, they did not understand anything beyond the pure instinct to hunt and to eat.
However, because they were already dead, it didn’t matter if they were going through what would be unimaginable pain to get to their prey. They would not get tired; they would not get out of breath after running for a while. They would not stop running just because they started to feel sore. The zombies needed no rest, with that, they could sprint all day to catch their targets. As for their prey, which was most often the living, it would not be long until their prey would just end up tiring themselves out.
This was why it was only a matter of time before the undead would catch up with all of the people who decided to run.
“Daddy!” Selena whimpered as the zombies were getting closer. They were getting to be in about arm’s reach at this point. Felix grunted, his feet were getting heavier with every step, he couldn’t help but think about the zombies reaching out and pulling him away.
“No…” was all he could make out. His lungs were begging for mercy as he passed by every town block. He looked for some kind of clearing, an alleyway was not far in the distance. At the very least, he could try to squeeze into there. He thanked all of the Gods for providing him his opportunity to safety.
All he needed to do now was close the distance, he ignored the pain, he ignored how exhausted he was. It was getting harder by the second as one zombie had managed to reach the back of his uniform and almost had a grip. The sheriff barely managed to slip away.
Once he was close enough, he took a sharp, ninety degree turn into the alleyway with the zombies still chasing him. He ducked his head when entering the alleyway, turning around to see if his plan would work. The zombies were jamming their way into the entrance, but they were struggling to get in as they were all getting in each other’s way.
The guard captain dropped to his knees, letting his daughter slide off of him as he just collapsed, grasping tightly to his chest. Selena just dropped to her knees and started to sob into her dress. She was just trembling at the sight before her.
“It’s okay…” Felix pulled the girl into a hug, squeezing her tight as he watched for the zombies just in case if they started to squeeze in. “Now, I’m going to need you to be very brave for me, okay?” He pulled the girl away from the hug and wiped away her tears. He smiled sadly as he looked at her. “Can you do that for me?” The girl nodded her head. “Good…” he kissed her on her forehead. “Now, I need you to look around in this alleyway to see if there is a way out.” He explained. “I’m going to be busy with holding them off while you are doing that, and when you do figure everything out, let me know and then we’ll find our way out of here.”
“But there isn’t a way out.” Selena panicked as she turned around, facing the wall on the other end. There were barrels, boxes and other assortments, along with tools.
“There is.” Felix drew his sword, one zombie had gotten in and tripped over the others, falling to the floor. He approached it and delivered a quick swing to finish it off before turning his attention back to his daughter. “Selena, can you take a look at one of those boxes?” he pointed them out as they sat at the end of the alleyway. “See if you’re strong enough to move them…”
The girl ran over to the stack, she climbed up to see if she could move the one that was highest. She wrapped her little arms around the sides of the box and tried to heave it to her side. However, as she tried it wouldn’t budge. It wouldn’t move and she began to cry once more. “It’s too heavy!” she whimpered.
Felix cursed and ran back to her. “Alright, new plan, we’ll switch jobs.” He reached into his satchel and pulled out several pieces of his crossbow. He worked tirelessly trying to put it together properly and quickly for the little girl.
Once it was assembled, he handed it to her. “Here you are.” He smiled gently. “You said you wanted to fire my crossbow, right?”
The girl nodded her head hesitantly. “But I don’t know how!” she protested.
“It’s easy.” Felix helped fix her stance while she was holding it. “You just pull that lever there…” he pointed at a small handle that would manipulate the bow strings. “Like this…” he pulled onto it until there was a loud click. The captain of the guards pulled out a large quiver full of bolts and rested it on the wall nearby. “Then you just take one of these…” he grabbed one bold and loaded it into the crossbow until it too snapped into place. “Like this…”
“Then what?” The girl started to calm down. It seemed that as she now had a means of fighting back, she wasn’t as scared as before. It also helped that almost all of the zombies were still jammed at the opening into the alleyway.
“The rest of it is simple.” Felix adjusted the girl’s head until she was staring down the sights of the crossbow. “Close your one eye and look down the sights.” He explained and the girl did as she was instructed. “You just point it at any of them that come through and pull the trigger.” He showed her where it was. “Then after every shot you just rinse and repeat, okay?”
The girl took a deep breath. “Okay…” she muttered to herself. One zombie broke through as if on cue and that was when the girl fired her first bolt. She hit it square in the head. The bolt had actually shot straight through the head and hit another zombie from behind.
The zombie that had managed to break through. The captain of the guard immediately started to pile the boxes together so that he would be able to climb on top of them all. Once he did, he looked up at the wall that kept most of the undead at bay.
He climbed the boxes and once he stood on top, he jumped as high as he could so that he could try to reach the wall. He missed the ledge by a few feet and fell right on his back, banging his head against one of the walls on the way down.
He was out once he hit the ground. His head was bleeding profusely afterwards, and there was a newly formed hole right on the back of his head.
“Daddy!” Selena screamed as she dropped her crossbow, rushing to her father. Once she saw what state he was in, she just stared at him in horror. “Daddy please wake up!” she started to whimper once more. “I’m not brave, I can’t do this! Not without you, so please wake up! Daddy!”
The little girl heard commotion coming from behind her. She could feel her heart jump to her throat once she turned around. She could see that more and more zombies were just starting to squeeze themselves through.
The little girl rushed to her crossbow and picked it up once more. She pulled the lever until she heard a loud click. She grabbed a bold out from the quiver until she heard a snap. She closed her eyes but she was trembling at this point. She couldn’t get a clear shot. It only got worse as the zombies inched themselves to her closer than ever. She panicked and closed her eyes, pulling the trigger and hoping for the best. The bolt landed right into the head of another zombie causing it to collapse. The girl grabbed the quiver and ran to the wall. Trying to climb the boxes like her father did. But it was too hard with the crossbow in her hands.
She resorted to just leaving it on the ground and she tried climbing once more. But as she started getting high up, a hand pulled on her dress. She screamed, she tried kicking the hand away, but as she did, several more hands grabbed hold of her.
The girl screamed louder than ever before; it could be heard for several blocks. But then, moments later, there was only silence.
Things were not looking good for the Greyhawks who had stayed inside of the town either. They were already surrounded, trying to find a higher position among the rooftops to fight off the undead.
“We really should have stayed at the manor!” Pil called out as he had Princess swoop down and dive into a zombie, immediately causing cranial combustion.
“And miss all this?” Vedetta lined up her shot with perfectly so that the arrow would go straight through one undead and impale the other. She soon released her arrow and let it fly through the air.
“No, we were right to be here.” Breonna barked at the rest of the group. “These people need us now more than ever.”
“But where did all these fuckers even come from?” Vedetta lit up one of her arrows that she coated in oil and let it loose.
“I’ve got a couple of ideas.” Aryanna shook her head. A red ball of Hell fire was burning brightly in her hand as she looked down at the hordes below. She released it, unleashing Hell upon the horde below. In one spell, she had dispersed the undead, wiping a large amount of them out. Most were reduced to nothing but ash, others were still on fire running in random directions causing other zombies to be set aflame in the process.
“You think Ancal and the others would do all of this?” Pil asked. “I mean, I don’t trust them at all, but doesn’t this seem a little extreme? Even for them?”
“We have no one else we can point fingers at.” Breonna shook her head. “Who else would be capable of doing this? That we know of?”
“True…” Pil nodded “Sorry, I just…I didn’t think someone would ever go this far…and I still can’t figure out why…”
“What’s it fuckin’ matter?” Vedetta shot a few more stragglers who were still lingering about. “I don’t care why they did it, or how they did it. All I care about is that they fuckin’ did it.”
“Pil…” Aryanna muttered. “You’ve seen what they were capable of yourself. You remember what you saw through Princess’ eyes? You remember what happened to us not long after that?”
“How could I forget?” Pil sighed. “I know, you guys are right…it’s just…I really wanted to hope for something better, you know? I just wanted to think, even if it was for just a moment, that maybe, even people like them could do some good in the world…even if it was selfish…”
“You think all the good they’ve done matters at all to the people who just got eaten alive?” Breonna shook her head. “Even if they weren’t responsible for all of this, look around you. These people need all the help they can get. Who is here helping them? Them or us?”
“You’re right.” Pil nodded. “Sorry again…”
“But right now, we got bigger things to worry about.” Aryanna cut in. “It looks like we cleared this area out, so let’s go looking around in other parts of the town, maybe we can clear them out too.”
“Wait, you mean you want to split the party?” Vedetta widened her eyes in shock. “We’re already split enough as it is! Urenakk and Morqen are who the fuck knows where, and we don’t even know if they’re still alive.”
“Which is why we should look for them.” Breonna sighed. “We should also try to find Kayla, we could use her help in all of this. I’m sure there’s going to be an army between here and the manor, though.”
“This is stupid…” Vedetta shook her head. “No, it’s suicide…”
“So were all of the other missions we went out on.” Pil shrugged. “Fuck it, I’m in…”
“Alright…” Breonna nodded. “So, here’s the plan. Pil, you’re coming with me to the manor and we’re going to find Kayla. Her guards can fight, but I don’t know if they can withstand this. Aryanna, Vedetta, the two of you are going along the edge of town where Urenakk and Morqen left this morning. Stick to the high ground and try to clear out the area as much as possible. When you find Urenakk and Morqen, grab them and we’ll all meet at a rendezvous point.”
“Sounds good to me.” Pil nodded. “Where will we all be meeting up?”
“The same general area that we’re all familiar with.” Breonna pointed in the direction to the other end of the village. “We’ll meet at the farmhouse; the same one we went to for when Urenakk would be tested.”
“And if we run into anyone from the Roaring Banner?” Vedetta growled, twiddling an arrow between her fingers, staring off into the distance.
“Do not attack them while we’re separated.” Breonna shook her head. “Even if they do not command this undead horde, and that’s a big IF, they are still all very powerful killers in their own right. Our best bet to deal with them is when we have the advantage of numbers…”
“But in this case, they’ll always have the advantage of numbers…” Aryanna sighed.
“Not for long.” Breonna smiled and put a hand on the warlock’s shoulder. “A handful of zombies every now and then with them? As long as you’re with us, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
“Besides…” Pil pitched in. “We need to be deliberate about how we fight them and who we kill first. It’s important that we kill Nayola first. As much as I can’t wrap my head around which God she worships, she can still heal the Banner from any wounds we inflict on all of them. The goal is to take her out first, then move onto the others.”
“It’s true…” Aryanna smiled. “If we get her out of the way, they won’t have nearly as much room to make mistakes. Good thinking…” she nudged the wizard.
“You know we can all die from this…” Vedetta sighed. “At any point, shit could go wrong, and we all end up dead…”
“We knew what we were signing up for.” Breonna shrugged. “Right from the beginning, we knew…”
“Yeah, I know…” Vedetta sighed pulling another arrow out from her quiver. “It’s just that now we all have something to live for…”
“See you on the other side.” Pil smiled sadly at the warlock. The half elf immediately kissed him, causing him to blush, staring into her red eyes. The woman chuckled and punched him in the shoulder before turning around and making her way over to the next rooftop.
Vedetta was not far behind. The wizard sighed, turning towards the fighter, as they both started making their way towards the manor.
The ranger and the warlock were careful about how they were leaping across the rooftops, being very deliberate with every building they chose to hop across. Aryanna could try to levitate the both of them, but then at the same time, the half elf needed to conserve her energy for when it was time to fight.
“They can’t be far.” Vedetta grunted as she pulled herself over the ledge. “If they’re still alive that is…”
“They can handle themselves.” Aryanna grabbed Vedetta by one of her leather straps and helped pull her to her feet.
Suddenly, as they were speaking, they heard a thunderous boom echo across the village. Turning their heads in that direction, they could see embers emitting up high in the air, scorching the buildings. “And I thought finding them was going to be hard.” Aryanna laughed.
With the knowledge of where her comrades were, Aryanna had gained a new sense of vitality and started sprinting in that direction. Vedetta was not far behind, the ranger now had the opportunity to once again make up for the poor treatment of the rogue when she first met him.
Both women leapt across another building, hoping to catch a glimpse of their allies fighting below. Once they stood above, they saw that the rogue and the monk had stood together, back to back watching for the undead who were surrounding both of them.
The zombies were overwhelming both as they were relentless, rushing the two from all directions. It was Urenakk who had to do most of the work as he would have to unleash fire in all directions except for what was behind him.
“Looks like they could use our help again…” Vedetta muttered, already letting her arrows loose on the undead who were getting close. When one of the zombies fell right before it got to Morqen, he immediately turned his head towards where the arrows came from.
Up upon the rooftops, Vedetta waved as Aryanna was preparing another one of her spells. Ready to unleash another ball of Hell fire on the undead. The rogue laughed and called to the two women above. “It’s about damn time!” he yelled.
“Hurry up and get up here.” Vedetta pulled a long rope from her satchel and tied it to the nearby chimney. Before letting the rest hand down by the side of the building.
“Time to move, kid!” The rogue nudged the monk, and both started running towards the rope.
“You first!” Urenakk kicked one zombie into another when both men had gotten to the rope. There was no time to argue, Morqen just started to climb. He scaled up the building as quickly as he could so that the kid could start to climb as well.
As soon as both men were making their way up, Aryanna once again unleashed her power onto the undead below. In one moment, there was a large horde of the undead down below. Then, there was a blinding flash followed by a thunderous boom, it echoed across town even louder than the attacks Urenakk had been throwing. In the next moment, the streets were all clear, save for the ashes that had scattered all over the air, still burning with small cinders. The streets were now littered with ubiquitous soot.
“Perfect timing!” Morqen collapsed when he was on the rooftop, laughing hysterically. “I really thought we weren’t going to make it.”
“That’s why we came.” Vedetta sighed. “To make sure you would…”
“Well…thanks…” Morqen stood up, offering a handout to the ranger. This caught the woman off guard, she wasn’t sure what to do for a second. But then, the elf gave her a reassuring nod. Vedetta smiled and shook his hand, feeling better now than she has for a long time.
“What now?” Urenakk asked as he peered over the roof and looked at the destruction below.
“Now we meet with the others.” Aryanna pointed in the direction of the farmhouse outside of the town. “They’re heading towards the manor to pick up Kayla, once they do that, we meet with them at the farmhouse.”
“Keep to the rooftops for as much as possible.” Vedetta sighed. “We’re safer up here, that’s for sure…” Everyone started to make their way towards the edge of town.
Pil and Breonna were clearing the way towards the manor. They were sticking by in alleyways, making sure to get rid of any stragglers along the way. It was strange, it seemed like the district around the manor in general was hardly touched. There were a few zombies here and there, but just about every other district in the village was flooded with hordes of the undead.
“It’s strange…” Pil thought out loud, peeking his head around every corner. “Don’t you think?”
“Yeah…” The fighter sighed, she had her shield raised and her mace up high, ready to swing down on any other zombie that would come their way. “I just hope that she made it out of this.”
“Kayla?” Pil shrugged. “She’s pretty good with her sword. She can handle herself.”
“I know.” The woman nodded, smiling sadly. “I just can’t help but feel worried.” Once the pair had stepped out of the last alleyway, they saw the manor nearby.
“Shit…” Pil muttered when he stepped out. The front gates to the manor were a blood bath, corpses of the guardsmen were being chewed on by strange undead. They had pointed ears, grey skin and were gorging themselves on the limbs of the guards.
“Alright…” Breonna stepped out of the alleyway, starting to make her way closer. However, the wizard grabbed her by the shoulder and tried to pull her back. Shocked, the woman shook her head. “What’s the matter?”
“Those aren’t just your normal zombies…” Pil sighed. “Take a closer look at them, they’re ghouls…”
“Ghouls, zombies, what difference does it really make?” Breonna raised her eyebrow.
“A big one.” Pil held a stern expression. “The worst thing a zombie does is bite you. Whereas with a ghoul, if it so much as lands a single scratch on you, you become paralyzed. It’s some sort of weird undead curse with them. I only know it’s magical because the only things that don’t get paralyzed by them are elves.”
“Why is that?” Breonna shook her head at the thought. Magic was far too complicated sometimes for her. Even when she thinks that she has an understanding of how it works, everything changes.
“Legend has it that the first ghoul was an elf.” Pil shrugged. “Whether or not that’s true, I can’t be sure. But with magical curses, that could be a good enough explanation for me.” He started to prepare one of his own spells. “The important thing is that we should not let them get close enough to so much as scratch us. Otherwise, we’ll be in a world of trouble…”
The woman sighed and kept her shield raised. “Alright.” Breonna nodded her head. “On my mark, you’ll throw your spell at one of them and then I take down the other.”
Pil nodded in response, his hand glowing with a dark blue hue, frost was starting to overtake his sleeve. “Whenever you’re ready…” he muttered.
Breonna started to rush forward. “Now!” she called out. The two ghouls finally noticed her, and both let out an ear-piercing shriek at an insanely high pitch. They both dropped their meals and started sprinting towards the fighter.
Breonna’s heart skipped a beat as they both approached. However, in a flash, a giant, dark blue, skeletal hand appeared from thin air and smacked one of the ghouls from out of the way. Before it could jump back into the action, the skeletal hand wrapped its fingers around the undead monster and gripped it tightly, holding it in place.
With the one creature being restrained for the time being and out of the fight, Breonna was able to make short work out of the other. She swung her mace down over its head. She hit the creature so hard that the head caved in from the impact. The skull was shattered as it fell back and hit the ground with a loud thump. It did not get up.
With that, the fighter breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it worked out in the end. Twirling her mace, she decided to swing on the other ghoul before it could break free from the skeletal hand. With both ghouls taken out, she went to the gate and opened it. She wanted to call out for her friend, but she wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea.
With there being undead all over town, even if there were fewer undead around here, she would have no idea where they would be coming from. She motioned for the wizard to catch up and he ran up to her. “I really want to call for her, but I don’t want to attract more of those ghouls…”
“You heard them scream, right?” Pil shrugged. “If there were anymore around here, we would have already seen them.”
“True…” Breonna soon started calling for her friend now that she had some reassurance that it would be fine.
Soon enough the door to the manor swung open and the blonde woman came outside in a hooded cloak. Her traveling attire was underneath; however, her sword was already drawn. “You’re okay!” Kayla smiled. “Thank goodness.”
“Can’t say the same for everyone else in town…” Breonna frowned. “How is everyone else at the mansion?”
“I couldn’t save them…” Kayla shook her head. “By the time I had gotten to them, I was already too late. But the place is cleared out…” The woman wiped the blood on her sword off with her cloak. “But I’m happy that you came to check up on me. Where are the others?”
“We had to split the party.” Breonna shrugged. “Morqen and Urenakk were already out of town before the attack, so the rest went to go find and pick them up. After that, we’re supposed to rendezvous at the farmhouse outside of the village walls.”
“I see…” Kayla nodded, joining the fighter and the wizard. “Then let’s get going...” The trio decided to just leave the manor behind and make their way towards the nearest exit.
With there not being as much going on between the manor and the exit in the district, the trio were able to get to the farmhouse much faster than the other group.
“Do you have any idea where these undead even came from?” Kayla asked hesitantly along the way. She crossed her arms tightly as she awaited the response.
“You know who.” Pil shook his head. “The Roaring Banner, who else could it be?”
Kayla dropped her arms in response, and she looked off into the distance when she heard that. “They really outdid themselves with this…” she muttered. “We got to do something about them.”
The farmhouse wasn’t far at this point, they were just approaching it. They weren’t sure what to expect, but everyone saw that the door was wide open.
“Strange…” Breonna muttered as they got closer. “No blood, no bodies, in fact it looks like the undead were hardly here at all…”
“Wait a minute…” Kayla stopped the other two traveling with her once they were a few yards away from the house. “I saw them…one of them…they’re inside…”
“Which one…?” Breonna muttered low. “Wait, how can you tell, I can hardly see through that window from here?”
“I saw the figure move inside.” Kayla clarified. “It was just for a moment, but they were there. It was the elf, I think.”
“Corvoril…” Pil shook his head. “If he’s here, the others are either inside or nearby as well…what are they doing here?”
“That’s a good question…” Breonna crossed her arms. “I have an idea…” the others turned to her. “I’m going to try to head inside and confront them, whether it’s just him or the entire group. I want you two to stay outside but nearby. I want to head inside and I’ll shout for the two of you to get the surprise on them.”
“You mean right now?” Pil was floored by the suggestion. “Shouldn’t we at least wait for the others? You said so yourself, we need our advantage in numbers.”
“I know what I said.” Breonna shook her head. “But look around, there’s not that many undead around here. That means that the farmers who live there could still be alive. We don’t know for sure, but if they are, I don’t want them to get caught up in the crossfire.
“Damn it…” Pil hissed under his breath. “You’re right, but are you sure you want to go in there all by yourself? What if something goes wrong in there?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Breonna gave him a thumbs up and a smile. “I can handle myself well enough. Honestly, if there’s anyone that should be scared right now, it’s them…”
“Alright…” Kayla nodded. “Pil, you and I will stick by the trees and watch her through the window. We’ll have a better shot of hearing her once we get closer.” Pil agreed and both started making their way to their position outside of the house.
As the fighter made her way to the entrance, passing by the garden, she could hear someone screaming inside. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up once that happened and that caused her to pick up the pace.
She made it through the doorway, only to find that Corvoril was inside. He was searching through drawers while an old man and woman were holding each other tightly nearby. The sight disgusted the warrior, and she gripped her mace tightly as she took one step inside, clearing her throat.
This caused the older elf to spin around right away, knife in his hand. He widened his eyes in shock when he saw the fighter in the door frame instead of one of his comrades.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you bastard…?” Breonna muttered low.
________________________________________________________________
The zombie apocalypse continues and our group needs to focus on a few priorities. Save as many people as they can, wipe out the undead around them, and take down who is responsible for this attack.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 23
Urenakk was rushed into town and the people inside watched in horror as the Greyhawks carried him in. One of them rushed over without a second thought, offering themselves up to help the group out. “Goodness are you all okay!?” the woman asked with bated breath. “What happened?”
“He’s had it pretty rough today!” Morqen explained. “His own father tried to kill him, they were fighting just outside of town.”
“So that’s what that was…” the woman nodded. “I was wondering where the storm came from.” The group was led to the nearest medical ward in the town, ironically enough, it was the same one that the Roaring Banner had used when Corvoril was hurt. When they had all entered, the doctors and clerics inside panicked when they saw the monk.
The rogue went over and explained everything to them and they agreed to do whatever they could to help heal Urenakk. Aryanna was careful with her levitation spell, as he gently floated above the bed, she slowly lowered him down to where he would be laying on the sheets. When he was, she finally dropped the spell and the medics got to work.
The nearby cleric pulled out their sigil and started chanting, moments later, Urenakk’s body began to be enveloped with a golden hue as his wounds started to close. The cleric was concentrating, but it would not be long until he was out of strength and with that he got out of breath. “I’m sorry.” The cleric frowned to the rest of the group. “There were just so many people coming in today for help, I’ve had to use everything I have…”
“It’s okay…” Another medic dropped down and got to work.
“How bad is it?” Pil piped up, worried himself over the Gith.
“Well, even though a lot of damage has been treated already, we’re still going to have to give him some treatment.” The doctor explained. “Our friend here is going to need to rest.”
“Well obviously…” Pil interrupted with an indignant shrug.
“I meant our cleric…” the doctor shook his head. “The sooner he gets some rest, the sooner he’ll have the energy to work his magic to heal the rest of your friend’s conditions.”
“There are several?” Morqen started pacing back and forth, from one end of the ward to the other.
“Yes.” The doctor carefully lifted Urenakk’s arms to examine the monk’s body just to see how widespread the issues were. “The skin tissue needs to be prepared, and we need to start treating him as soon as we can so that we can prevent any possible infection.” He gently lowered the arm and sighed. “We’re running low on supplies as it is. I’m going to need to figure out how to make best with what little we have…”
“I can help with that!” a voice called from the entrance. All eyes turned to see that a familiar woman stood leaning against the door frame, a basket full of all kinds of herbs was in her possession.
When the warlock turned, she gasped immediately, recognizing the figure right away. “Fiona!”
The shop owner smiled as she joined with everyone else inside. “I wish we could have met again under better circumstances, but I’ll do what I can.”
“What are you doing here?” Pil asked. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re happy to see you, but why here and why now?”
“What do you think I do? Just run the shop all day every day?” Fiona smiled as she reached into her basket, sorting through what could help. “In all seriousness, seeing what happened to my sister changed something in me, I don’t know how to explain it, but now it’s like just running that shop isn’t enough. So, I help out here whenever I can…in my own little ways…”
“We’re glad you’re here…” Aryanna smiled sadly. “You can be the one to save us…”
Fiona nodded silently and sat beside the doctor who explained everything to her, telling just about everything he had explained to the rest of the Greyhawks. “Is there anything in that basket that can help?”
“Actually yes…” Fiona reached deep into the bottom of her basket and pulled out a small bowl containing some kind of cream. “I already took some Aloe and some Gotu Kola and siphoned it into this.” She handed to bowl carefully to the doctor. “It just needs to be applied to the skin and that can help treat the wounds and prevent infection…”
“It’s a great start…” the doctor reached into the bowl and scooped up a small amount, gently applying it to the largest wounds he saw at the moment.
“We also want to consider internal damage…” Fiona reached into her basket again but this time she plucked a few bright orange and yellow flowers that were sitting inside. “I can take the Calendula and brew it into a tea, it would work just like the ointment…”
“Good, your tea set is in the usual spot.” The doctor nodded, still applying the ointment to wherever he could. Fiona rushed over with her flowers to the tea set.
“Aryanna, I could use your help actually.” The woman gestured for the warlock to follow.
“Oh, of course…” the half elf nodded and approached the woman who was already fiddling around with the tea set. “How can I help?”
“I just need you to light a fire so I can heat up the tea.” Fiona smiled warmly. “I need to have the water boiling before I can make it.” Aryanna nodded and snapped her fingers, sparks flew out from her fingers and touched the bottom of the tea set and a small red flame sat on the bottom. The doctor watched and sighed as he continued to do this a sense of relief was noticeable with the monk. Urenakk held a straining pained expression, as if it was taking all of his strength just to keep himself together. But the longer that the medics continued to work on him, the more relaxed he became.
He would still likely be spending the night at the ward. As Urenakk was getting more relaxed, so were the rest of the Greyhawks. Most of them were starting to rest, even Morqen finally decided to sit down. Though he was only interested in sitting in the bed that was right next to the monk.
Breonna sat next to him and nudged him. “How are you holding up?” she muttered in a soothing tone. “I know he means a lot to you.”
“About as well as you can see…” the elf shrugged. He wasn’t sure what else there was to say. “You guys don’t have to stay with me, though I think I’ll keep the kid with some company…”
“Right…” Breonna sighed. “Well, someone needs to inform the lord about what happened. And I guess Kayla should only know about this as well…” She looked at him directly. “Would there be anything I can get for you before I come back?”
“No thanks, I’m good…” Morqen shook his head. The fighter pat his shoulder before getting up and making her way out of the ward.
“I should get going too…” the wizard got up. “Me sitting here getting all worried isn’t going to help anyone, I’ll be back in a little while…”
“Where are you going?” The warlock perked up, looking to go along with him wherever he was planning to go.
“The library…” Pil shrugged. “Maybe there will be a spell tome or two that’ll prove useful for me. You want to come with?” Aryanna nodded her head. Both spellcasters started saying their farewells to the people who were left and both started making their way out of the medical ward.
Vedetta watched from nearby frowning. The ranger shook her head, deciding that there would be no point in everyone going out and leaving the kid alone. She decided to pull up a chair and lean her bow against the wall, hanging the strap of her quiver over the head of the chair.
The elven rogue saw what she was doing and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want to stay?” he asked nonchalantly. “It’ll be a while before he wakes up…” However, Vedetta was able to catch the meaning of what he was not saying.
“He’s another hawk and a friend…” the ranger shook her head, resorting herself to stay. “If this is where he’s gonna get some help, then this is where I need to be…”
“You really are a stubborn one, aren’t you?” Morqen sighed.
“Not givin’ up is what got me this far…” Vedetta shrugged. “Nothin’s gonna change about that…” The rogue was able to pick up what she wasn’t saying either.
“Were you the one who was training with him?” Morqen asked. “Were you the one who told him all about your own life? How you ended up here? Were you the one he confided to? The one he leaned on when he wasn’t believing in himself?”
“I ain’t gonna deny that you did all of that for him.” Vedetta sighed. “Is me sittin’ here gonna change all that?” the ranger shook her head. “It ain’t. None of this is gonna change how you two see each other.”
“You don’t know that.” Morqen shook his head. “You don’t know how important that test was for him. You don’t know how he’ll feel when he wakes up.”
“No, I don’t…” the ranger admitted. “I don’t understand him as much as you. But what I do understand is that you’re his biggest friend. I understand that whatever happens when he wakes up, he’s gonna need you. He’s gonna need you to stop him from doin’ anythin’ stupid. I also know that he is another hawk, and that the Greyhawks stick together…”
The elven rogue paused, ready to argue more, but then he thought about what she was saying. He turned his attention back to his injured friend. He knew that at the end of the day that she was right, and she had just as much of a right to be here for him if she wanted to. There was no point in him trying to stop her, she was only trying to do her part in helping her team.
For a brief moment, the rogue was ready to chew her head off. He thought she was once again going to use this as an opportunity to try and apologize to him, but that wasn’t the case. If she was going to stay here for Urenakk and be a friend to the monk, then she deserved to stay here. The rogue started to shake his head, before looking back to her. “You really are stubborn, aren’t you?” he sighed.
“If being there for a friend makes me stubborn, then yeah…” The ranger crossed her arms. “I guess it does.”
The two stayed there silently for the day. As the day went on, the two spellcasters would be returning from the library. Pil with a couple new books in his satchel, he made sure to rent out a couple if they were going to be here for a while. “By the way…” Pil motioned to the two Greyhawks who stayed with the monk. “Aryanna and I booked a couple of rooms at the closest inn here, I’m sure we won’t be able to spend the night here, so just in case…”
“Your hutch was right…” a voice called from the corner. All eyes turned to the doctor and Fiona standing together. “I’m sorry, but your friend is going to have to spend the night here. We don’t have the space for more guests, we need the beds just in case if another emergency happens…”
“Don’t worry…” the cleric from earlier stepped out from behind both of the medics. “It should just be until the morning and then he should be good to go, I promise…”
“I understand…” Morqen nodded his head, stretching his limbs and adjusting his cloak. Vedetta was doing just about the same herself.
As the Greyhawks were all exiting the ward, they saw both Breonna and Kayla heading over. “You were gone for quite a while…”
“Sorry about that.” Breonna sighed. “We had some things to deal with back at the manor, Lord Trenton was being weird…”
“He came back to his manor for once?” Aryanna pulled out a cigarette and lit it with an ember that burned right at the tip of her finger.
“Yeah we had to deal with that for a bit.” Kayla apologized to the rest of the group. “I also heard about what happened with Urenakk, I’m so sorry…”
“Thanks…” Morqen smiled sadly. “Though to be honest, I don’t think you’re the person who should be apologizing, nor am I the one who should be receiving that apology…”
“Yeah…” Kayla sighed and looked off blankly into the distance. “And I hate this because I have even more bad news.”
“What is it?” Pil asked suddenly.
Kayla first looked over her shoulder to make sure no one else was listening, then turned her gaze back to the group. “It’s the Roaring Banner…” the woman sighed. “They left the village with no warning. I tried to follow them, but it wasn’t long until I had lost them. I don’t know what it is that they’re up to, but I don’t like it. Something tells me it’s going to be something big.”
“Of course…” Aryanna rolled her eyes, a small puff emerged out of her. “But how do you know that they’re planning something big?”
“Because when they leave the village, they usually make sure that everyone knows first.” Kayla sighed. “Whatever is going to happen, they don’t want the attention brought to them.”
“I’ve got an idea of what it’s gonna involve…” Pil sighed. All eyes turned to him at that moment. “I saw the Tiefling in their group, Nayola, she performed this dark ritual on a bandit that survived our attack. I saw her kill him, do all kinds of crazy shit to the corpse. The same night she did that, we were all attacked by the spirits of the dead. I can only imagine what they’ll find out there next.”
“Wait a minute…” Aryanna muttered and then looked at Pil. “We burned just about all of the bodies we could at the bandit camp…” she widened her eyes in horror. “You don’t think…”
“They also said they were interested in attacking the other bandit camps in the Bull’s crew.” Breonna pointed out. “Without Zyrsius to lead them, this would be the best time to attack, while they’re still trying to recover.”
“And we’re not there with them this time…” Kayla sighed. “Who knows what they’ll do with the other bandit camps, once they’re done? We’re not there to manage them or to make sure that they do the right thing.”
“They were hardly doing the right thing even when we were there.” Morqen spat at the ground away from the group. “I’m sure that if you all weren’t there, they would have killed me; or as you say, do something far worse.”
“What do we do when they return back to town?” Pil asked. “Should we confront them?”
“That’s the problem, we still don’t have any solid proof for them.” Breonna shook her head. “We only just one the trust of the town, but that could go away pretty quickly. If we had some evidence that could convict them, I’d say we could go for it. But if it’s only our word against theirs, who do you think most of the townsfolk would side with?”
“Every fuckin’ time with ‘em.” Vedetta kicked a stone that was lodged into the dirt road. She watched as it rolled across the ground and she let out an irritated huff.
“We tried waiting for them to slip up.” Aryanna inhaled from her cigarette again and looked up at the sky. It was already getting dark out at this point as the sun was descending away in the distance. “Even when they do, we just are never able to bring anything back with us. Even when they outright do malicious things, they do it away from here. What are we even going to do when we confront them?”
“Do you think that despite with all of us, we won’t stand a chance?” Pil asked.
“Urenakk is still recovering from his fight.” Aryanna pointed at the medical ward. “Sure, he’ll get better in the morning, but who knows how he is going to feel when he wakes up? This was a very serious test for him and if he finds out he isn’t going to his home…I don’t know…”
“I’ll talk to him…” Morqen shrugged. “But you’re right, who knows how he’ll be when he gets up? And who knows how ready we’ll be when the time come…?”
“Let’s just get some rest.” Breonna sighed. The group started making their way towards the inn.
“Are you all sure you don’t just want to stay at my manor again?” Kayla stepped in front of everyone.
“It’s a generous offer, but…” Morqen sighed. “I want to be there when the kid wakes up in the morning. Right now, I couldn’t care less about how comfortable I am or if I have to pay for it, I just want to be close by.”
“I understand…” Kayla nodded. “In that case, I’ll just meet with you all around here sometime tomorrow.”
“Good night, Kayla…” Breonna held the woman’s hand. “And if the lord tries anything again, just let me know…”
“I can take care of myself.” Kayla nodded. “But thank you…” Before she could go, Breonna pulled the woman into a hug. Kayla couldn’t help but be embarrassed as the rest of the group was watching from right next to them, but she still smiled and returned the embrace.
The Greyhawks let the girls have their moment and the rest made their way to the inn where they would spend the rest of the night. Nothing eventful would happen over the night, but everyone was still anxious.
Morqen stayed up because he was worried about the kid and how Urenakk would be when finally waking up. Others like Vedetta were scared about what would happen if they were to confront the Roaring Banner in the morning.
The ranger thought about the conversation and was nervous. She thought about how if the Roaring Banner were to return back to town and how the people would just immediately side with them. She wondered about being run out of town, being wanted again, or thrown in prison and perhaps even executed. All because the people of this town would just turn a blind eye or if they are truly foolish enough to believe the Roaring Banner is looking out for their safety.
Needless to say, no one in the Greyhawks got a good night’s rest. Just about all of them were emerging from their rooms, and immediately making their way downstairs for a cup of coffee or food to boost their energy.
All except for Morqen that is, he instead went out from his room and started to march on towards the medical ward. Even though he was running on fumes at this point, he didn’t care. He was serious when he said that he wanted to be there for when Urenakk would wake up.
The rogue gently knocked on the door before entering. As soon as he entered he couldn’t help but smile as he saw that the cleric was already focusing all of their effort on the monk. They were right to have made him leave yesterday, a few more guests were already in the beds that were taking up a lot of space.
“What happened with them?” Morqen asked as he motioned towards the other patients.
“It’s hard to tell.” The Doctor shrugged. “Guards dragged them in earlier this morning. They had just forced themselves back to the edge of the town before collapsing. They had to be carried the rest of the way. Either way, it looks like they were hunting for some dangerous game, it looks like some kind of animal attack. However, I’m not sure what exactly it is yet, look at their bite marks.” He pointed at one of the patient’s arms. A large chunk of flesh was already missing, and the wound was given different kinds of ointment to deal with infection. From the look of the patient, it didn’t seem to be working out too well. “If you look at the teeth pattern within those bitemarks, you can take a guess at what they look like.” The doctor opened his mouth and pointed at his own molars.
Morqen cringed at the sight of it, the rogue could only imagine what kind of undead was out there. However, as the two kept on going, they could hear a grunt from nearby. Morqen turned his attention to the monk, who at this point was starting to finally wake up.
“I think he’s ready…” The cleric smiled, taking a deep breath before reaching for a flask full of water. He sighed; the healing took a lot out of him. “He should be ready to go now, his wounds are healed and he doesn’t have any infection.” He started to make his way towards another patient. “I’ll leave you to it…” The doctor followed the cleric’s lead and started trying to help another one of the bite victims. Applying what ointments he had.
Urenakk slowly adjusted himself in the bed until his back was leaning against the bed post and he was sitting upright. He reached up, gently rubbing his head, a deep throbbing pain rushed through the back of it. The monk looked around until his eyes became fixated on the rogue. Then it dawned on him and he widened his eyes in shock. “You’re here…” was all he could think of saying.
“Where else would I be?” Morqen frowned as he pulled up a nearby chair and sat back down. “That was one Hell of a fight, kid…”
“And my father?” Urenakk held a blank expression. At this point he had already figured out what the answer was going to be. He only wanted to hear it for himself at this point.
“He left…” Morqen looked down at his boots. A strong sense of shame washed over the rogue when he said that, things were finally coming to a head. “He went home and just left you there when everything was over. I’m sorry kid…”
“Yeah…” Urenakk choked up. He turned away from Morqen, an even stronger sense of shame taking over him at this point. Tears started to well up and run down his cheeks, causing his vision to get blurry. “I guess I’m not ready…” he sniffled. “And even when I do get ready, I lost my chance to prove it…”
“I’m sorry kid…” Morqen shook his head and looked back up at the monk. “I really am…”
“Damn it…” Urenakk clenched his fists. “I spent so long training, practicing every day hoping that I would improve. I just wanted to make my father happy. I just wanted to see him smile again, look at me and tell me how proud he was…that’s all I wanted…”
“Kid…” Morqen wanted to cut in. He wanted to just tell the monk how his father would just never be happy. That the standards would just keep climbing and that Urenakk would never be able to prove himself from the very start of all this. He wanted to just tell the kid how awful his father had treated him and that he would be better off without that old Gith. He stopped himself from going on. He decided he was just going to listen, it was the least he could do for the kid.
“I can’t remember the last time he told me he loved me…” Urenakk shook his head. “I know that there was a time he did when I was much younger…when we were all happier. I know it’s there, but when I try really hard to think about when the true last moment he said that was, I just…I don’t know, I can’t remember it…” Morqen looked down at the ground once more. The monk just decided to keep going. “I…I damn it, I just want to be happy again…” the monk choked up once more. “I just want to have a family again…I just want to go home…” He paused and looked up at the rogue once again. “Gods, sorry, I really just let it all out. Sorry about that again…it’s just...”
“Don’t be sorry…” Morqen shook his head, finally trying to talk the kid through this. “Don’t you ever apologize for your feelings, alright?”
“Right…” Urenakk wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “Guess you can never choose your family, huh?”
“You know…there was a time when I would have just agreed with that…” Morqen shrugged. “But I don’t know, I don’t think I can just nod my head to a sentiment like that anymore. One that’s just so conclusive…”
“What do you mean?” Urenakk coughed before grabbing a handkerchief and blowing into it.
“Well, it’s hard to explain…” Morqen sighed. “I mean, I well and truly miss my parents, nothing could ever replace them and they were both taken away far too soon…” he shook his head at the thought, not wanting to dig into his own past. “For the longest time, I really thought I was just going to spend my time wandering the world absolutely alone. That no one would be there to look out for me, especially when I first ended up in this place. But as time went on, and the more time I spent with you, and the other Hawks…I don’t know…” The rogue stood up and made his way over to a nearby window, looking out into the town. “I’m not sure where I would have gone if things played out differently when I got here…I don’t think it would have been to anywhere good.”
“What are you trying to say?” Urenakk slowly started to get up and out of bed himself.
“I’m trying to say that I don’t regret meeting you or any of the others.” Morqen sighed. “As much of a pain in the ass that some of them can be, I wouldn’t trade any of you for anyone else. What I’m trying to say kid, is that I think you can choose your friends and you can choose your family. If your own blood doesn’t want you, then others can have you…Love…Respect…Loyalty…all of those things are earned…not just freely given…”
“You know what? I think you’re right.” Urenakk smiled sadly. He took one step and grunted in pain; it seemed like he still needed to recover for a bit. He could move, but if he wanted to keep training even after this, he would have to take it easy for a little while.
“Take it easy, kid…” Morqen went over and moved to hoist one of the monk’s arms over his shoulder. However when he got close, Urenakk shook his head and motioned for the rogue to stop.
“It’s fine…” The monk smiled. “But thank you…for being here for me, both now and for everything up to this point…”
“You don’t have to thank me…” Morqen shook his head.
“I know I don’t.” Urenakk shrugged. “I want to. You’ve given me some perspective since I met you, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I want you to know that you’re more than just a friend to me, Morqen. I love you like a brother…” The rogue couldn’t hide his smile and he pulled the kid into a hug. “Why don’t we go out there to train again?” the monk asked when he returned the embrace.
“You should take it easy, kid…” Morqen shook his head.
“Oh no…” Urenakk looked into the rogue’s eyes. “You’ve been helping me improve myself for all this time. I just want to return the favor…”
“You mean you want to train me?” Morqen chuckled, but the monk was serious and nodded his head. “You know what?” Morqen laughed. “Why not? Let’s go…”
The two had decided to make their way into the woods, right where they had trained before the monk faced his father. They had decided to reset all of the obstacles and traps when they got their first, just to get themselves ready for the next time they would come and train.
Morqen sighed, wondering just what the kid was going to try to teach him and if he was good enough to make use of these fighting techniques to begin with. He looked over to Urenakk who had just got done tying the log to a higher tree branch.
“So, what did you want to teach me, anyway?” Morqen asked suddenly.
“That’s the thing, I had been thinking about it while we were on our way here.” Urenakk jumped down, landing on his feet gracefully. “It wouldn’t do to just have you start throwing punches all of a sudden, it would take weeks, maybe even months before you would be ready to learn things like my general fighting moves.”
“Thanks for the mote of confidence.” Morqen laughed as he punched the kid in the shoulder.
“Didn’t mean to offend.” Urenakk backed away. “I only meant that it took me years to master these techniques and you’re already so used to your own fighting style-“
“Kid, I was joking…” Morqen shook his head. “So, not the punching or kicking, or the flips. So, what do you want to train me on?”
“Something that I think you’ll benefit much more from…” Urenakk smiled. “This is something that just about everyone can do, but only if you are taught properly. I want to teach you how to project your very essence. Like how I do when I fight, I want to teach you how to make your very soul your weapon.”
“You mean, set myself on fire like you do?” Morqen widened his eyes in shock. “Kid, if I try that, I think I’m just gonna get burned.”
“Well, I don’t think if you were to do what I do, that you would just end up getting wreathed in flame.” The monk shrugged. “It’s different depending on how everyone does it. My flaming aura is just what happens when I’m doing it.”
“Alright…” Morqen nodded before starting to relax. “So how do you even make your soul come out? Let alone turn it into a weapon?”
“People think that the soul is just some unreachable part of your being.” Urenakk sighed. “But that just isn’t true. It’s one of the few useful things that my father taught me when it was just him. Look at me for one second.”
The elven rogue did as he was asked and looked at the monk directly into the eyes. The Gith was smiling in return. “What now?” Morqen asked.
“You know what the old saying is about eyes?” Urenakk asked. “Eyes are a window to the soul. This isn’t just some cute romantic drivel, there is weight to these words.”
“What do you mean?” Morqen raised an eyebrow.
“The soul is somewhere that can be reached.” Urenakk continued. “Your soul can be found in your mind. The frontal lobes, the ‘you’ part. That’s where it’s been all along, resting…and you can reach into it. Better yet, you can make it reach you…”
“I can’t believe I’m actually going to try this…” Morqen sighed. “I don’t know, kid. I never really studied magic. The only thing I ever used my brain for was how I could hide from people or where to place my dagger.”
“Take out your knife…” Urenakk crossed his arms. It was as if he had embraced the role of the mentor at this point and just making the elf learn rather than just giving away the answers.
Morqen sighed and pulled it out. “Now what? Why do I need this?”
“It’s familiar to you.” Urenakk smiled. “You’ve used this blade for a long time to get yourself out of all kinds of hairy situations. Whether you realize I or not, it had become a part of you. It’s not just a knife, it is an extension of you, your will.”
“Okay…” Morqen nodded. “But that still doesn’t tell me what I need to do…”
“Hold out your other hand…” Urenakk muttered, and the rogue did so. The monk reached forward and took the knife out from the hand that held it.
“What are you doing?” Morqen raised an eyebrow.
“Do you trust me?” Urenakk asked, putting the knife back into its sheath that was on the rogue’s belt. Morqen nodded his head silently. “Good.” The monk smiled. “That knife is still there, it is a part of you. Close your eyes…”
The rogue did so and took a deep breath.
“Without reaching down for it, I want you to think about your knife…hold it in your hands…” Urenakk watched the rogue carefully.
Morqen clenched his hand together as if he was still holding it. He imagined himself still holding the dagger, as if it was still in his hand. He would have clenched his hand tighter, but it didn’t seem possible. It was as if something was there, stopping him from making a completely tight fist. Then it all clicked with him.
“Can you feel the knife now?” Urenakk asked in a gentle low voice.
“Yes, actually…” Morqen nodded his head.
“Open your eyes…”
The rogue did so and when he did, he thought he was witnessing a miracle. His knife was still in his satchel, but a new knife had appeared in his hand. This one was transparent, it had a faint purple glow. He smiled as he raised his hand, it was still there. He held it up against the sunlight and he could still see it shimmering, it was no illusion. Then he started swinging it around a couple of times before throwing it at a nearby tree trunk. It planted itself deep inside. That was when the rogue closed his eyes, imagined the dagger in his hands once more, then opened them again. Just like before, the knife was in his hands once again.
He smiled, looking over at the tree stump to see that the knife was not there anymore, but the hole it left behind was. “I…I did it…” He immediately pulled the monk into a hug. “I did it! Kid…thank you…”
“Of course…” Urenakk nodded, pulling himself away. “Congratulations, you now can use your very being as a weapon, just like I do. Though while we are both reaching the same end conclusion, we are doing two different methods from it. What I do with my aura is called Astral Projection, what you were just able to do today is called Soul Knife…”
“Soul Knife…” Morqen nodded, looking at his dagger. He would have figured that it would be a new weapon, but no, it was always there, he only just now figured out how to bring it out. The two of them smiled, enjoying the moment.
However, as they had both gone silent, that was when they heard it. All kinds of commotion coming from the distance, at the edge of the woods. “Wait…” Morqen turned in the direction of where it was coming from, his knife disappearing. “What is that sound?”
The two were hearing loud thumps and all kinds of distorted voices. Then the thumps continued. “I hear it too…” Urenakk nodded, taking a step into the direction.
“Wait…” Morqen put a hand on his shoulder, causing the monk to turn around. “We don’t know what that is…it could be dangerous.”
“All the more reason to look and find out.” Urenakk sighed. “Considering how close to town we are…” The rogue shook his head but then relented. It wasn’t hard to follow all of the noise, the racket made it quite easy for them to follow where it was coming from, as well as helping them find their way out of the woods.
Eventually they would reach the end, brushing past the snow on the trees and making their way towards a cliff at the end. Perhaps the noises were coming from somewhere far down below, the cliff would help give them a clear view of whatever it was.
Morqen was the first to approach the cliff, careful not to stay too close to the edge. It wouldn’t be hard for him to find out what it was, he didn’t have to poke his head down. Once he reached it, he just paused, staring off in horror.
“What do you see?” Urenakk asked, still making his way through the trees. The monk finally caught up to the rogue and put a hand on his shoulder, then looking over the cliff himself. That was when he realized why the rogue hadn’t responded. “Oh no…” the monk stood still, in absolute terror just like the rogue.
Both were staring down at an army approaching Loudwater. Only, while this was a coordinated army, there was no banner. There was no flag, no organization outside of the fact that this army was marching onto the town. As it was, the noises became all the more apparent. It was all kinds of unholy screeching and moaning, as if the souls of the damned had finally risen up to take over the world itself. What the rogue and the monk were staring at was no ordinary army. This was a most unnatural army, one that could only be created by means of dark magic. The kind of magic that the wizard within the Greyhawks is all too familiar with. This was an army of the undead.
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Urenakk finally recovers from the fight. Of course, dealing with familial issues is always hard, but it's not as hard when you form a group that treats you like family. Oh boy, is that group going to be needed for what's coming.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 22
In the planes of existence, there is one place that has no absolute rules in reality. It is ever changing, ever chaotic. The lands are desolate, or lack thereof in many cases. The elements, fire, water, earth, and air are all abundant and yet at the same time, it is impossible to tell which element one would encounter at any time simply due to the nature of the realm itself.
There have been many who have tried to tame the realm before, but all have failed. One might imagine that with the realm being as dangerous and unpredictable as it is, that there would be no way that anything could ever find a home here.
Yet nature is stubborn, and life finds a way. There are creatures that are native to this plane of existence, and they are as ferocious as their chaotic home. These creatures are known as the Slaadi, they can be found at any part of the realm. Despite having no caste system in place, they do have a relative form of communication, though that is limited only to each other. Even then, they hardly get along with each other.
They travel across this desolate plane looking for prey, rarely hunting alone. They tend to travel in groups, killing any visitor who would dare try to tame their home. The Slaadi do not care about how chaotic their own home is. Because they have lived in there for so long, they have learned to get comfortable within the chaos, take refuge with it. Because of that, these creatures have better control over the realm than any other creature who has tried, they are able to reshape the lands to their will, making it easier as they hunt their prey. Whether that prey be strong adventurers, or other Slaadi.
As mentioned before, the Slaadi hardly get along with even their own kind. When they are not killing anything that isn’t native to their home, they are killing each other, and they would not have it any other way.
This has to do with how these Slaadi are connected to the elements that thrive within the plane. Fire, Earth, Water, and Air, all of these elements effect not just the plane of existence itself, but also the inhabitants. There are different forms of Slaadi, each kind learning to thrive within a different kind of element. Because of that, while the physical form of the Slaadi is somewhat similar, the bodies will tend to take on different shapes and will have different traits depending on how they survive.
The Slaadi themselves look like large ogrish frog-like humanoids with long sharp claws and teeth.
The blue are large, hulking brutes but one should not mistake that to mean they are stupid. In fact, the blue Slaadi are all quite intelligent creatures as they have an innate spellcasting ability. This makes the creatures dangerous both up close and from afar.
The more brutish and not so intelligent of their kind would go to those that are red. They are large, rivaling that of their blue counterparts, though they tend to prefer to fight up close and personal rather than use magic. One should be careful when fighting them, they hunt in packs.
The more intelligent of the Slaadi might be encountered with those that are green. They tend to focus primarily on their spell casting and they mostly rely on changing their shape with magic to fend off any foe.
The most dangerous that could be encountered among the green Slaadi are not actually green at all. The green Slaadi tend to focus more on the magic and their studies and tend to isolate themselves from the rest of their kind. If they are skilled and lucky enough to grow old, their green skin turns grey. Despite how inherently chaotic the Slaadi are, these are the most respected among their kind. One should never underestimate the old man who lives in a business where men die young. That applies also to the deadly creatures that exist on the chaotic plane.
If the grey Slaadi are the most respected of their kind, then the black Slaadi are the most feared. They are also spell casters, but these variants have found immortality through practicing incantations and evil rituals. They are the most vicious and the most powerful of all the Slaadi, so much so that they are not even referred to by their color, but in how much death they sow. These are known as the Death Slaadi. These are the kinds of Slaadi that organize and tame the others to lead raids on their enemies.
When it comes to the enemies, the Slaadi are not the only beings out there who have made Limbo their home. While these creatures were not always a part of Limbo, they did find the realm and make it their home. Many powerful people have tried and failed to tame Limbo, but Limbo is not a realm that can be made to heel.
Despite that, these beings are powerful enough to make this realm their home, and bring order to the part of the realm that they made into their home. These beings are known as the Githzerai, powerful beings that have traveled across multiple planes of existence. They are known for having brownish-yellow skin, eyes, pointed ears, and a rather flat nose. So flat in fact that it is hardly noticeable at all, rather it looks more like two slits exist where the nose would be. They are mostly meek in appearance, but one must not make the mistake of thinking that makes them weak.
These are the beings that were able to bring order to part of a realm that is inherently chaotic. Due to how dangerous it is to live in the realm of Limbo, Githzerai society is quite strict, even in their most successful capital city Shra’kt’lor. The Githzerai have managed to build not just one city but several, along with several monasteries.
With that, Githzerai society is mostly divided between two distinct cultures, focusing on two different ways of life. There are the Githzerai that tend to focus on the development of the mind, they study gravity magic to keep their home intact in this chaotic realm. Some of the most powerful spellcasters in the planes of existence can be found in these cities.
The Githzerai that live in the monasteries tend to focus on the development of the body. They make their own body a living weapon. They see the body as a vessel, a pathway for them to become their truest, strongest selves.
Whether one chooses to live within the cities or within the monasteries, living among the Githzerai and in the realm of Limbo is a highly demanding life style. That is why it is recommended that when they have young, they are not raised in these realms. Rather, becoming a citizen of these places is treated more like something that needs to be earned rather than an inherent right.
The young, with their parents will grow up in a different plane of existence other than Limbo. There, they are to choose whether they wish to either develop their mind or their body. When they make their decision, they will spend the rest of their time growing up developing that aspect of themselves. Then one day they will have to prove to their parents that they are able to survive even in the harshest of conditions.
That is what it takes to become a citizen within Limbo. The Githzerai have lived in the chaotic realm for a long time, and they do not plan on moving anytime soon. Even though they have to constantly defend themselves from the onslaught of the Slaadi, they would not choose any other realm to be their home.
As much of a danger as Limbo is, the chaotic nature is also, in a way, a protective shield. The Githzerai intentionally came to this realm because as bad as the Slaadi are, there is another, large group of monsters that are much more terrifying to them.
These monsters are known as the Illithids. Hairless tall sickly humanoids that bare a resemblance to the octopi of the seas. They have bulging heads with roughly four tentacles that emerge around the mouth area. These monsters are not chaotic like the Slaadi. If anything, their culture is more orderly than even that of the Githzerai. The Illithids operate on a hive-mind basis, that is why it is so difficult to hide from them. When one of them knows where you are, they all do.
They are the workers of the hive, all in service to the Elder Brain, the being that commands the hive and is safely guarded. The Illithids see themselves as superior to every other race, and want nothing more than to dominate every other walk of life wherever they travel. That was what happened with the ancestors of the Gith. For the Gith used to be subservient slaves to the Illithids, doing all of the dirty work until the Gith had decided to openly rebel against their masters.
The Illithids are the monsters the Gith are most familiar with, and when they were able to break away from the hive, they had separated into two different cultures. The other culture from the Githzerai, the counterparts as it were, are the Githyanki. They are relatively the same in appearance, the differences between them come with the culture.
The Githyanki are filled with resentment at their former masters, and that resentment extends to all other walks of life, either for not stepping in to help free them, or from the lack of trust they now bare due to the way they were treated. Either way, there are no outsiders welcome among the Githyanki, they will kill any survivor who attempts to interact with them, even their former brethren in the Githzerai.
This is the culture that all Githzerai come to know. This was the culture that Khorek had grown into when he finally passed his test. The sorcerer had a lot of potential as a young spellcaster. His parents had an arranged marriage and both families in the cities were quite wealthy. He was a prodigy, gifted with a strong bloodline.
Khorek did not have to study from tomes for an extended period of time, he did not have to make a pact with a powerful entity. The ability to cast spells came naturally to him, and in such a way that stood out among his people.
Most of the spellcasters within the city had specialized in gravity magic. But Khorek’s talents were tied to a different breed of magic. Whenever anyone would see him in battle, they would describe him as someone who had command over the storms. He was the conductor, the eye of the storm.
It was these unique talents of his that made him stand out among his peers. The other Githzerai wondered what it was that brought the control over the elements out of him. Was it due to being in Limbo for so long? Was he the first variation of a new bloodline of spellcasters, a new breed of Gith who have inherited control over the chaos of Limbo and wield it like a weapon? Regardless of any theory about him, eyes were on him among the Gith. His family was getting him ready for an arranged marriage, hoping that his unique talents would be paired with other powerful casters.
The families watching him were shocked when one day, he finally decided to announce who he was going to marry. They were all horrified that when he names the woman, it was not any of those who were already proposed to him. No, it was no powerful caster within the city at all, no Githzerai of any notable or powerful bloodline.
He had chosen a monk from the monasteries, a woman of no renown. Her name was Silya. The pair had revealed to everyone that they chose each other a long time ago, meeting together in secret. They had chosen each other not to further any bloodline, not to make some kind of prodigal child. They chose each other simply because they loved each other.
The horror of all families grew when the next announcement came. The couple had announced that they were already expecting a child. It was decided of course, since they were already expecting a child that they travel to another plane of existence so that the child could be properly raised. As expected with all Githzerai before returning home, that child will have to prove that they are able to survive in the hostile environment of Limbo when they grow up.
Disappointed that Khorek had acted of his own accord, his parents warned him that the reputation of their family may depend on how successful or unsuccessful his child will be. Khorek understood and accepted the responsibility.
As one last gesture of good will, Khorek’s parents decided to let the couple decide where they would want to raise their child. They had a few options to choose from. There was the material plane of course, the Forgotten Realms had all kinds of life that could be supported. It was certainly one of the safest realms to raise a child. That is not to say that there were no dangers within, but more along the lines that it was not as dangerous as the other realms that were available for travel.
“What do you think?” Silya smiled up at the sorcerer. “He would certainly be happy here, who knows, we might find others there that might accept him?”
“That is nice to think about…” Khorek nodded. “But we should also remember that we want to prepare him. We want to make sure that he would be able to come home one day.” He motioned to the other realms that were available to them. “Any of them would do a better job at preparing him for Limbo better than the Material Plane, as much as I would want to just say yes…”
They had a handful of other planes of existence available to them. There were the elemental planes themselves. The elemental plane of water, a bottomless sea where many of the universe’s most powerful spellcasters travel. There are many underwater cities that study magic, and in such unfathomable depths, it is relatively similar to the cities in Limbo in that regard.
There was also the elemental plane of fire, ash and smoke enveloped the skies, the ground was soot, lava and fire. This was certainly one of the more dangerous realms and would do a better job at preparing a Gith to survive in Limbo. But that is only if a child is able to successfully be raised in such a world, the chances of survival here are far too low to be favorable.
There was also the elemental plane of air, floating mountains, endless skies, hurricanes, typhoons, and storms. Khorek would do well in this plane of existence himself, this world might also help one prepare to survive in Limbo. However, that might only be true if the child becomes a spellcaster like Khorek, where he would be able to learn to fly. If he chose to becomes a monk like Silya, he would mostly be isolated to whatever floating rock he was stuck on.
There was the elemental plane of earth, underground chasms that stretched across the entire realm, treasures as far as the eyes can see. Though the creatures that lived in this realm were far too dangerous, as they would be able to travel through the earth itself unlike any of the Gith. Being isolated in such a cave system would do no good in preparing for an environment like Limbo, and the Githzerai society. This realm is far too stagnant, whereas Limbo is everchanging.
There was the Feywild, an unpredictable, unending forest filled with all sorts of mysterious, mischievous and dangerous creatures in its own right. It was filled with some of the rarest and most ancient forms of magic there is. One might make the mistake of assuming that the Feywild is an all life supporting forest where all cherish. However, some of the most dangerous creatures that exist come from the Feywilds, it is where most hags come from. Faeries themselves are natural born pranksters, they might appear friendly, but they are powerful spellcasters in their own right. There are many dangerous and carnivorous plants that inhabit the plane as well.
However, if that was the place, they would have shown interest in, then they might as well travel to the Forgotten Realms instead. As the Feywild acted more like a mirror to the material plane, rather than being its own entirely different dimension.
The couple looked over their decisions, then at each other. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Silya muttered.
“That depends…” Khorek shrugged. “Are you thinking of the Forgotten Realms?”
They activated the gate, deciding on where they wanted to go within the forgotten realms. “Oh, we could go to one of the major cities!” the Gith woman suggested. “It would be perfect, Urenakk could find people that would support any decision he might make there…”
“Yeah but…” Khorek sighed and shook his head. “If we move into a city, we’ll never want to leave. We’ll want to settle down and stay there.”
“Is that so horrible?” Silya teased, nudging her husband. “Come on! I hardly got to spend any time in this one! The other monks at the monasteries talk about the capital all the time, I want to get an idea of what all the fuss is about!”
“There really isn’t anything that special…” Khorek shrugged. “You got your home, a market place, a town square and other people live really close to you as well.”
“Oh, my stars, everything is close by and convenient.” Silya shook her head. “How horrible! How could we ever raise our son in such an unacceptable way?”
“Yeah, for the short term, it’ll be great.” Khorek shook his head. “There would be bounties and guilds he could join, but there’s more to the rest of the world than what he would encounter in a city like this. I mean, even if there are a ton of monsters that surround the city, they are only around for so long. Then we also gotta get him into the politics of the city, we don’t even know how their society functions yet, for all we know, we’d already be breaking with some tradition of theirs.”
“Yeah, because tradition was just so important to you and me.” Silya shook her head.
“You have to see the forest through the trees, hun.” Khorek let out an exasperated sigh, as if he was already done with the conversation, as if he had already made his decision. “It would be better for him to travel the world so he can adapt with any environment.”
“I see the forest just fine, it’s you who’s got it all twisted.” Silya punched the sorcerer in his shoulder. “I’m thinking about us right now. You think he’s just gonna pop out and be ready for the world? No, we’re gonna need a couple of years before he can go out, even with us protecting him.”
“Oh…” Khorek slapped himself in the forehead. “Well, why didn’t you just say it like that from the start?”
“I didn’t think I’d have to!” Silya kicked the sorcerer in the shin. “Ugh, men…”
“Alright, fine.” Khorek chuckled to himself, resting a hand on one side of his head. Making it look as if he was getting a headache from the back and forth. Silya, as empathetic as ever, simply punched his raised arm in response. “You know, you could have broken my arm.” Khorek smiled. “I could be dying and you wouldn’t care.”
“No, I might actually have some peace and quiet for once.” Silya nodded with a wide grin. She was as good at giving the smart comments as she was at taking them.
The pair had decided on a city to spend their time in for Faerun. They had decided on the Crown of the North, it was also known as the City of Splendor, and was considered to be the most influential city in all of the North, and maybe even all of the Forgotten Realms. The pair smiled silently at each other and nodded. Giving one last look to Limbo. Who knows how long it would be until they would see this place again? Despite breaking with tradition and horrifying the higher end families in the capital. Both the Sorcerer and the Monk had gone accustomed to living here and made plenty of friends during their time.
Now they were finally saying goodbye to all of that. They looked at each other, not even having to speak. They were thinking alike like they usually do. Both had thought that once they were given access to this realm and were given a place to stay that they finally reached adulthood. That they were finally giving meaning to their own lives, that their lives started to matter. However, this, parenthood, it changed something in both of them.
They both understood that this was not the end of anything. Rather, this was the beginning of something special. They weren’t doing anything particularly new in terms of their own people. In fact, this was pretty much expected out of both of them. They both understood that their lives would eventually lead to a moment like this.
But finally being here, experiencing this moment. There was no way of describing it that could make someone who wasn’t becoming a parent understand. Silya reached out and grasped the sorcerer’s hand. Both of the Gith took a step forward towards the portal. “To Waterdeep…” the monk muttered low.
“To Waterdeep…” Khorek repeated. Both of the Gith were wondering what they might encounter while in the city. They were wondering who they would meet, what guild were there for them to join, what kinds of bounties they could both complete while figuring out how to take care of themselves and little Urenakk. They were wondering if completing bounties was something they would even want to do. Perhaps they would want to just get a simple job and make easy money until it was finally time for Urenakk to start traveling. Who knows what the future would bring?
When they made it through the portal, entering the city, they had made it to one of the lower-end districts. They had both taken as much as they could before they left, they had more than enough to find a place to stay and to gather supplies for themselves. They had both agreed to stay in the lower districts. The area would be cheaper and neither one of them needed a fancy home for themselves. They weren’t looking to settle down after all.
Both of them made sure to treat this as more of a temporary location rather than making it officially their home. They had both decided that instead of finding a normal job or starting a business, they were going to support themselves by taking care of the bounties within the city. This was helpful for both of them as this would keep both of them on their toes in terms of combat, while at the same time, introducing Silya to a new lifestyle she had not gotten to experience before.
The monk had only so much to do at the monasteries where she spent most of her time. She could either study the history and the culture of her people and attain a scholar-like status among her people. While she was well-versed in the culture, she also preferred to practice in the arts of combat. She would spend more of her time in the training grounds, either practicing her techniques on the training dummies and obstacle courses, or sparring with anyone who was nearby and willing.
She wondered what it was like living in the city. She could read as many texts as she wanted to about the lifestyle that comes with living in such a metropolitan area. However, her imagination would only get her so far. She wanted to explore the streets and watch how everyone would travel to their own predestined locations, each one being extremely different from each other. Maybe people would go out for a drink and spend the night at the inn, or perhaps read a book at a local library, perhaps make small talk with the merchants while also making purchases for important or exotic items. The woman was ecstatic to finally get that experience for herself.
Of course, while she is exploring and performing bounties with her husband, the two of them would eventually come up with a system. They would often take turns when it comes to either completing the bounty or watching little Urenakk and raising him. At first, like with most plans, it was rather disorganized at first as they were still trying to figure out how to handle their lifestyle in the most efficient manner.
They would review the bounties together and then decide who would be completing which one, it would all depend on their skill sets. If there was dangerous ow powerful creatures, it would be up to Silya. She was a strong monk who was able to command the four elements and use them as a weapon in battle. Whenever she would be out on the battlefield, it would be like the wrath of nature was unleashed upon her foes. She had also decided that if the contract became complicated and lead to a mystery she would take point on those as well. Solving mysteries became a great way for her to entertain herself while she was out fighting.
If there were contracts that were of a more magical nature, whether it would involve spellcasters practicing dark magic or creatures that are spawned from such rituals, that it would be up to Khorek to resolve such issues. He also decided that he would either try to test any magic items they find himself, or if it was beyond his knowledge, that he would be the one to take it to another spellcaster in the area to study it. After the studies were done, and the abilities of the magic item were uncovered; Khorek decided that he would be the one to ultimately decide if either Gith would be able to use it or if they were better off just selling it in the market.
Time would fly as they became more efficient. Days became weeks, weeks became months, months became years. For them, it would feel like that it wasn’t that long ago that Urenakk was small enough that his entire body could be held in one arm on either of them. Then, the next moment, he was crawling, then walking, and running. The little boy had so much energy about him, and he found it hard to stay still and study. That was one of his struggles as they were trying to homeschool him. With that, it was decided on which part of the Githzerai that he would gravitate towards.
Depending on the day, Silya would take the boy either before or after his lessons to train with her. She would start off with basic techniques, simple punches, blocks and dances to help him both deal with his outburst of energy and his memorization. That way, he would either have already gotten all of the energy out of him by the time he would need to study. If not, the training would serve as a reward if he would have done well.
He was a rather hyperactive boy, and while this was mostly frustrating to Khorek, as all he wanted was for the boy to just sit in his seat for more than ten seconds and read his books. Silya would think of ways of implementing the training in the middle of the lesson. If he had to give an open-ended response, he was free to do a simple warm up to keep his brain active. That way he would stay on his train of thought while he was giving his answer. She would also make him do certain reps of drills that he hated as a punishment if he was misbehaving.
Ironically enough, he had gotten better at math than he did at reading because of the way she would handle teaching him. Most of the math problems she would come up for him would involve how many repetitions of a drill he would need to do in a workout either right after he would give the answer or later in the day.
He had an easy time with retaining information thanks to the training as well. As he would do more than just practicing his fighting or working out when training with her. He would exercise the mind as well and so he was also being taught several complicated dance techniques over a long period of time just to help him with his memorization. He would practice these frequently and would use that practice to help retain information for himself when it comes to getting the basics down of a story.
Getting him to read was a challenge in of itself. When it came to Urenakk, nothing was more boring than sitting still for minutes, or even hours on end staring at pieces of paper bound together in leather. He hated that he would have to imagine everything going on in his own mind and put the pictures together for himself. He would much rather just see the events happening in front of him. That was why whenever there was a play in town, he would be ecstatic, as he would get to see a story unfold and he wouldn’t have to think about it all himself. Everything was already set up on display for him to see. He would make this known to his parents just about every time he would complain, which was about every time he had to read a book.
Silya had decided to write down all of her work out techniques for her husband, which would especially come in handy for him when it would be his turn to watch over the child. That was coming up soon. The Monk and the Sorcerer pulled out a bounty involving the sewers of Waterdeep. There was a large infestation of rats, much larger than usual and they would act strange, outright attacking anyone nearby in an almost coordinated effort. People would go down the sewers to find out what was going on and would often disappear as a result. “A mystery…” Silya smiled as she leaned over the table, looking up at her husband with glee. “You know what that means…”
“Two weeks in a row?” Khorek groaned and shook his head. “Alright, good luck…” Silya gave him one last kiss then went over and hugged her son before heading out.
The room grew quiet after the woman closed the door behind her, leaving the sorcerer and the little boy to their own devices. Khorek let out a tired sigh, wishing her luck and missing her already, she really breathed life into every room she had entered. The next few days without her would be quite taxing for the man.
The sorcerer was able to handle the boy just fine, however as time went on, he was starting to get worried. There was no letter being written to him at all, the supplies were starting to dwindle, and they needed to come up with some way of making more money quickly.
When it was early in the morning, he took his son out to the market, looking for people to talk to, hopefully spend some of the money he had left on someone to watch the boy for him. It didn’t take long, as when he approached one of the merchants, they had directed him to a childcare center that was right down the road. Many of the parents had to take their children here in the lower districts before heading off to work, it was a good opportunity for the boy to meet with some people his age and it would give the sorcerer an opportunity to find out what was going on.
Khorek got one last look at Urenakk who went off running to play with the other kids, the boy grabbed a wooden sword and started to duel one of the other taller kids. The sorcerer smiled before making his way out and then back home. He wanted to pull out the bounty she was off to complete before heading out, that was his best bet of finding out where she was.
“Hmmm…” he laid the bounty down on the table, making sure to soak in every last detail, planning on his next action. “Rats are acting strange in the sewers…” he muttered out loud to himself. “Definitely where she’ll be, but beyond that…it doesn’t say much…” He shook his head, deciding that he would have to make do with what he had. He took the bounty with him when he went back out into town.
He presented the bounty to a nearby guard who pointed in the direction to the nearest entrance to the underground system. “Before I keep going…” Khorek placed the bounty back into his pocket. “Did you happen to see a woman a few days back? She’s Gith like me and wears similar robes to mine.”
“Sorry, no…” the guard shook his head. “Why do you ask?”
“She’s my wife…” Khorek frowned. “I haven’t seen her since she went out for this and I’m getting worried…”
“Best of luck to you, then…” the guard put a hand on the sorcerer’s shoulders. “I wish I could do more, but we’re already stretched thin as it is…”
“I get it,” Khorek shook his head. “If you could, there wouldn’t have been a need to make a bounty of this…” The sorcerer made his way to the edge of the district and out into the docks, there was an array of all kinds of merchant boats and smuggler ships that were sitting idly by. As he looked by the end, he could see an entrance to an underground tunnel was nearby, the contents were being poured out into the ocean.
The sorcerer wasted no time, walking along the pathways within the tunnel and entering into the darkness. When it became too dark for him to see, he clasped his hands together and out came a flash, but it dissipated instantly. Then the flash happened again, he concentrated until the spell was done right and soon enough a ball of light appeared in his hands. He released it and made sure that it would float nearby him, following him and illuminating the tunnels.
As he traveled deeper in, he heard scuttling, he turned his attention and had the ball of light float into the direction of where he heard the noise. It was a large gathering of rats, all of them approaching him, as if they knew he was coming. The sorcerer started to glow bright himself as lightning crackled and sparks began to envelope his body. While he was charging his spell, he focused on the rodents and noticed something odd about them.
For each and every one of them, they were all scalped, and not just the skin was gone, but the skulls were as well. Their brains were entirely exposed. Khorek widened his eyes in horror, wondering what happened to them when a thought immediately pierced his mind. ‘Bring him to us.’ The thought was immediately disturbing to him. Did he think that? He thought about it for a moment and then realized what was going on. His worry grew, it hadn’t been long after he had entered the sewers, and whoever had Silya was controlling these rats.
They were just about ready to pounce on him as he shot lightning out from his fingertips. The impact of the electricity caused a few of them to explode, other had dropped dead almost right away. Just about the entire swarm was wiped out except for a few. When the rats realized that most of their brethren had died, they ran in the complete opposite direction and went deeper into the tunnel system.
Khorek followed them, hoping that the rats would bring him closer to whomever their puppet master was. Who ever had control of them had to have Silya, and he was determined to break her free in one way or another. That was the thought he held onto as he traveled deeper, eventually the pathways were gone and he had to trudge through the water. He didn’t care about that, he just wanted to find his wife.
As he traveled further down the tunnels another thought appeared into his mind. ‘Come closer…’ was all that was given to him. The intense desire to travel down grew, and the sorcerer was not sure if it was from getting increasingly worried about his wife or if it was somehow the machinations of whatever had her.
He soon traveled into a large open space that was much further underground than the tunnels. This was where the rats were leading him. He heard the sludge of the water moving and he saw several shadowy figures in the distance. The ball of light soon followed him and like before, light filled the room, immediately revealing all of the figures that were concealed within the darkness.
When Khorek saw the creatures revealed, his heart had dropped. He immediately understood what happened with the rats, as when what was left of the swarm retreated, they had brought him to a gathering of Illithids, of mind flayers. They were all down here waiting for him. The panic became overwhelming for the sorcerer, but then that panic turned to rage. “Where is she!?” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
They were all blankly staring at him, at least until one further back started to approach him. He widened his eyes, it was another Illithids, but it was wearing Silya’s robes. Yet, there was no emotion from the creature at all, it changed her, her skin was now a deep purple, she had gotten taller and she was almost indistinguishable from all of the other creatures around her. Yet despite all of that, a familiar voice filled the sorcerer’s head moments after.
“Khorek…” the Illithids expression had not changed, yet the voice was endearing, full of love and acceptance, it was clearly his wife’s voice. “You finally came down here…” she continued. “You finally found me…”
“I…” Khorek was speechless as he took a step back, shaking his head. “You’re not her, get away from me…” The Illithids took a step closer. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!” he shouted.
“It’s okay…” Silya’s voice filled the sorcerer’s head once more. At this point he had a pounding headache, more intense than he ever had before. With every step he took, he thought his head was going to explode just from how painful it was. “We were wrong…” the Illithids took another step closer. “We can settle down here…for a long time I was worried…worried about the future…about our son…”
“You’re not her!” Khorek barked, sparks began emitting from him, his eyes glowing as he bared his teeth.
“I was worried we wouldn’t be able to protect him…” the Illithids did not stop. “But I’m not worried anymore…” the creature held out it’s hand and several purple maggot-like creatures were sitting in the palm of its hand. “We can teach him everything he would need…down here…and then he would be ready…we could go home…please…I want us to be a family again…we can bring our son down here together…” The moment the Illithids beamed that thought into the sorcerer’s mind, the fury was unleashed.
Khorek was panting heavily as sparks streaked across the tunnels, bouncing off from one abomination to another. Winds had picked up and the sorcerer was lifted above the ground, the waters of the sewers splashing all of the creatures. He charged one last lightning bolt and aimed at the water, the attack traveled through and got all of the creatures at once.
The sorcerer did not stop, he kept mindlessly attacking every single one of them, to the point that most of them were being reduced to ash. The first one to crumble was the one that wore Silya’s robes. Eventually however, the winds would die down, and the Gith would grow tired, he took several deep breaths.
There was one left, staring him down but it shook its head. It clasped its hands, one moment it was there, the next there was a shift in the air and the creature was gone.
When Khorek realized that the horrors were gone he just leaned against a nearby wall and broke down. Letting out a pained scream as tears ran down his cheeks, deep into the sewers, where there would be no one to hear him.
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The Githzerai just never get a break. One might say that it would be helpful for them, making them stronger for it. If only their lifestyle wasn't so deadly. Don't worry, you'll soon see how Urenakk feels when he wakes up.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 21
It was a new day within Loudwater, the sun was rising into the sky, and it’s rays touched the snow on the ground, making it glisten and brighten up the town as a result. It was still remarkably cold outside, a chilling, biting breeze enveloped the area. However, that would not stop the monk from performing his daily ritual of early morning training.
He was out in the woods, blindfolded, standing bare feet in the snow. He took deep breaths, focusing on the moment rather than the pain in his feet. He stood firm, with conviction. As he stood focused on his routine, a dagger came flying out of the bushes, hurling towards him. It was unnatural how he was able to anticipate where it would be coming as he caught it in the middle of the air. Once he had it in his hand, he threw it back with an even greater intensity and the knife soon landed in a tree trunk.
Urenakk smiled at the success so far, but he made sure not to let the moment get to his head. As when he took a step forward, he could feel his foot snapping a tripwire in front of him on the ground. Almost right away, a gigantic log came down from above, ready to knock the Githzerai off of his feet by landing right on his stomach.
The monk raised his hands, and bent over, ducking and weaving his head underneath the log as it went flying right past him. Now was the time to move once again, as soon the log would come swinging back the other way.
He started to roll across the ground, trying to get out of the way. When he got up again, that was when Morqen emerged out from the shadows to strike the monk from behind. The elf smiled, dagger in hand, ready to take down the Githzerai using the element of surprise.
As quiet as the rogue was with trying to approach the monk, his boots still crunched with each step within the snow. When the footsteps were crunching along the ground, the monk’s pointy ears perked up and he turned to face the direction of his assailant.
Right away, Urenakk caught the blade of the dagger just as it was being swung at him. The rogue couldn’t help but laugh in response. “Not bad, kid.” He smiled wide. “But what will you do about this?” With his free hand, he reached into his satchel and in a moment, threw caltrops all over the ground surrounding the two of them.
“I’m not too worried.” Urenakk threw a devastating strike into the elf’s stomach causing the rogue to drop to his knees as the wind was knocked out of him. “After everything we’ve been through, I think I can handle this…”
The elf shook his head, getting ready to swing his dagger once again. However the monk was prepared just like before, Urenakk started to unleash a barrage of attacks that caused the elf to lose his composure before being knocked off balance. Then for good measure, the monk gave a swift kick right into the center of Morqen, sending the rogue flying.
Morqen had flew over the caltrops he had set up as he was forced into the air. He gasped for air when he landed, looking up at the monk.
Urenakk stood victorious, smiling at the results of his own training, now at this point, the rogue could not attack him by surprise. The monk’s senses were too keen at this point. The elf couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he leaned against a tree trunk, pulling himself up as he did so. When he was standing on his own two feet, he started to regain his balance as the world had stopped spinning. He was rather disoriented from the previous strikes delivered to him. If it had lasted any longer, he might have spilled the contents of the dinner he had from the night before. “Kid, what else is there to say?” Morqen shrugged, he started to make his way around picking up each caltrop he had thrown. “I think you’re gonna do just fine today. I mean, you managed to win one fight already…”
“True…” Urenakk nodded, helping the rogue out by picking cleaning up some of the debris himself. “But the last time I fought, it was only against an illusion, a sort of copy of my father. I have the feeling that when I fight again, it is going to be the real thing.” The monk paused, looking up at the rogue. “I have a feeling that a fight with the real one this time is going to be much more difficult and much more intense.”
“Kid,” Morqen sighed. “You came into this knowing that everything moving forward was going to be the hardest thing you ever do. Despite all that’s happened, you rose up to the challenge.”
“But not entirely.” Urenakk shook his head. “I should have used my opportunity to take over at some point, but I just never did. How will I ever be able to prove that I’m going to be a capable leader now? Do I still even have time to do it? I mean, that whole mission with the bandits was the biggest thing we’ve done as a group yet.”
“I’m gonna be honest with you…” Morqen sealed up his satchel, leaning his back against a tree. “I can’t honestly say how well you could take over in one way or the other. To be honest, I don’t even think leading our group for one mission should really matter all that much.”
“Then what does?” Urenakk paused.
The rogue immediately approached the monk and pointed right at his chest. “I think it’s whatever is here for starters…” he then raised his finger and pointed at the monk’s head. “That and what’s in here too. I don’t know how well you can tell people what to do, but I know your character well enough to see that you can rise up to any challenge that comes your way. And that is because you are strong in both areas that I pointed to…”
“It’s funny…” Urenakk chuckled. “I don’t mention this often, but as someone who was taught to tap into my astral projection, I was mentored to believe that this…” he pointed at his own body, “this is merely a fake vessel for the real body, the true soul. That’s what people like me believe and yet, after hearing what you have to say, I still agree with you…”
“Well have you thought about it like this?” Morqen raised his finger once more. “Maybe this here is just a vessel, but what you do while you’re in it is important. Maybe what you do while you’re in your vessel helps shape what is really inside…”
“Yeah…” Urenakk smiled at the thought. “Maybe…”
“I’ve seen your projection countless times kid…” Morqen held out a hand. “And when you show it off, it becomes the brightest thing in the room, and burns with such an intense fire that it warms up the rest of the hawks as well as burn away anyone who gets in our way. That fire doesn’t come from nowhere, kid. That is all you…”
Urenakk shook the elf’s hand and a moment later, the elf pulled the kid closer, wrapping his arm around the kid, pulling him into a hug. Urenakk smiled and returned the hug in kind. “Thank you…” Urenakk nodded his head.
“No thank you…” Morqen pulled away. “After all, that fire kept me warm, even when I was at my darkest point…”
They kept talking as they cleaned up the area around them before heading back to town. Though this time it was more idle chat rather than anything serious. Passing along jokes and such. Morqen couldn’t help but chuckle at the story he told, causing Urenakk to spit out his drink.
The elf saw the town out in the distance as they were heading through the trees and a sinking feeling came over him. Morqen started to frown at the sight and he thought about it, he knew that this entire arrangement with the monk was always temporary. He remembered back when the kid was firs recruited and how he was down on his knees back then. But now the kid was not only able to stand up for himself, but he had adopted more than a few admirable qualities since they started traveling together.
He wasn’t sure what kind of place the kid’s home was going to be, but he was sure that the kid would make a fantastic leader. After all, the kid was the kind to step in and do what was necessary instead of just sitting around waiting for someone else to come along and fix the problem instead. He was sure that the kid would be the one to lead the path of his people, in whatever direction they had to go, he would be the one to pave the road. He wouldn’t let anything stand in the way.
Morqen frowned at the thought of the two of them making it back to town. That would mean they were that much closer to the kid taking his father’s final test. That would mean they would be one step closer to the kid saying his goodbyes to the party, and then that would be it.
Morqen couldn’t help but look down at the ground, thinking of how wonderful the kid had been and how much he was used to having a friend. He didn’t want to lose that friend now. He wanted to tell the kid to just forget about his father and stay here in Loudwater with the hawks.
After all, at least with the Greyhawks the kid would be appreciated for everything he does. When it comes to Khorek, the monk couldn’t seem to do anything right. Morqen just wished that maybe they had woken up earlier and wandered off. That maybe they could have spent another hour together, that was all he wanted. The rogue just wanted more time with his friend.
Yet at the end of the day, Urenakk had ambitions that grew beyond just going out for an adventure. Morqen wanted to say so much to the kid but he kept silent, wanting to respect the kid’s wishes to move on. After all, the rogue knew that he was only being selfish by wanting to tell the kid to stay.
It was the hardest thing he was going to have to do for a long time, but he decided to prepare himself. He was preparing himself to finally look at the kid, shake his hand and say farewell.
Urenakk had a mostly enigmatic expression during this walk. It was hard to read the monk right now, but on the inside, the kid had a mixture of feelings himself. Like Morqen, the monk was somewhat hesitant to make way back to the village. He got really close with several of the hawks and he knew it was going to be hard to give one final look at them before making it to the home of his people.
He knew it was the right thing to do as a potential leader, but at the same time, he had half of a mind to just tell his father to shove it. Right now, what was driving him the most was that he mostly wanted to prove that he could stand up to the old Gith. Maybe knock some sense into him while he was at it. His expression broke as he began to smile at the thought.
As the two kept thinking about the near future, it of course, was not long until they finally made it back to town. “Wonder what the others are up to…” Urenakk muttered as the guards opened the gates for the pair, recognizing them from a distance. Some of the townsfolk noticed the pair enter the town and a few got excited.
“Look, it’s a couple of the Greyhawks!” one of the villagers called out. People poked their heads out from either their doors or their windows just to see who it was. The townsfolk wanted to see who their saviors were and some of them waved at the Rogue and the Monk.
“This is crazy…” Morqen smiled as he waved back at a couple of the villagers. “It wasn’t that long ago that these same people would pretty much spit in our direction…” he turned his attention back to the monk. “But as far as what the others are doing, they’re probably just waking up as we speak. We know Pil’s on a hangover, Vedetta is probably smacking him on the back of the head and calling him and idiot…”
“If she doesn’t, Aryanna would…” Urenakk chuckled. “You’re probably right…” When they entered the familiar inn, Faliti saw them right away from behind the counter.
The half orc smiled as she pulled out a couple of mugs. “You’re up bright and early…” she smiled. “Gotta say that’s impressive considering last night…”
“Well, I kind of kept myself cool last night anyway…” Urenakk laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. He then pulled up a stool and leaned over the counter. “I need to be on point for today.”
“Why, what do you got going on?” Faliti shrugged and kneeled down, pulling out two menus for the pair.
“Well, I have this test…” Urenakk sighed. “I gotta prove my worth not just as a fighter, but as a leader as well. I kind of have to show what I learned here…”
“And what did you learn…?” Faliti smiled leaning over the counter. Filling a mug with water and handing it to the Githzerai.
“A few things…” Urenakk took a sip from the mug. “When I first arrived here, I didn’t have much confidence in myself. You see, this isn’t the first time I have had to travel somewhere and be tested. Usually, I just would not be able to keep up with everyone else and I would end up being overwhelmed. I never could prove to my father how capable I was, and I was miserable for a long time. For a while too, I kind of just pinned it on all kinds of excuses as well, not really owning up to my own shortcomings.”
“So how did that change?” Faliti punched the monk in shoulder gently.
“Well, I kind of just started accepting the fact that I was responsible…” Urenakk shrugged. “I was responsible for my previous failures. I used to dread every time I would be put with a group as I’d just see it as another argument between me and my dad. I just was not happy for a long time. But when I traveled with this group, and I saw just how long we were all just being treated poorly by the villagers around here. I couldn’t help but stew in it for even longer. That was until we finally got rid of the bandits and then it was like we came upon this different reality where everyone loves us instead. But we hardly changed, the only difference between us back then and us now is that we had dealt with a large problem plaguing this town. That’s when I realized that I have to be responsible. Not just with how I feel and how I conduct myself, but I’m also responsible for how other people see me.” He looked up at the half orc. “They always say that respect is earned and not just given, but it’s hard to really understand that until you see it for yourself.”
“That’s…actually good advice…” a voice interrupted the conversation from further away. Urenakk turned and saw that Pil was already up, and he was drinking early in the morning. Despite that, he kept a mostly clear mind and waved at the monk. “That’s impressive actually…”
“Who woulda thought…?” another voice chuckled. Vedetta approached from behind and punched the monk in the same area that the innkeeper did earlier. “We really could learn a lot from this kid, because I didn’t really understand why things was goin’ the way they were until you explained it just now…”
“That’s certainly one useful quality for a leader…” Aryanna poked her head out as she was sitting next to the wizard. She was putting out her cigarette and waved to Urenakk.
“You know, as hard as it is for you…” Breonna called from above. The woman was already in her armor, standing atop the stairs. “I feel like it’s going to be really difficult for us to keep going on without you…” The woman made her way down and pulled up the stool next to the monk and sat down. She placed a hand on his shoulder smiling.
“What are you all doing up so early?” Urenakk smiled as he looked around in all directions.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Morqen chuckled. The monk raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
“We know this is going to be your big day…” Breonna sighed, pulling her hand back and asked the innkeeper for some coffee. “Look, I know more than anyone that you are more than capable of becoming the leader of your own people. You might not have all the experience, but you have the qualities, and the skills. We just wanted to tell you that if at any point you change your mind and want to stay here, we’ll be more than happy to keep you along with us…”
“If you can put up with our shit, you can handle anything…” Vedetta winked at Faliti and the half orc winked back.
“We support you no matter what decision you go with…” Aryanna piped in. “We just want to be there so we can see you show your father what for…”
“Kick his ass, kid…” Morqen smiled and pat the kid on the shoulder.
“Kayla wanted to be there as well.” Breonna pulled out a letter. “She said she was sorry that she couldn’t make it and that she had to deal with political matters this morning…”
Urenakk couldn’t help but keep smiling as the hawks had gathered around him. He shook his head, thinking about how lucky he was to have finally met a group of people who understood him and more importantly, liked him for who he was. “You know, I really hate having to say goodbye…” Urenakk sighed as he took another drink from his mug. “God, I wish this was liquor right now, but seriously…” he stood up and raised his mug in the air. “As much of a pain in the ass you guys can all be, I wouldn’t trade any one of you for anyone else.” The rest of the group started raising their own drinks as Faliti gave them all their own glasses if they didn’t have them already. “To the Greyhawks…” Urenakk smiled. “I love about three quarters of you, the rest of you assholes can figure out who you are…” That last comment caused everyone to break into laughter before they all started downing their own rounds.
Urenakk was touched by everyone just wanting to spend all the time they had with him. It was harder than ever to finally have to leave the group, but the monk sighed, he knew what he had to do. He had already come so far, it would be meaningless to just give that up now.
The Greyhawks spent a little while longer in the bar, dragging their time out for as long as possible. Of course, as they were making their way through town, the townsfolk noticed the entire group traveling together. Just like before with just Morqen and Urenakk, many of the people started observing the group, people would wave to them or greet them in some other fashion.
Pil couldn’t help but smile, it was nice to finally be recognized. The wizard had spent his life feeling like a nobody, being ostracized by everyone around him. He couldn’t help but soak it all in. Despite where they were going and what they were about to do, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Aryanna right beside him noticed this and nudged him. “What’s with you?” she smiled.
“You know, I just can’t help but think back to Arrington right now…” Pil shrugged. “You know the deal with that. It just feels nice, like I finally was able to prove everyone back there wrong. I actually did matter; I did measure up after all…if only those people could see me now…”
“Yeah…” Morqen sighed, listening in from a small distance away. He started to stare blankly up at the sky.
“Oh shit,” Pil widened his eyes, realizing where the rogue’s thoughts were going. “I didn’t mean-“
“No, it’s fine…” Morqen shook his head. “We’ve all been there. Whether it was because of circumstance or we did things we weren’t proud of…”
Vedetta sighed when she heard that and she turned to the rogue. The expression she wore was just full of sorrow and regret. “Morqen…” she sighed. “I know you heard this from me before…but I am sorry…” she nervously coiled her fingers around her bow string. “I know a lot of the things I did to you are just unforgivable but…if I could go back to the past, I would have done things differently…”
“I…I know you would…” Morqen slowly nodded his head.
Neither the rogue nor the ranger knew where to keep going with this. So they both just kept walking along silently, deciding to leave the conversation at that for now. The rest of the group were caught off by the moment, and they had followed the same lead, trailing on without having much more of a conversation.
Of course as they kept moving through the town, the guards opening a nearby gate for them so they could walk along the outer wall. Urenakk was leading the way of course. The group was heading straight back to the small farm right outside of the town.
The small house was a quaint as ever, with vines growing all over it as well as all over the wall. The gardens surrounding it were still blossoming. The owner of the farm was scooping up all of the snow in a shovel before tossing it aside.
Urenakk smiled and waved before heading into the woods. Keeping an eye out for the tallest tree in the distance. The tallest tree was sitting upon a nearby hill that overlooked the town. That had to be where Khorek was waiting for him.
Urenakk took a deep breath, looking up the hill before pushing forward. He saw his father, floating in the air, legs crossed. The old Gith’s eyes were closed but he still heard the hawks approaching.
“I see you have returned…” the sorcerer sighed as he opened his eyes. He stared down his son right away with a look of pure thunder.
The monk did not budge when he met his father’s gaze. He took a step forward, completely determined to finish what he had started so long ago. He was going to finally prove to his father that he was worthy. “Father…” Urenakk muttered. “I have been successful on our recent adventure, we were able to take down Zyrsius, the leader of the Bull’s Crew and now here I stand before you.”
“And what do intend?” Khorek asked with a monotone voice.
“I aim to prove to you that I am worthy…” Urenakk clenched his fists. “I’m here to finally show you that I can in fact survive in our home. I want to show you that I now have what it takes…”
“Very well then…” Khorek stretched out his legs and then stood up straight. He adjusted his head, cracking his neck. “And tell me, do you have what it takes to be a leader? To one day take over? Show me how you intend to lead the people…tell me how you lead the attack on Zyrsius…”
The monk bit his lip, cursing inside of his own thoughts. “I…I did not lead…” Urenakk admitted. “But that does not mean I can’t be a good leader…”
Khorek sighed and shook his head. “I am disappointed…” the sorcerer crossed his arms. ”You still have nothing to show for when it comes to becoming a leader. Do you know what I see you as?”
“What?”
“I still see you as the scared little boy…” Khorek shook his head. “The scared little boy who always does what he is told, does no thinking for himself. Always letting everyone else make the decisions for him so that he doesn’t have to…”
“That’s not-“ Morqen stepped forward but paused when Urenakk raised a hand in the air. The rogue hissed and shook his head, glaring at the old Gith.
“Thank you Morqen…” Urenakk muttered, without turning around. “But this is my battle. I need to fight this by myself…”
“Good…” Khorek muttered low. “Then you know where this is going…”
“I always did…” the monk took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, focusing on bringing out his astral projection. Soon enough there was a spark in the air nearby the monk, then another. Eventually, there were embers burning above his shoulders and then soon enough flames erupted, enveloping the monk’s entire body.
The flames rose upwards, forming into the familiar extra pair of arms and forming a protective mask of cinders around his head. Urenakk cracked his knuckles and opened his eyes once more. “Here I come, father…” he bellowed.
“You still haven’t found your full potential…” Khorek shook his head. As he spoke, the sky became grey as clouds started to gather together from high above. This was no doubt Khorek’s doing, as he too was getting ready to fight, and no doubt posture of course. “I wonder how you plan on defeating me in this state…” Soon enough, rough winds started to pick up atop the hill. At first it didn’t seem like much, just causing most of the hawks to cover up their eyes. The other members of the group started to move away so that the two Githzerai could battle freely without having to worry about collateral damage.
As they moved away, the winds had gotten even more intense. The gust was so strung that it was making the tallest tree atop the hill bend. Despite the winds picking up, Urenakk’s flame still burned brightly, and the monk firmly planted his feet and stood his ground.
His father did not back down either, if anything, he was only standing taller. The winds started to circle around the old sorcerer’s feet, lifting him off the ground slowly. Before now, this alone would have been enough to send the monk flying. Khorek took note of that as he rose further and further up in the air. Soon enough he was rising far above the tree, still staring down at the monk. The old Gith raised one hand in the air.
As the rest of the group looked up into the sky, they could see a bright flash of light that shined across the sky. This was soon followed by another flash and of course, an ear piercing boom could be heard from miles away. One final flash of light struck his father’s hand, and the old Gith started to glow bright, sparks streaking all over his entire body. His eyes were glowing the brightest. This was followed by the loudest boom yet, it was so intense that it caused some of the hawks to jump just out of instinct.
“You won’t just be fighting some illusion this time…” Khorek’s voice was booming just like the thunder. “This time, you will be fighting the real me, and I will not be holding back…”
“I expected no less from you…” Urenakk muttered. He was able to stand his ground thus far. He jumped in the air hoping to take his father by surprise. Khorek saw this and started to lower his arm, ready to point directly at his son. Urenakk mustered enough strength to jump high enough to reach his father and was able to reach Khorek before the spell would be charged. He delivered a swift haymaker right into his father’s abdomen with one of his flaming arms.
“Amazing…” Pil shook his head. “Like always, he just does not stop surprising me. I think he might actually win this…”
“It’s too early to tell…” Aryanna shook her head.
“What do you mean?” Pil asked.
Urenakk grabbed hold of the sorcerer’s robes and used that to propel himself higher up in the air. Doing a front flip to build momentum, Urenakk delivered another devastating blow in the form of a front kick swinging in a downward angle. It connected with the old Gith’s head and it caused the sorcerer to flinch. Lightning erupted all around him, Urenakk screamed as he was sent crashing back down to the ground.
“Urenakk is still at a disadvantage…” Aryanna explained. “Not only does Khorek have the advantage of flight, which is already overwhelming for any caster to be fighting in a duel. He could build as much distance as he wants and Urenakk would just simply not be able to reach him. But even without that, it is still a hard fight. Because Khorek mainly uses lightning for his attacks, they are going to be much faster than anything Urenakk could throw back at him. His greatest shield is his weapon of choice…”
“Because no matter how fast Urenakk is, he cannot match the speed of light…” Pil realized.
“Precisely…” Aryanna nodded. “Any time he tries to avoid the attack, it is already too late if he is simply reacting to it. He has to focus on predicting everything his father does and where that lightning will travel. And as you saw just now even when he lands a hit, it does not mean that he is out of the woods…”
Urenakk panted heavily as he hit the ground, coughing up blood already. He shook his head and looked up, Khorek was merely looking down upon him. It seemed as if the sorcerer was just waiting for his son to make another move.
“I hope that isn’t everything…” Khorek growled. “Otherwise this isn’t going to last long at all…” he raised his hand into the air once more. Just like before, lightning streaked across the sky and struck the old Gith once more, causing him to glow even brighter. This time the lightning did not disappear, in fact, it remained intact as he held a tight gripped over it. Grabbing it with both hands now, he stretched it out until it was the length of a spear.
Urenakk immediately started to run up the tall tree, climbing it at such a high speed that he moved at a blur. However, that still was not fast enough. Khorek merely aimed the lightning spear at the tree and hurled it right at the center of the tree trunk.
There was a bright flash that cut off the vision of everyone watching. For one moment, the tree stood tall atop the mountain. Within the next moment, splinters were flying in all directions and that was all that was left of the tree. Roots, rocks, dirt and all sorts of debris were being flung in all directions.
Breonna stepped ahead of the rest of the hawks raising her shield. Urenakk’s screams couldn’t even be heard over the thunder that shook the ground itself. The sound wave itself knocked everyone watching into the air and blew them away.
Fire was consuming the rest of the mountain. As the hawks were getting up and recovering from being absolutely stunned at just the raw power that came from the one magical attack. No normal person would have ever survived something like that.
“URENAKK!” Morqen shouted, he wanted to rush into the battle, but Breonna grabbed him and held him back. “Let go of me! The kid’s in danger!”
“He doesn’t want us to interfere!” Breonna yelled out. “If we rush in there we’ll only be getting ourselves hurt and worse, it will throw him off.”
“Fuck that, he’s already thrown off!” Morqen tried to slither his way out, but the fighter’s death grip would not relent.
Khorek surveyed the destruction and held a blank expression still. He was looking for his son, who was likely hidden among all of the fires that were started just now. He remained focused until he felt a little drop of rain touch the top of his head. He looked up at the sky and he felt another drop. It started to pour, the old Gith sighed. “Perhaps this should help put out the fires…” he spoke his thoughts out loud.
Suddenly a current of fire streamed up high into the air. Khorek widened his eyes and braced himself. Urenakk was in the center of the rising flame, the astral arms reached up and grabbed the old Gith by the legs.
The old Gith’s skin immediately began sizzling as the arms held onto him tightly. Urenakk started to pull himself higher and he used his physical hands to grab his father by the collar. The monk was covered in blood, and he now had a gigantic scar branded across his torso just because of the lightning spell. Urenakk bared his teeth as he reeled back and then thrusted himself forward.
His head landed squarely upon the old Gith’s nose, blood spurted out right away as Khorek screamed in pain. Urenakk did not relent, as he threw a straightforward kick that landed right into Khorek’s stomach. The old Gith started to puke even more blood into the air.
Urenakk was about ready to deliver another crushing blow before the winds surrounding his father got even more intense. It was causing the monk to fly back, he was only able to remain so close to his father still only because his astral arms were clinging desperately to the sorcerer’s robes.
Khorek’s eyes glowed once more as he glared at his son. He screamed at the top of his lungs, once he did another thunderous boom emitted from him. The force was so great that it caused Urenakk to finally let go of his father. The monk came crashing into the ground.
Urenakk braced himself for when he did hit the ground and recovered as quickly as he could. He wondered how he could reach his father once more. However now he could barely see as the winds were becoming that intense, he had to squint as much as possible just to be able to see.
Khorek immediately shot more lightning down upon the monk. It was so quick and intense that Urenakk was just unable to react. He collapsed almost right away. But Khorek did not stop, he shot more lightning at his son.
Urenakk screamed as he was sent flying back once again. He rolled down to the bottom of what was left of the hill the only thing stopping him was that he landed right against another tree. Khorek saw this and kept attacking, hurling more and more lightning at the monk.
Eventually, Urenakk had gone silent, and as he collapsed his flame was snuffed out. He fell unconscious, but Khorek continued his approach. The rest of the Greyhawks saw this happening from a distance. Morqen stomped right on Breonna’s foot causing her to let go and he went sprinting in the direction of the two Githzerai, already pulling out both of his daggers. The rest of the hawks were not far behind whether it was to help Morqen or to restrain him once more, they were all rushing in.
Khorek stood before his son and grabbed the monk by the collar. Lifting his son up to his feet, Urenakk’s back still against the tree trunk. The monk was burnt from head to toe, a good portion of his skin had been burnt off. Khorek, with his one free hand started to charge yet another spell, to end this fight for good.
That was what he was going to do, at least until Urenakk opened his eyes. “Father…” was all he had the strength left to say.
Khorek paused right away, gasping as he looked into his son’s eyes. His expression fell and he immediately became filled with horror at the sight of what he was doing. His son’s eyes, it had been such a long time since he looked closely at them. The pair of eyes reminded him of a woman he knew long ago and he just let go of his son, losing the will to fight.
Khorek panicked and reached into his satchel and pulled out a large health potion, placing it gently onto the boy’s lap. He heard more shouting, and he turned his head to see the Greyhawks closing in on him. The old Gith looked at them and then back at his son. He then shook his head and turned away; his hand was now charging a different spell. Once he waved his hand, a bright blue portal opened to somewhere far away from Loudwater.
The best way to describe it was that it was chaos incarnate as debris was flying everywhere, objects appeared and disappeared, changing shape in random sizes and directions. However out into the distance, deep into this desolate area that was seemingly the most intense raging storm that anyone would ever find. He saw it, he saw the home of his people.
Khorek started making his way through the portal, but not before he turned around, getting one last look at the monk, at his son. “I’m sorry…” was all he had the strength to say before entering through the portal, it closed from behind.
The Greyhawks finally made it to the monk. Morqen dropped to his knees and popped the cork of the health potion, sliding the contents carefully down Urenakk’s throat. “Come on, kid!” the rogue’s voice was hoarse. “Stay with us!”
“We need to get him back in the village!” Breonna started to run towards the city wall, looking for the nearest entrance. Aryanna cast a spell to gently levitate the monk’s body into the air.
Right away almost all of the hawks started to follow Breonna helping to move the monk in the right direction, touching him as little as possible while the levitation carried him. Vedetta was the last one to leave, she looked out at the destruction that was left behind, a good chunk of the hill was gone. Some fires were still raging out there. The rain could only do so much. The ranger shook her head. “What the fuck just happened?”
________________________________________________________________
Well, this is it, the ultimate test for Urenakk. It is time for him to finally prove to his father that he can survive in the home of his people. Who knows how well this final test will go?
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 20
“Let me tell you a story girl…” the old woman cooed with a hoarse voice. She was sitting upon the small bed, wearing simple rags, had grey hairs dangling along the pale wrinkly skin. Her eyes completely white as she was totally blind. Perhaps it was from a misfired spell of some sort, or maybe a failed experiment. She wore the signature headdress of a small animal’s skull, the antlers jutted out along the sides of the head. It was strange, as the eyes within the skull sockets had two faint red dots deep inside. Little Arya was always disturbed by the skull, as the adornment would always looking at her, as if it was staring into the girl’s soul. The older woman cleared her throat before continuing on. “This is a story of a woman who fell in love with the wrong man.”
“You mean you and father?” Aryanna asked, slightly flinching in response, she was expecting to be beaten at that moment, but the old woman simply shook her head in response.
“No little Arya…” her mother croaked. “That would mean I had any love for him at all. No, this isn’t our story, though what I am about to tell you is the cause of all that…”
“The cause?” Aryanna tilted her head like a confused puppy.
“Yes, it’s what cause your father and I to meet…” her mother clarified.
“But he didn’t stay…?” the little girl frowned. “Not even for me…?”
“Your father was always a vile man, girl. He cared for no one but himself.” The mother’s tone changed as if she was giving the girl a lecture more than anything. “It’s best that you do not pursuit his attention should you ever have the misfortune of meeting him. But enough about that…” the older woman waved her hand, ending the conversation. “it’s time I finally told you the story…of a place that is far different from these swamps girl…”
The only thing accompanying her mother’s voice were the countless chirping bugs outside. Some owls on the hunt, perhaps every now and then a twig snapping as an animal was lurking nearby. Despite all of the dangerous wildlife in these swamps, none would ever dare approach the little hut in the center.
The little girl couldn’t help but wonder how different the place would be compared to her own home. She had lived in these swamps for as long as she could remember, always under the watchful eyes of the skull. She would always encounter the countless animals, exploring the nearby marshlands, diving into the water and the mud, unafraid if she couldn’t find her way out. As no matter what she did, no matter how much trouble the girl would get herself into, she always had her mother to pull her out.
The girl was not afraid of drowning, or being eaten by the many creatures that were stalking her from a distance. Even though she understood the concept of death, she was never truly afraid of dying herself. However, that didn’t mean that the girl was fearless. In fact, it was quite the opposite, for she had one deep fear that rocked her to her core.
For her entire life, this fear would become greater, haunting her at every turn as there would be no way for the girl to avoid it. This fear was of her own mother, and it was strange for the girl. There were times when the mother would do something to unsettle her almost as if it was on purpose.
It was a strange paradox for the girl, as the one thing in this world that was providing her even the slightest bit of protection from the rest of the dangers in the world was what disturbed her the most. Perhaps it was just that her mother was just generally unpleasant to look at or to talk to. But then the fear wouldn’t have developed as much as it did. The fear stems from some deeper understanding, as even though Aryanna was just a little girl at the time, she could tell that the most dangerous thing in the world for as far as she knew, was the woman she lived with.
The old woman spoke up once more, noticing that the girl had for a moment stopped paying attention. She snapped her fingers in front of the girl’s eyes and the girl tensed up, looking right into her mother’s blank eyes.
“Are you finally ready, girl?” the woman asked with a raspy voice.
“Yes…” Aryanna nodded. “What is this place that you speak of?”
“Imagine a world without the sun…” the old woman started. “Instead of these buzzing marshes that are teaming with life no matter where you turn. Imagine instead finding it very difficult to find any living creature at all. Even then, the creatures you meet, oh they would haunt the dreams of even the bravest of warriors. For you see, there are all kinds of dangers in this other world. Dying is the least of your problems in this world girl, for no one would ever be able to find you if you were to go missing. At least, after a certain point, there is an end to these trees. Not with this world, it is nigh endless when it comes to scale. It is where the world’s foulest creatures, the most dejected find their home. This world is known as the Underdark and that is where your father is from…”
“He survived in a place like that?” Aryanna widened her eyes, thinking about how alien the description seems. It was not at all like where she lived.
“Yes girl…” the old woman continued. “He comes from the people who gave you your ears…” her mother flicked one of the girl’s pointed ears, Aryanna shook her head instinctively shutting her eyes when it happened.
“His kind are called the Drow…” her mother explained. “And his kind have lived down there “His people are a merciless kind, for they take what they can living in such a dangerous world. They build strongholds, intended to keep anything other than their own people out. They rule over themselves with iron fists, girl. And with such a strict, stringent kind of upbringing, it is only natural that there would be one person who would want to break with tradition, to explore the taboo and when this person did, she brought down the fall of her own people.”
“What did she do?” Aryanna pressed her back against the post of the bed. It was more as if the girl was making sure that nothing was behind her at the moment, than to find any kind of comfort.
“She started mingling with an outsider.” The mother answered. “A young man who wanted to get away from his own home. You see, that man had his own sort of past. He was not always part of the underground. There are people who travel down there, girl, the bravest adventurers, hoping to make a name for themselves by conquering the evil that lurks below. There are also the fools who think that they would somehow be able to remain out of sight, able to find some kind of treasure and then make for the surface. Those poor fools are never seen again. This man, was neither a brave adventurer, nor a foolish thief. He was something else entirely. He was a man who was trying to get away from his old life from above, he found himself more at home with the dangers that lurked below…”
“Why?” was all Aryanna could muster.
“For he was the cause of many nightmares in his own home village…” the woman explained. “He was far more dangerous than anyone could have ever anticipated…”
“What do you mean…?” the girl hesitated to ask.
“Well when he was growing up, he was always some kind of…outsider…” her mother sighed. “The thing about outsiders, girl, is that they can become the most dangerous kind of people imaginable. I’m a human, you are half of one, and being human, we are social creatures. Do you understand, we learned to depend on one another to survive, that’s how we get through even the most deadly of situations. But outsiders don’t have those kinds of bonds…” the old woman was picking nervously at her own fingernails as she went on. “the outsiders have to adapt without them, they learn to survive without depending on anyone other than themselves. With that, they tend to act with others only when they have no other choice. Most people would need the outsiders’ help to survive, but the outsiders don’t need them…remember that girl.”
“And this man was an outsider like that?” Aryanna muttered.
“Oh yes, he was in a way, forced to become one.” Her mother nodded her head. “Though, I guess you can say that it’s a do or die type of situation with most outsiders. But either way, he didn’t fit in with his home, with his community. Everyone in his home town always saw him as this strange boy, though strange is putting it mildly.” The older woman put her hand on her chin trying to think of a more accurate term, and then it hit her. “I would say that disturbed would be a better word for it. You see he always had this demeanor like he was some kind of tortured soul. The people in his life did not response well to it, not well at all…”
“What did they do?” Aryanna held onto her pillow, putting between her mother and herself.
“They alienated him…” her mother answered. “They would only take care of his needs because it was required of them by the law, but that would be it. His parents weren’t too kind to him, in fact, not only did they feel ashamed that their son was the town outcast, they tried to make the time for someone else.” Aryanna raised her eyebrow in confusion. “They wanted to have another child.” Her mother explained. And oh my goodness, did the boy hate that. They had dedicated all of their time to raising his new little sister. They gave her all of the attention that he wanted from them, not just because of how young she was, but because she was going to become someone to outshine her older brother. They had put the girl on a pedestal at birth. Oh, what a terrible mistake it was that they made…”
“They should have helped both the kids…” Aryanna mumbled in protest.
“Yes, they should have…” her mother agreed. “Maybe then, things would have played out much differently. Oh but that is a different story, one not told here I’m afraid. The most attention they ever gave to their eldest son was when they wanted to head out into town and needed him to watch over his sister. Don’t think that the different treatment did not go unnoticed, girl. You see the eldest son noticed that he had drawn the short straw in this, and his sister the long one. And he resented her for it…”
“What happened?” Aryanna widened her eyes, already knowing the answer, but was hoping that a different story would be told.
“Out of jealousy for the love and attention he never got,” her mother started. “he decided he was going to pay his sister back. For robbing him of the life he wanted all along. He was going to get revenge not on just her, but his parents as well. For at the end of all of this, it was them who had put him in such a heinous state. His sister was sleeping soundly in her own little crib, the quietest she has ever been. Her brother entered the room, standing over her, watching as she slept without making a sound. He took her pillow, and after a while, he made sure that she would sleep soundly ever more…”
“But it wasn’t her fault.” Aryanna looked at her mother, looking directly at the skull. She wondered if her mother would ever think of doing the same to her.
“It didn’t matter to him.” Her mother shook her head. “What mattered was that he got his message across to his parents. It wouldn’t be long until they would return from their trip within the town and it would be received.”
“Did they find out it was him?” Aryanna looked down at her bed.
“Oh yes, there was no doubt about it, after all, he was the only one who was with her at the time. His footprints were still fresh in her room. Though it did take them some time, as when he was done, he gently put the pillow underneath of her once more, just to make it look like she was still sleeping.” The older woman gave a sinister smile as she leaned closer, as if whispering a dastardly secret into the girl’s ear. “Though if I come to think of it. I would imagine even if the babe had died of natural causes, they would have put the blame on him regardless. After all, they want him out of their lives, I’d imagine this would be the perfect justification they would have to finally act on their desires. But as you and I know now, he is no innocent misunderstood boy…”
“What is he, then?” Aryanna turned away when her mother got closer.
“A monster…” the old woman clarified. “A monster of the town’s own creation. And when people in town see a monster, they drive the monster out. That is what they did with the boy, they were making it a sport to hunt him down. Like it was some kind of game, putting on the performance that it was for the poor little sister. But remember this, girl; people will do whatever it is that they desire. They will act good, as if that is part of their nature, but in reality it is a mask that they wear. They wear that mask to give themselves the excuse they need to act on their base nature. For the people of the town were never good either, girl. As most people, they tend to only put on the good act so that they can make the world burn, for they themselves are also monsters.”
“How do you know?” Aryanna shook her head, skeptical.
“Look at me girl,” her mother’s tone turned sour. “Do you think I came onto the world looking like this? No, the people who would come by were cruel, not understanding, and not too patient in the slightest. Not even him…”
“The boy from the story?” Aryanna perked up. “He was here?”
“No, but he is the reason why your father came here.” The old woman corrected her daughter. “You see, when he fled the village, he traveled to the Underdark and met with the woman who would break taboo and let him inside. It was the first time someone acted for him out of kindness. She let him into her home, her own community.”
“So that’s where he lived?” Aryanna asked. “The same community as my father?”
“Live is a rather relative term…” Her mother shook her head. “For if you think that one little act would change what he has become, oh you are mistaken girl. For you see, the man had only been enabled by this woman, the monster became an outward reflection of who he was and he was unleashed upon the community down below. In the chaos, your father fled. That is how your father ended up here, and ended up making his way…to me…”
“That’s how you met him?” Aryanna perked up. “He was driven from his home, and he met you? And you let him stay here?”
“At first…” The old woman shook her head. “You see, before I met him, I would have to point out that I was young and beautiful, much like you, girl…” she sighed, looking at a nearby totem made from bones that were carved with all kinds of runes. “I’m sure you can tell, none of this came naturally to me. I was a young beautiful witch living alone here when he had found me. He was half dead, and I took him into this hut, using all of the remedies I could make for him at my disposal. He wasn’t just running from the people who destroyed his home, for you see when he left the Underdark and when he found me, he had already had a near death experience with the local wildlife…”
“And he got better…” Aryanna started to relax her arms, letting her pillow sit in her lap.
“Yes, and for a while he was quite good company.” Her mother smiled wryly as she turned to the rest of the hut. “It was nice to have someone to talk to for a while. This of course, would only last for so long. Eventually he had overstayed his welcome…”
“Why what happened?” Aryanna frowned, not sure where her mother was going with this. Figuring that at worst, there was just a heated argument.
Her mother paused, trying to think about how best to phrase it for the girl. “Hopefully dear, you should never have to find out yourself…” She reached out for the girl’s hand and held onto it. “Listen to me girl,” the old woman went on. “when it comes to people like us, there will always be something that the men will want. If one of them ever tries to force you to do something you don’t want to, you fight back, you understand me? You do not hesitate to unleash Hell itself upon them.”
“Is that what happened between you two?” Aryanna quivered, not totally understanding what her mother meant, but still agreeing as she was just scared.
“These books that I use are sacred child…” the old woman pulled a spell tome out from her satchel. “It is my means to defend myself. I made the mistake of not having it on me when he made his choice, because after a while, I thought I could trust him…” she squeezed the book tightly, as if the elf’s neck was there instead and she was trying to throttle it. “Don’t ever let yourself be vulnerable, do you understand me? Use your strength, wear it like a shell of armor and wipe out anyone who dares try to break that armor.” She reached out for the girl once more. “Do you promise me you will do that, girl?”
“I promise…” Aryanna went through the motions. She was desperately hoping that this would be enough for her mother to finally leave her alone and to let her go to sleep. But that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, just at the moment she made the promise, her mother continued on even more.
“Find your weapon girl,” her mother went on. “find it and keep it to yourself. Don’t make it as vulnerable as some silly old book. Don’t be like me and just think you are ready for whatever comes to you in these swamps. The one thing that wasn’t from around here found me directly and you can see how that turned out.” The old woman started to hug her book. “It wasn’t all for naught. For even though I was living alone in this hut for a long time, that did not mean that I could not talk to anyone…”
“You had people to talk to?” Aryanna looked around, as if to find someone stalking the hut from nearby. “Who would they be? How?”
“There are many ways when you desire it, girl…” the old woman merely chuckled to herself as she pointed at her book. “You see, after what had happened with your father, I had decided that I wanted to return the favor. I had showed him how kind I could be, but I wanted to show him how easily that kindness could transform into something far more sinister if I wanted it to.”
“Who did you talk to?” Aryanna repeated her question, not entirely sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
“I can introduce you to him if you would like…” her mother’s smile grew wide. “Most people tend to call him a liar, but all he ever did was help me. The way I see it, he was far more honest than your father ever was. Oh, and how he helped me deal with your father. For you see, after your father was done and he had left, I had no idea where he went. But the one I met knew…”
“Who is he?” Aryanna hesitated. “How did he know? How did he help you?”
“He’s a Lord…” her mother finally answered. “I should warn you child, you should not speak this Lord’s name in vain. You don’t want your first meeting to be a misunderstanding, he is rather busy after all. But he knew how to help me…” the woman sighed and looked once more at the totem made from bones. “He told me that he could find your father, that he could pass any message that I would like to him, and that he could do whatever I wanted…” she sighed. “But of course, my Lord would not do all of this for free. So, we made a few arrangements…”
“What does that mean?” Aryanna closed her eyes, hoping that she would accidentally fall asleep. But she couldn’t her heart was pounding too much. She already was afraid of her mother, but the direction that this conversation was turning. It only made the feeling that much worse. The girl couldn’t necessarily understand why, she just knew that some sort of taboo was being broken just by talking about this. She was afraid that something awful was going to happen by the time that she would finally go to bed.
Her mother of course did not seem to be bothered by the conversation much at all. In fact, the old woman seemed to have gotten a sense of relief from talking about this so far. It was like she was holding onto this large secret for years and finally confessing this secret, getting these feelings off of her chest, it seemed to have made the woman felt free. “You want to know the trades that I had made with the Lord? Can you not see for yourself…” the old woman smiled.
The little girl was not entirely sure what her mother meant there, so she shook her head in response. Her mother took a deep breath and started to pick at her own fingernails once more. She was doing this rather absentmindedly, but whenever the old woman had any intense emotion, that was when she would start this. It was for no particular reason other than the fact that it was a little tick she had. “I had several things that I could give to the Lord for the favors. I gave to him my beauty, so that he could find your father to me. I gave him my youth, so that he could do whatever I wanted to your father.” The woman stared blankly at the little girl. This time it was not through the skull headdress she had adorned over her head, rather she was displaying her blank white eyes once more. “I gave to the Lord my vision, so he could pass along a final message for me…”
“Why are you telling me this?” Aryanna finally mustered the courage to ask. “What’s the point?”
Her mother’s expression fell for a moment. The old woman recoiled and her eyes twitched, it seemed as if she was going to strike the girl for a second, but she never did. Instead, she only shook her head. “Because you are finally old enough to be able to understand what I am telling you.” She explained. “Even if you didn’t get the full story, I believe this is a night you will remember for a very long time. And besides, it is only cordial after all…”
“Cordial?” Aryanna seemed more confused than ever. What could the old woman possibly mean?
“Oh, I am sure you will find out eventually…” her mother got up from the bed, finally. Looking down at her child, smiling wide. It was the kind of sinister grin when someone knows something that others around them don’t. “Sweet dreams, dear…” Her mother began to walk away to a different corner of the cabin, entering her own private room, and shutting the door from behind.
Aryanna was still tense after everything, just soaking in the conversation and wondering if everything the woman mentioned was true or not. The girl shook her head, and started to blow out most of the candles, all except for one. She didn’t want to be in complete darkness after those stories.
The girl put the pillow back where it belongs and started to lay down on her side. Shutting her eyes tightly, the girl tried to think about anything else at the time. It was difficult, her heart was racing and at this point, her mind was going through all of the possibilities it could.
She wondered if her father was still somehow out there. Wondering what he would do if he were to ever come back here and find out that she was here. She wondered about the people who took away his home. She thought about what they could have done to make someone as fierce as her father run away. Those had to be scary individuals themselves, especially the boy in the story.
She was thinking about the boy’s little sister. How the infant was sleeping soundly by herself in her own room, much like she was right now. She thought about that boy just walking into her room and smothering her with her own pillow. What would her mother do? Why would her mother tell her that story? She thought about the worst possible outcome.
The girl started thinking about a plan of action in her mind. She knew that the old woman was in her own room and remembered that the door had been shut. She decided that she was going to listen for the creaking of the wooden door. If the girl were to hear the door creaking, then that would mean it was being opened and her mother would be emerging out of the room. She decided that if that were to happen, she would make a run for it.
The girl didn’t necessarily have a plan for where she would be running to. She just didn’t want to take the chance of finding out what her mother would do after hearing such a story. She figured that since she was able to live out in these swamps for so long, she would be able to survive. After all, her father managed to make it through the swamps and end up in this hut. If that man could make it through these woods, then she should be able to as well. It made perfect sense in her mind.
The girl started to think about what could possibly be at the end of these swamps, wondering what would be waiting for her if she were to reach the end. The girl was hoping that there would be some kind of village at the end of these swamps. Perhaps then, she could find a place where people would be willing to take her in. She would do any and all chores for them if they would give her a place to stay.
The girl started to lose track of how long she had been planning. The thought of being in a safe home with different people, even if she was doing chores, it was comforting to her. It was because of that, that she didn’t realize when she finally fell asleep.
The girl walked aimlessly through the swamps, she had managed to give her mother the slip. She had it all figured out, she was smart enough to grab a sack and take it with her before she ran away. It was full of all kinds of fruits and other assortments she thought she needed for the journey. The girl started to see a bright light through the trees. “Is that it?” she thought, and started to pick up the pace. The edge of the woods was getting closer and the girl’s smile grew wide.
Finally, she started sprinting across the swamps. Brushing past bushes and branches as they scratched at her but she didn’t care. She was too excited, she tripped over a root that ended up being much taller than she anticipated. However, the girl managed to catch her self when she took another step. She hesitated for a split second but began running once more.
She was finally able to reach out to the edge of the forest and just burst out of there. The sooner she got away from her mother, the better. She started laughing triumphantly, hoping that the village would be on the horizon. However, there was nothing, nothing except for a cliff. The slowly approached it, trying to catch her breath. She peaked over the edge and saw that there was nothing down below, no space at all, only pitch black.
“Huh?” she wheezed as she turned around, hoping to walk along the edge of the woods until she’d find what she was looking for. But, when she turned back, the swamp was completely gone. Now all around her, it was just darkness. Her heart started to race, and she looked around for something, anything. She looked up and paused.
There was a ring, up at the sky, but it was huge. She started to run once more towards the ring, hoping to get a better look at it. But no matter how fast or how far she ran, she couldn’t seem to get closer. She squinted her eyes, hoping that she could figure out what it was. That was when she realized it was moving. Not only was the ring moving, but it was alive as well.
She realized it was a snake, spinning in circles in the air, seemingly eating it’s own tail, and the snake had wings. It’s scales were bright, glistening with all the colors of the rainbow. She could see the head and wings spinning in circles from high above. Then she started to look at the tail end, wondering why it would be eating itself. That was when she noticed that it was not eating itself at all, it was swallowing another snake’s tail. This snake was much darker, not glistening with any particular color at all, it seemed to have matched with the darkness. She could see that with the snakes eating each other, blood was leaking from it. Spreading out in all directions.
The girl was not sure what to do, she took a step closer and when she did, the ring had broken off. The snakes had ripped off both of each other’s tails. The bright snake started to flap it’s wings, and was just circling the air peacefully on its own. The darker snake however, had no wings at all, and so it began to descend. But with the way things were, there was no ground, and it kept falling. Heading deeper into the darkness, the void. Aryanna screamed, as when the darker snake fell, she began to fall too.
She kept screaming, hoping that there would be someone else here in this blank void. After all, she did encounter the two snakes, is it really far out there to expect there to also be another person she could talk to? That was what she was thinking as she shouted for help, as perhaps someone would hear her and catch her, stop her from falling.
She was falling faster and faster, the sinking of her chest getting more intense with every passing moment. She looked in the general direction of where she was falling, she could see the snake falling ahead. The snake itself still had blood pouring out of its own tail from the dispute with the winged serpent.
She looked past the snake and saw that there was finally something on the horizon. It was the ground, and it was fast approaching. She panicked, wondering what she could do to slow down her fall. She tried to think of something, but she just kept drawing blanks.
The murky snake started to coil itself up, bracing itself for the impact. When it finally hit the ground, the ground started to shatter. Rocks and debris were flying in all directions and the little half elven girl braced herself as she got pelted by a few that flew in her direction. She shut her eyes, essentially waiting for the end to come. However, she still had not hit the ground.
Once she opened her eyes again, she saw that the snake had hit the ground so hard that it punched through and kept falling. Aryanna had ended up falling through the large hole that the snake created, and once she saw the other side, she heard a loud boom as the snake kept falling and hit the ground once again. The same result as before, it hit the ground so hard that it created another hole.
Aryanna squinted her eyes, peaking into the hole while she was falling and saw that another plane of the ground was waiting for them. She looked up to see that nothing was connecting the layers of the ground, but they were seemingly stacked on top of each other in an organized fashion. The girl realized that with each island they approached, they were getting noticeably smaller. She realized this because when she looked up, she was able to see both islands above. The first island was far above and still had a much larger perimeter.
As the girl thought about it, she heard another crack as the snake slammed into the third island, punching a hole through it like it did with the previous layers. There was another island even smaller than the third one, Aryanna took note of that. She decided to keep track of how many islands they were going to fall through, and wondered when they were going to finally stop falling.
The speed at which both the snake and the girl were falling were still picking up, it wasn’t long until they hit the fifth layer, then the sixth. Aryanna got nervous as each island below was getting smaller and smaller, they fell through layer seven and then layer eight. Falling faster than ever before, that was when they finally hit the ninth layer. This last bit of ground was hardly an island, it was more like a spire that just stretched out far beyond what any of the previous layers had. The snake hit the ground, but this time it did not just fall straight through it. While it did keep sliding across the spire, it finally managed to stop it’s fall all the way down at the bottom. It laid down at the bottom of the spire motionless.
The little girl was now closer to the ground than ever. She closed her eyes once again, just accepting for the end to come. Moments passed by, and then those moments turned into minutes, after that, the girl swallowed her fear and decided to open her eyes.
She was already laying down on the ground, she didn’t even know she had landed. She took a deep breath, wondering how it was possible that she survived. Whatever the reason was, she was grateful. She brushed the dirt off of her own robes and started to scan the horizon. As she did, she had this feeling that she was being watched. She turned around and saw a large form towering above her. She slowly perked her head upwards to see what was at the top. It was the gloomy snake, and it was staring right at her with its blank yellow eyes. It was as if it was staring deep into her soul.
Her heart started pounding. Does she run? There was no way she would be able to make it that far. Where would she even go? She just stood there, watching it, waiting for it to finally do something. The snake opened its mouth and lunged at her. The girl flinched, waiting for an intense sharp pain to come, but it never did. Instead, she only started to feel warm.
She thought there would be nothing but the same pitch black dark void as before, but instead she was down on the spire once more. Only this time, the spire was set ablaze with a roaring red fire that burned brighter than anything she had ever seen. It was intense, she looked around, hoping that she could find some shelter, somewhere away from the fire.
When the girl turned around, she turned to a large iron throne surrounded by the fire. On that throne sat a tall red figure with horns. He was wearing eccentric red robes adorned with gold on the accents. He held a dark staff made of dark steel, spikes protruding from it in all directions, atop the staff there was a bright red ball of flame. The ball of flame itself had a slit running down the middle as if the small fire was an eye, and it was staring right at her, the same as the figure sitting on the throne. Despite his intimidating appearance, he gave a warm smile to the girl.
“You are…” the figure muttered with a deep unpleasant voice. “Aryanna, is that right little girl?”
“How do you know my name?” the half elf responded, her heart racing once again.
“Oh, I know many things…” The figure sighed. “Just like how I know you are deeply afraid of many things around you, including the person you live with, isn’t that right?” The girl turned around, wondering if she could run, but she was surrounded by flames. Not only that, but they were inching closer to her with each passing second. She had to take a step closer to the horned figure.
Aryanna took a deep breath and looked directly at the figure before nodding her head. “Yes…” she sighed. “I am…”
“You poor thing…” the figure frowned. “A young and sweet girl such as yourself shouldn’t have to live your life in fear…it just isn’t fair…”
“Ah!” Aryanna had stopped moving and the flame had touched her feet from behind. She had gotten even closer to the horned figure. She shook her head, when she finally stopped moving, she was right beside him on the throne. It was a good thing that was where she decided to go, as the flames had followed her all the way up the throne and only stopped when she was in front of the figure.
“You know, I can do something about that…” the figure mentioned. “I can give you the tools you need to not be afraid anymore…”
“You can?” the girl hesitated. The figure nodded in response.
“I can…” he smiled. “All you have to do is give me your arm…” he gently held out his hand, palm facing up, and waited patiently for the girl to rest her arm there.
“What if I don’t want to...?” Aryanna hesitated to ask.
“It is all up to you…” the figure shrugged. “I can’t force you one way or the other. But I will say that without my help, I can’t protect you from your mother. She told you that awful story of the boy who strangled his own family, and she smiled doing it.” His expression turned serious. “Would you be ready to face her if she were to try doing that to you? Would you be able to face your fear all alone with no one to help?”
The girl thought about what the horned figure said for a moment. She was afraid that her mother would one day try to kill her and she had no way of facing her own mother if that were to happen. Having someone to look out for her, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. She relented, and reached out, resting her arm on the figure’s hand.
“I knew you were a clever girl…” the figure smiled, before reaching for her arm with his other hand, extending his pointer finger right around where her joint was. An intense searing pain hit that area of the arm right away and the girl winced. “Apologies…” the figure sighed. “It will only hurt for a moment.”
Aryanna grit her teeth, fighting through the pain, shedding a few tears as it kept going. When he finally let go of her arm, she brought it back immediately, looking right where her new wound was. She saw that on her arm was now a drawing of a chain branded into her flesh. She looked up at the horn figure and he smiled, looking to the side. Aryanna did so as well and saw that a small figure, about half her size emerged from the red flames surrounding her. A small red fiendish like creature with two small horned adorning it’s head, bat like wings and a long tail resembling that of a scorpion’s stinger. It looked up at Aryanna and approached her slowly.
The girl didn’t know what to do when it did, she was worried that it was going to get angry and sting her with its tail but it never did. Instead, the little imp reached up and held her hand. She wasn’t expecting the creature to do this, but it seemed happy to see her. She smiled down at it. “His name is Xiaz…” the figure spoke up, and both the girl and the imp turned to him. He was smiling at the two of them. “Xiaz has chosen you, just as I had chose him. He will watch over you girl, and know that for as long as he is with you, you have nothing to be afraid of…”
Right at the moment he said that, the girl opened her eyes and swung herself upwards in her own bed. She took deep breaths, looking around her surroundings, she was back in the hut, in her own bed. The girl widened her eyes and looked at the direction of her mother’s room. The door was still closed, she took a deep breath and sighed. “Oh…” she smiled. “It was just a-“ before she decided to finish her sentence, she held out her arm right where the horned figure had touched her.
The girl widened her eyes in absolute horror, the chain that had been branded onto her in the dream had actually been drawn onto her arm. That was when she heard a faint grumble nearby. She turned her head and watching her from a nearby window was the small red imp. It smiled at her through the window.
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Flashback to Aryanna as a little girl. Her mother is telling her a little bedtime story before sleep. Fun times for the family. Also, we’re finally in the big 2-0, so I’m happy about that. Glad that I made it this far, and for those of you who have read it, I hope that you have enjoyed it so far. I can’t wait to show you guys what else is in store for the Greyhawks.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 19
Breonna rushed over to the debris pile, getting as much of it off as she could. “Please be okay…” she muttered to herself as she remained focused. As she kept pulling away at beams of wood that were torn apart, she eventually saw a hand stick out. Widening her eyes, her worry grew, and her pace picked up even faster.
The pieces from the wreck were flying in all directions and as they did so, more and more of Kayla continued to be uncovered. “Oh…” the fighter began to tear up as she saw that Kayla was impaled with a wooden beam through her stomach.
“Dear sister…” Kayla smiled tiredly. It was a miracle that she was still conscious, possessing more strength than any ordinary human should. “Please…help me up…”
“Y-yes of course!” Breonna stammered as she shot up. Taking the young woman by the hand, tearing up as she did so. “Gods Kayla, this is going to hurt…”
“I know…” Kayla nodded. “I have a plan, please just pull me up…” Breonna put all of her effort into getting Kayla off of that wooden post. It was now stained with a deep dark red, as blood poured out of the young woman. As she was being pulled up, the splinters of the wood continued to dig into her flesh and Kayla couldn’t help but cry out in pain as it happened. This made Breonna let go of her and stop what she was doing but Kayla shot her a look. “Please just do it.” She stated plainly.
Breonna grimaced and nodded her head, and as she grabbed Kayla once more, she began to put all of her strength into getting the young woman out of the debris. Kayla continued to scream in pain but she focused on just putting up with it. All she thought about was how close she was until she was finally few from the post that had impaled her and she eventually was able to slide free.
“Okay now what’s your plan?” Breonna asked with bated breath, watching as the blood pour out from the wound and end up all over the blue vest, her white sleeves now turned red.
“Simple…” Kayla coughed up blood and put one hand over her wound. The hand started to glow a distinct bright blue color and the woman did not say a word. Surprisingly enough, Breonna was able to watch as the splinters began sliding out from her flesh. The bleeding would stop and the wound would close. The young noblewoman took a deep breath and let out an exhausted sigh. “You take me to the best places…” Kayla chuckled to herself.
Right away the fighter pulled the woman into a hug. The heavy plated armor felt cold to the touch, but it didn’t seem to bother Kayla at all. She smiled plainly and wrapped her arms around the warrior.
Urenakk watched this from a distance and sighed. He looked up into the trees. Morqen who was standing beside him nudged the boy. “Are you alright?” the rogue asked.
“I don’t know if I’m being completely honest…” Urenakk turned his attention to the ground. “I mean, we put in so much work just to get here, find these bandits and put a stop to them. This was definitely and adventure, but I just have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind…”
“And what’s that?” Morqen asked.
“I wonder if this will be enough for my father…” Urenakk admitted. “The thing is that I just don’t know. I mean, the goal is that I am supposed to show that I can survive in the worst conditions, but I was also supposed to act as a leader. I know that Breonna said that she would let me take over for a bit if I had to, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know how I would have handled this.” He turned his head to look at the rogue. “I mean, I never took the opportunity to step up and take charge here, and I don’t think that is going to help my case at all.”
“You think that even after all of this, he’s still not going to accept you?” Morqen shook his head, not at all surprised if that is how events would play out. “I’ll be honest kid, I really don’t think anything would be able to make him happy.”
“I understand that much…” Urenakk shook his head. “I just don’t know what will happen when he decides that I’m still not ready. Is he going to give me another chance? What will happen if he decides to not give me anymore chances?”
“Well let me tell you this…” Morqen pat the monk on the back. “If he still decides to be an ass about this. Then he can well and truly go home all by himself. Because we as a group have you, you have been a tremendous help since you joined us, kid. We don’t need to even ask the others, everyone in this group will have your back on this. So if he doesn’t see anything in you once more, fine, then fuck him. Because the truth of it is that you don’t need him…”
“But there’s still the people back at my home…” Urenakk sighed.
“Kid, those are people you never even met before.” Morqen argued. “They can keep their special little club they got going. They can do their own thing and we’ll be doing ours with you. Like I said kid, you are always going to have a place with us here. From the way I see it, this group is more of a home than that place you’ve never even been to.”
“I guess…” Urenakk smiled sadly. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it…”
The two decided to just find a comfortable place to sit down and relax. While this was happening, Pil looked over to Aryanna, hoping to find some time with her alone. However, as he started to move, Ancal stepped forward.
“My friend…” Ancal smiled and put an arm around he wizard’s shoulder. “Can we speak privately for a bit?”
“Uh-um sure…” Pil nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. The leader of the Roaring Banner pulled the wizard to a remote corner of the camp where the two of them would be able to speak freely without anyone else listening in on the conversation.
“So…” Ancal started. “I know that throughout this adventure our two groups were not able to really mesh together well.” The wizard was half ready to roll his eyes in response. Wondering just what the point of this conversation was going to be. “But I just want you to know that despite that, I still have my door open to you for anything. Whether if it’s learning how to become a better spell caster or just general advice, I’ll do what I can. I just wanted to make sure that you knew my door was still open.”
“Oh okay…” Pil nodded in response. “Thanks.” The wizard looked off into the distance, thinking about Loudwater and how the townsfolk treated his group throughout all of this time.
“Is something the matter?” Ancal pondered. “It looks like you’re thinking about something else…”
“I just don’t know what I’m doing here.” Pil stated plainly. “If I’m being honest, ever since I started adventuring with everyone it feels like everything has been well above what I can handle and I just don’t see what I bring to the table. I can become a better spell caster sure, but there’s already at least three other people who are better at that than I am…”
“I don’t know about that.” Ancal shook his head. “Sure, you might be just beginning to learn how to cast spells, from what you have told me before, you were totally self-taught as well. Which that by itself is extremely impressive, most people have to go to a school and need instruction to learn what you have.”
“I guess…” Pil shrugged. “It just feels like I spent a lot of time putting in the work and not much is paying off.”
“Ah yes, I see…” Ancal nodded in consideration, taking a moment to think before he gives his response. “Well, there’s one question that I think you should be asking yourself. Is there anything that is holding you back?”
“I don’t know…” Pil shook his head. “But I’ve been thinking about this for quite a long time and to be honest, I don’t know what else I can be doing. I could spend more time studying but that costs money. I mean, I’m sure we’ll be getting more of that soon so that shouldn’t be a problem. I can only spend so much time studying every day. Who knows if they’ll have books that I would find useful?”
“I imagine there would be a couple at least.” Ancal answered, trying to say as little as possible so that the wizard could go on with gathering his own thoughts.
“But that’s the thing…” Pil sighed. “Even if there were a lot of books. Even if there was an entire library dedicated to learning how to cast spells, there’s only so much time I could spend in there. I spend a lot of my time learning, yes, but who knows how soon our next adventure will be? I mean, let’s be honest…” Pil gestured towards the dead bandits. “These guys weren’t the only problem lurking around the town. There’s still more of these guys out there for one, but there’s also monsters, villains, and who know what else?”
“So how do you feel about that?” Ancal sat down, pulling out a small flask.
“I don’t know, worried I guess…” Pil sat down right next to the leader of the Roaring Banner. “I’m worried that we haven’t even seen the worst of what this place has to offer. There’s so much to do, and the town still needs to repair itself from all the damage caused nearby. I just don’t even know where to start.”
“Would it help if both our groups gave you the time you needed to study?” Ancal suggested. “If there was another contract, or another threat, we can just let you study all you need and then come with us when you feel ready?”
“I don’t think I can really afford to do that.” Pil looked up at the tall trees. Snowflakes started to descend from above, piling on top of the snow that was already on the ground.
“Why not?” Ancal asked. “I’m sure we would all be happy to give you the time you need.”
“Because I worry about everyone close too…” Pil held out a hand, catching some of the snowflakes absentmindedly. “I don’t think I will have enough time to study like that because of the threats that are always out there. How soon until the next big monster shows up and terrorizes the town? How soon until another group of villains come in and start destroying everything that Loudwater holds dear? How soon then until our groups would go after those guys as well? What if everyone really needed my help while they were all out there? Instead of being out there to help, I’d be back in town studying to become a better wizard, to try to catch up with everyone else. What if, because I wasn’t there to help, something awful happens, and then everyone I am close to ends up gone? I’d still be in town, studying for nothing, and I wouldn’t even have realized it yet…” the wizard started to clench his hand into a fist. “I don’t know if I would be able to live with myself if something like that were to occur. Not only would everyone be gone, but it would all have been my fault. I don’t think I can handle something like that. Not after everything we have all been through…”
“Well, I guess there are other ways to help you with this…” Ancal sighed. “You really do care about everyone that much…”
“Of course, I do…” Pil shrugged. “We have really been through so much and by this point, they understand me better than everyone else who is alive right now. It’s because of that…” Pil’s vision began to blur. “It’s because they know me for who I am, they have seen everything about me at this point and they still want me to be around with them. They know the kind of person I am, they know how much I can or can’t do compared to them. Despite everything that we have all been through, despite all of the fighting, the near-deaths, the arguing, the incessant harassment from everyone in town. We still treat each other like…like…”
“A family…” Ancal finished. As soon as the leader of the Roaring Banner said that, a chord had been struck with Pil. Now his blurred vision got even worse as tears started streaming down his cheeks.
“Yeah, I guess…” Pil wiped the tears away with his sleeve. “I mean, I don’t really have any other word for it. It’s just…these people have treated me way better than my own parents, my own family…I just, I don’t know what I’m saying anymore…”
“I think I do…” Ancal smiled sadly and put a hand on Pil’s shoulder. “You never got to know what having a family that cares about you feels like. At least, you didn’t know what that was like until you met this group of people. Now that you have them, and how after everything you all went through together, no matter how much you argued, those people still cared about you. You want to protect that at all costs. You would rather risk your life going out there to help these people, as far behind as you are, because these people are more precious to you than any spell you would learn to cast…”
“Yes, that’s exactly it…” Pil laughed as he wiped away more of his tears. “Gods, I would say it’s like you read my mind, but I didn’t even know how to put these thoughts together…”
“All I did was listen to what you had to say…” Ancal pat Pil on the back. He offered his flask to the wizard, and Pil graciously accepted it. Taking a swig, he could instantly taste the honey of the whiskey tantalize his tongue and as he would swallow, that sweetness would quickly transform into the bite of the alcohol as it would go down his throat. “I mean, I do want to help you with this, and I think I do have some ideas…”
“What are they?” Pil asked as he handed the flask back to the Dragonborn.
“We can spend some more time training you ourselves…” Ancal smiled. “I mean all of us who are also able to cast spells. You just grab whatever books you want to bring along with you, study that in some of your spare time, and while you are doing that, we will be there to show you what we know…”
“Thanks…” Pil smiled. “I know you guys would already do that for me, but it’s nice to hear…”
“Anytime…” Ancal started to stand up. “Let me know if you ever need to talk like this again. I’ll always be happy to just be someone to listen to you.”
The leader of the Roaring Banner soon returned to his group, checking in on his brother to make sure that the hulking brute was okay. Nayola was of course already with the two of them and they went to look for Corvoril.
Aryanna raised an eyebrow once that group had all gathered together and immediately made her way over to the wizard. She was worried about what might have happened during that conversation and hoped nothing awful happened to him. “How did it go?” she asked once she sat down next to him.
“To be honest, I don’t really know what I was expecting…” Pil shrugged, the warlock started to rest her head on his shoulder which made the man smile almost right away.
“What did you two end up talking about?” Aryanna looked up at him. “You seemed upset for a bit, but I wasn’t sure if I should have gotten involved or not.”
“I guess in a way, he got me to pour out how I felt and he helped me figure out what I want to do.” Pil admitted.
“In what way?” Aryanna took a deep breath. “What is it that you want to do?”
“I want to stay with all of you.” Pil sighed. “I wasn’t planning on leaving or anything, but I know that in terms of how…well…skilled everyone else is compared to me. Maybe skilled is the wrong word, I guess I should say it’s more along the lies of how far ahead everyone else is compared to me. I don’t know I just feel like I don’t really bring much to the table…”
Aryanna wanted to protest here, to argue with the man. To get it through his thick head that he wasn’t a burden to the team. He contributes a lot and he doesn’t even realize it. She wanted to tell him that they would never have gotten this far if he wasn’t here to stick around. But for now, she also thought about letting him speak his mind. As much as she wanted to let him know just how much he is truly loved and appreciated, for now she wanted to just let him know that he would be heard.
“Well, I mentioned all of that in the conversation, and I also mentioned how much all of you truly mean to me…” the wizard went on. “He offered up a solution which is pretty much something we have been doing already. I don’t know, I guess I was just being stupid.”
“Do you really think that?” Aryanna posed the question. Pil looked down at her confused and she cleared her throat. “I just want to ask you one simple question. You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to. Are you ready?”
“Sure…” Pil shrugged, not sure where this was going.
“I can’t read everyone else’s minds, but I for one think that you have done so much for the group already.” Aryanna started. “I just want to point out that so far, you were able to help a grieving woman with her sister, you were able to help fight off a creature that could have very easily killed us all, you were able to make friends with very questionable people who you have been thoroughly investigating to help save the town. Not only that, but in all of this time, as behind as you say you are, none of us would have been here today if you weren’t around. You of course have your own issues that you worry about and you started to care about people who you have risked your life for on multiple occasions as well as the other way around. But I trailed off for a bit…” Aryanna looked Pil in the eyes. “Do all of those things sound like the actions of a stupid person?”
“Guess not…” Pil admitted. “Not when it’s all put together like that.”
“You’re doing fine…” The warlock smiled once again.
“I guess…” Pil nodded his head. “But there I go again, making everything about me. I still haven’t done much to help you yet…”
“Well, you can start by keeping me company.” Aryanna looked up into the trees. “You can also start by finding a different place to mope with me, it’s far too cold out here.”
“Right…” Pil nodded, the two spellcasters started to get up, looking for a good place to rest. They would need it for the journey back to town.
Of course, despite the mess that both groups left in camp, they got to work to dispose of everything before deciding to rest. Nayola had decided to go around to perimeter setting up wards to detect if any undead were to enter camp. She would know right away and would wake everyone up. She seemed to have learned from her previous mistakes. Because the group would be ready for the action, and were somewhat anticipating it, they ironically were able to get a better rest. People would go out and patrol the camp in shifts, but overall it was an uneventful night. They needed this night of peace to save up energy for the journey back.
It of course, was not too long of a journey to make it back to Loudwater, going the other way around without having to worry about bandits made the trip much easier.
Breonna started to pick up the pace once she saw that Loudwater was not far away. She was the one who was carrying Zyrsius’ head. The two who were furthest behind were both Morqen and Urenakk.
The rogue had decided to take his mother’s body with him, wrapping her up in all of the cloth he could find within the camp. It was a struggle for him to see her like this. For most of his life, he had just thought that he would always be able to talk to her. Now, he could never have a conversation with her ever again, no matter how much he would have wanted one. He missed her already. That was another reason why he had covered her up in all of the cloth that he could find. By wrapping her up in the way that he did, he could just focus on the task of bringing the body with him to Loudwater and try not to think about how the person he was carrying was his own mother.
He thought about the circumstances of how he found her, and where. She was right along the edge of camp, where the bandits had decided to place her. He couldn’t help but think of how horrifying it must have been. To realize that her son was gone and now she was all alone inside of the camp, with no one to keep her company or to take care of her. That doesn’t even go to the part where Zyrsius likely went after her soon after to entertain himself.
It was a strange thought for Morqen, he was able to get revenge on his mother’s killer. But that didn’t change the fact that she was no longer with him. At this point, he didn’t really seem to care if Zyrsius would have been alive or dead today. He only wanted his mother back.
Urenakk could understand well just how much trouble his friend was going through. That was why he had offered to help carry the body for the rogue. He knew that if the situation were reversed, Morqen would not have hesitated to do the same. It still pained the monk, to see his friend, whom he pretty much looked up to like an older brother at this point. He wished he could just take the pain away somehow. If he could just will the rogue’s mother back to life, he would do so just so he could see Morqen be happy once again.
Urenakk watched as Breonna was getting ahead of the group, the head of the bull in her hand. He sighed, he knew that his father would likely hear about what happened. His father wouldn’t have cared about what happened with Morqen, or any other circumstances for that matter.
In the older Githzerai’s eyes, more than likely, Urenakk would have already failed to take leadership. The monk had mixed feelings at this point. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to still make his father happy, other than just the fact that it was his father. He wasn’t sure if he even cared if he was going to pass or fail the test, the only thing he seemed to be worried about was how his father would react in all of this. His father never explained what would happen if Urenakk were to fail his test or if he would even be able to try again at a later time.
The monk looked at the other Greyhawks. They were all just as lost as he was, maybe not in the same exact ways, but they all struggled. That was something he could have in common with all of them. He figured that was what they had all seen in him every time they wanted to help him. It was like a sense of kinship that brought them together.
Urenakk thought about what passing the test would be like. If he did end up passing his test anyway, that would not only mean that his father would finally be proud of him, but he could also finally go home as well. But he thought about what going home would really mean for someone like him. The Greyhawks, the people he was with now, they seemed a lot more like a family than any other people he met in his time traveling.
He came upon a realization, that realization was that even if he were to go to the home of his people. Even if he were to become some kind of leader figure for them. It was highly unlikely that he would ever find people back home that could relate to him on such a fundamental level like the group he was traveling with now. When he came upon this realization, he started to think about whether he truly wanted to make it back to his home. He knew that if he were to pass his test, he would have to say goodbye to the people he cared about. He would have to say goodbye to the Greyhawks.
Of course, as time went on and with each member lost in their own thoughts. Time was able to pass by relatively quickly, and it wasn’t long until they were really close to Loudwater.
At this point, the Greyhawks were pretty much expecting the usual treatment for when they would return to town. All with the townsfolk forgetting that they even exist and treating the members of the Roaring Banner as if they were the only heroes in town. Giving them all of the credit for the heroic work while the Greyhawks would often of course, be either ignored or treated like they were the scum of the world.
The Greyhawks were getting pretty tired of the same routine. They were hoping that with Kayla now among their ranks, they would finally get some kind of recognition and if not, Kayla could at least make amends with some kind of reward that they truly deserved.
“Here we fuckin’ go…” Vedetta rolled her eyes at the thought once more. Both groups were traveling together and stuck together throughout the entire trip. Making their way to the city walls, one of the guards spotted them and blew into a horn.
“It’s them!” he shouted out. “The Greyhawks, The Roaring Banner, both groups have safely returned!”
For a second, the rest of the Greyhawks were surprised. They were certain that they did not hear the guard properly.
“Huh?” Pil raised an eyebrow. “Did he just say-“ Before he could finish the doors to the village had drawn open as people in the town were eagerly awaiting the groups to return. There were crowds forming together watching the groups return and start to cheer.
“Look it’s the Greyhawks!” one of the villagers shouted. As soon as the villager shouted that, people started to cheer. Each member was just taken aback and all were looking at each other as if they didn’t know what to do at this point. They weren’t expecting for people to be excited to see them, yet here it was happening.
“Look!” another villager shouted, pointing at Ancal’s direction. “The Roaring Banner is with them as well!” The villagers started to cheer even louder as the groups both started to approach. The leader of the Banner couldn’t help but laugh at the praise he was receiving once more. But what surprised him was that Loudwater was receptive towards the other group as well this time.
Pil and Aryanna looked to each other, already speculating one why the villagers would ever be excited to see them. They were arrested convicts, helping the village out to serve their time. At least, that was what was happening with most of the members in the group. Could it be that the villagers heard that Kayla, a member of one of the higher families in the town was now with them? That was a possibility, even though the woman spent a lot of time trying to conceal herself, people would still eventually find out.
Was it because the groups succeeded in going after the bandits? After all, Breonna was carrying the Bull’s head. But it was highly unlikely that everyone in the village would have known about the leader of the Bull’s Crew, even with that name.
Pil thought about all of the times that both groups would spend together as time would pass by. Ancal would never speak down about the Greyhawks, in fact, he looked down on these people more than anything. He revealed that to the wizard when they spoke privately. Though that would hardly matter, as the Dragonborn would not have made his true feelings known. Being on the good side of the town would certainly make the time spent here in Loudwater much easier.
It could have been any one of these reasons, it could have been all of them. Regardless, now the Greyhawks were finally getting some recognition for their work. For once, they were able to spend some time in the spotlight. Pil still couldn’t wrap what was happening around his head.
Ancal, however, saw this and put a hand on the wizard’s shoulder with a wide grin. “Are you ready my friend?” he asked. “You’re finally getting what you deserve, enjoy it while it lasts.”
“As ready as I would ever be I guess…” Pil shrugged. The crowd was growing closer as the two spoke.
“You did good…” Ancal smiled and grabbed the wizard’s hand. Lifting it high up in the air with his own. The crowd noticed the gesture and cheered loudly once more. Pil could hardly believe what was happening right in front of him, people were cheering for him, people were cheering for his group. For once in his life, people were excited to see him. It wasn’t that he always wanted fans, he was just always used to receiving so much scorn from everyone around him. He hardly even knew how to react once the opposite started to happen.
People from the crowd started to approach both groups, some people got involved with helping Morqen and Urenakk carry the body away. There were several suggestions on what Morqen could do for the reception, but that hardly mattered to him. What did matter was that his mother got to rest and that she was treated carefully.
One other character emerged from the crowd of people, a rather familiar face at that. It was Felix Castor, who was still proudly wearing his badge. The man in the long duster coat smiled at both groups. His hat was being worn by a small girl who was riding on top of his shoulders. “Daddy, can I shoot your crossbow?” the girl asked, pulling on his hair.
“Ask your mother later.” The man sighed tiredly; he reeled in pain as the girl kept pulling on his hair. As he approached the group, the girl had reached down and tugged on his beard. He turned his attention to Breonna. “So, you guys finally took care of them…” the Sheriff smiled. “It’s about time, despite all of the circumstances up to this point, I’m just happy that things worked out in the end.”
“Just happy to be of service…” Breonna nodded. “I doubt that was all of them, but this is without a doubt their leader.” She looked down at the head which was swaying back and forth in her grip, then turned her attention back to the leader of the guards. “They won’t be nearly as organized now as they once were.”
“It should be easy to send people out to pick off the rest of them…” Felix looked directly at one of the guards who approached Breonna. She gave him Zyrsius’ head.
“You’ve done this town a great service…” the guard stated before running off.
“We can worry about working again later.” Felix smiled once more. “For tonight, just enjoy yourselves. You earned it.” Breonna nodded, appreciating the gesture. The Sheriff disappeared back into the crowd of people. Likely in search of the girl’s mother so that he could rest for but a moment.
“Well…” Ancal smiled as he pat Pil on the back. “What do you say that we go for a round of drinks?”
“This early in the day?” Pil chuckled at the thought. “We’re really going to be mindless idiots by the time we go to bed…”
“Gods willing…” Ancal let out a sigh of relief. “Alright people, you can guess where we’re headed!” he called out to the crowd. The people started to cheer once they heard that, knowing exactly what the leader of the Banner was implying.
A lot of the events that would transpire afterwards would become a bit of a blur. The only people who didn’t follow the crowd to the bar were of course Morqen and Urenakk for obvious reasons and Kayla. The woman got Breonna’s attention quickly, as if she was in a hurry. “I’d like to enjoy the festivities, but I got to head back to the manor and check with things on my end.” She explained. “Meet me at my home tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Breonna nodded. “Don’t forget to have a glass of wine for yourself tonight, you earned this just as much as the rest of us.” Kayla smiled warmly, she had already been concealing herself with the cloak and she was hoping to leave before people would start to recognize her.
People erupted with laughter as mugs were being smashed together, froth of ale flying in all directions. The lively band pounding away at the drums, stringing with the lute, and blowing into their flutes. People were trying to sing along with the beat of the song, but there were many failed attempts as the liquor had gotten to many of their heads.
However, that was not the only thing that was happening from within the tavern. The people had come there to spend time both with the members of the Roaring Banner along with the Greyhawks. Vedetta was one of the people trying to lead the crowd into singing along with the band, however she was already struggling to maintain her balance as she held onto one of the wooden beams supporting the room.
Many of the larger customers would try to arm wrestle with Kelrac but he would just overpower each of them. Ancal was surprised as this was one of the few rare instances which Kelrac would put away the sour act and would just join in on the fun. Breonna was also joining in on that, and was having just as much of an easy time as the large Dragonborn. He couldn’t help but laugh, he turned his attention towards the bar where Nayola and Corvoril were already having a competition on who could drink the most. Both of them were lightweights, so it wouldn’t be long until they were both sloshed.
Ancal then turned his attention to the spellcasters who were both sitting at a circular table in one corner of the room. Aryanna was leaning over Pil’s shoulder and watching closely as the wizard put what was left of the money he had into the pot. He was going all in, but he made sure to keep calm. One of the players folded, figuring that the calls were getting too rich for him this round. The other players simply decided to match the amount that Pil had put in. Each of the players watched each other carefully, at this point, the river had finally been revealed.
Now, it was time for the players to reveal their hands, each of them having two cards. One of them was bluffing, as his hand had neither a straight nor a flush, of course he was out of the game already if the other two had anything decent. The other player revealed a pair of sixes in his hand, a hand that wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t particularly strong either. If there was anything the wizard was lucky in, it was in his games, as he revealed a pair of Kings. Pil leaned across the table, wearing a proud grin as he collected all of the chips.
The wizard collected his dues and promptly left the game, not wanting to push his luck any further. Aryanna kissed him on the cheek before breaking into a laugh. Ancal couldn’t help but smile as he watched this happening. The wizard really was happy to be with this group. But he also remembered the conversation they had before, where he was expressing his desire to improve as a caster. An idea spawned in the Dragonborn’s head and it caused him to stop what he was doing, making his way to the corner of the room and approach the couple who were enjoying themselves.
Ancal cleared his throat to get their attention, and both turned, awkwardly staring at the lizard as he smiled at them. “Hate to interrupt, but I just came upon a realization, I was wondering if I could borrow him for a second.” He pointed at Pil, while looking directly at the Warlock. “I promise I won’t take long.”
“Uh sure…” Aryanna nodded her head. Pulling out a cigarette and started attaching it to her extension, she looked at Pil. “I’ll be at the balcony…” she stated before wandering off.
Ancal pulled the wizard aside to a nearby window, as Pil looked out, he could still see the snowflakes slowly descending to the ground. It was just getting into the afternoon when the group first entered the tavern, but now as he looked out the window, he could see clearly now that it was dark outside.
“It’s beautiful out there…” Ancal looked up at the starry sky. “It almost makes it look like that’s where the snow is coming from, just a funny thought…”
“What was this realization of yours?” Pil wanted to get right to the point. He didn’t like that he was being pulled aside yet again, he was already having a good time with Aryanna and now he suddenly had to get right back to business.
“Well I thought about what you mentioned before…” the leader of the Roaring Banner started. “About how you want to improve as a caster and how we could mentor you while you pull whatever books you like out of the library. But another thought occurred to me…” Pil was waiting impatiently at this point and Ancal didn’t want to delay it any further. “Well, I was thinking maybe you could come with us. The Roaring Banner…”
“You want me to join you?” Pil raised an eyebrow. “But I also said I cared about everyone else in the Greyhawks, I can’t just leave them.”
“No, I mean that maybe we can have our groups merge…” Ancal went on. “The townsfolk are finally starting to give you the respect you deserve, and we all work well together. Think about it, we were all finally able to take down the Bull’s Crew and that is because we had all put our differences aside and worked together. Think of what else we could get done. We could potentially elevate everyone here to something greater, including ourselves. You would be able to learn from everyone for as much as you want, it would be a win-win…”
The wizard thought about the idea for a second. It would be a great way to finally get something solid on Ancal once and for all. Perhaps it would be much easier for him to find some kind of definitive proof that the leader of the Roaring Banner was up to no good. But at the same time, he also thought about all of the clashing personalities between both groups. They were hardly able to get along at all on the journey to take out Zyrsius. In fact, he remembered specifically the moment in which they were ready to kill each other, the moment that Morqen was discovered to have been lying about how much he was involved with the Crew.
He could only imagine how soon it would be until that would happen again. He wondered who it would be the next time around. Would it be Morqen yet again? Would it be Vedetta as the ranger would not be able to keep her mouth shut? Would they see how Urenakk’s father treats him and then start bullying the kid themselves? Who would the responsibility of leadership be handed down to? Would they even trust Breonna or Kayla with that? What if it was Aryanna that they would catch onto? Pil thought about everything she would tell him in secret during their time together. Everything that she revealed to him, he could only imagine what Ancal or Nayola would do in response. The wizard felt a chill at the thought of both groups merging. He wondered why Ancal would even voice such an idea.
“Maybe I should talk about it with everyone else first…” Pil suggested. “It’s only fair before we make a big decision like that…”
“Fair enough…” Ancal nodded, taking a swig from his mug. “Well, let me know when you all make your decision. Just remember how much we got done together…” Just like that, the leader of the Roaring Banner soon rejoined the rest of his group.
The wizard sighed, shaking his head, he wanted to shove that idea away to the back of his head as soon as he could. Making his way up the stairs, he went out to the balcony where Aryanna was smoking and looking out into the night sky as Xiaz kept her company.
The wizard approached the Warlock, Princess sitting on his shoulders, she smiled when she saw him. “So, what was his big idea?” She asked, rolling her eyes.
Pil shook his head. “Nothing that would turn out well.” He sighed. “I don’t even want to think about it right now…”
“What do you want to do?” Aryanna motioned for the wizard to join her, both were leaning onto the railing of the balcony, watching as people would come and go. The last time that Loudwater had been so lively was when the circus was in town.
“Laugh at all the drunk people who are tripping over themselves.” Pil shrugged. “Maybe pretend like I’m better than them, at least until it starts to feel like the world is spinning around me…”
The woman inched closer to the wizard, resting her head on his shoulder, giggling to herself as she looked out to the rest of the town. “I can think of worse ideas…”
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Almost everyone is having a good time. I promise, absolutely nothing is going on behind the scenes.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 18
Both groups had gone quiet as the elf poured everything out. The Greyhawks were just absolutely stunned at the moment, wanting to be anywhere else, wanting to have any other conversation. However, there was no running from this, for the longest time they thought they were on the trail of The Roaring Banner.
At this time, it was the members of the Banner who now had the upper hand in terms of knowledge. Breonna grimaced at the thought, the Greyhawks were only able to outnumber them, and even then not by much. The Roaring Banner had the edge in terms of power, public image, and now strategy as well.
Aryanna was just as shocked in the moment. She spent so much time plotting to get the jump on them, to take them by surprise at some point. It was a game of cat and mouse in her mind, and because of that, she didn’t think that they would be able to get the jump on the Greyhawks so easily. She spent so much time trying to find dirt on the Roaring Banner, she didn’t think that they would be able to do the same to her first.
Urenakk stood there silently stunned, he was likely the only one who truly believed that Morqen was being honest this entire time. Even now, after Morqen finally revealed himself, he couldn’t blame the elf in any way at all. The Githzerai thought about the Elf’s position, what he would do in the rogue’s shoes and figured he would have likely been doing the same thing. It was because of that, he decided that he had to take a step forward. “Now hang on just a minute…” he started. “What is the big deal in whether Morqen is lying or not? He’s been a good friend regardless.”
“A good friend, you say…” Ancal smiled confidently. “Yeah, no shit, why wouldn’t he make himself out to be a good friend for you guys? He’s protecting his own ass.”
“So what!?” Vedetta barked, stepping forward as well. Out of all the people to most vehemently defend the Elf at this moment, no one expected it to be her. The ranger and the rogue had a rough introduction to say the least, and it only got worse as time went on. Morqen looked at her shocked for a moment, this was the same woman who was the reason why he got captured. Now she is coming forward in his defense. He thought back to the conversation they had not too long ago where she said she was going to try to make it up to him. “Even if he lied about how much he was doing for them, it’s no secret that he was with them in the first place. He was in jail just like the rest of us and that’s why he’s with us, serving out his sentence. He’s shown time and time again that he hates the bandits just as much as everyone else, if not he probably hates them even more.”
‘If only you’d done this sooner…’ the Rogue thought to himself.
“All that tells me…” Ancal shook his head. “Is that he’ll just toss anyone aside to save his own skin.”
“If that were true, why would he still be with us?” Breonna stepped forward this time as well. “I’ve kept a watchful eye on the prisoners of this group, it’s true. But he’s a cunning individual who could have easily slipped away from me before I would even realize it. I’ve seen what he can do, if he really didn’t care, if he really was only in it for himself, he would have ran away a long time ago…”
The Leader of the Roaring Banner considered this for a moment, crossing his arms, turning his attention back to the Elf and shrugged, shaking his head, letting out an exhausted sigh. “Alright, why did you stay?”
“I…” Morqen paused for a moment, looking at the rest of the group. Here they were, stepping in his defense. He knew they started to care for each other, but even then he thought of himself as some kind of outsider from that kind of relationship. He figured that for the time he would have been some weird exception for most of the group. He knew that Urenakk cared about him, but he would have thought that would have been the extent of the group. If only he knew he was cared about as well much sooner. “I’m here for them…” he sighed. “And I have some unfinished business with the leader Zyrsius…” Morqen figured he might as well mention that he does know the leader at this point, he already admitted to lying. “This is a good team we got going, the Greyhawks. I wouldn’t trade these people for anyone else, they’re the only people that I can count on for the first time in my life. If there is anyone I would march with on Zyrsius, it would the Greyhawks…”
“A loyal liar, have any of you heard of this?” Ancal turned to the other members of the Banner. Nayola simply shrugged with the most condescending grin on her face. Once again, Pil thought about what kind of God she could possibly worship. The Tiefling was a monster in every sense of the term and here she wasn’t even afraid to show it.
Kelrac remained quiet as usual. As the members of the Greyhawks stepped forward once more, he got between them and Ancal. He towered over even the largest of the Hawks. Baring his teeth, Breonna could see the acid ooze out of his mouth. One little droplet fell down and hit the ground, the moment, it touched the dirt, a distinct sizzling noise became apparent as the spot on the ground grew larger with every second. There was a new small hole in the ground, and soon more followed as more droplets of acid came out of his mouth and started hitting the ground. The warrior didn’t seem to care about the drama at the moment. It seemed that he was more concerned if whether or not he was going to be able to fight. He was only concerned if the Greyhawks were going to fight his brother at this point. To the large black Dragonborn, nothing else mattered.
“Not gonna lie, friends, this doesn’t look good for anyone…” Corvoril finally spoke up. “I mean, I would think this is exactly the kind of opportunity that the bandits would be looking for. A division between both our groups while we’re hunting them. They would pounce right on that. I know I would.”
“You actually make a good point there…” Ancal admitted, nodding his head and looking lost in his own thoughts.
“You said it yourself.” Pil stepped forward. “We all have our own reasons for being here and we don’t have to like each other. What’s important is that we finally put a stop to these bandits once and for all, they’ve been terrorizing Loud Water for who knows how long? This wouldn’t be the first village they would be attacking either, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.”
“That’s right…” Ancal looked to Pil. “You said you knew about these bandits…”
“You did?” Morqen looked to Pil.
“I did…” Pil nodded. “You see, I’m obviously not from here, I’m from a bit further North. My hometown is in the-“
“Evermoor….” The Elf looked at him. “I didn’t think much of it at first, mainly thought it was a coincidence, but now I see the resemblance…”
“Resemblance to who?” the Wizard raised an eyebrow. “I don’t fully understand…”
“You’re from Arrington…” Morqen put all of the pieces together. “You were the boy that everyone would avoid. I was a young boy back then as well.”
“I guess that makes us kindred spirits in a sense…” Pil sighed, smiling sadly at the Elf. “I never thought I would ever see someone from back home ever again. You obviously know why…”
“I didn’t think you would have made it…” Morqen looked down at the ground. “I saw you on the ground, I thought they had gotten to you already. I thought perhaps the villagers threw you at them…”
“Wouldn’t put it past them…” Pil chuckled to himself. He looked to the leader of the Banner, more serious than ever. “Look, you might be reserved about him, but I trust him if that means anything to you. As your friend, I think we need every willing and able body for a mission like this, and I think we should stick to the plan…”
“You really do trust him, don’t you?” Ancal shook his head and motioned for the older elf to let the rogue go. Morqen was finally free from being restrained and the younger elf started rubbing his wrists and his joints. Ancal sighed and turned his attention back to Pil. “You really used my own words against me in this?” the warlock started to laugh at the situation, all in an attempt to ease the tension that was building up. “Et tu, Pil?”
“Friend or not, I’ll hold you accountable.” Pil shrugged. “After all, you are also one of my mentors are you not? It’s only fair that you lead a good example…”
“Don’t push it.” Ancal raised one hand in the air, making the wizard stop immediately.
“Alright…now the main camp…” Pil looked to Morqen. “I’m sure it won’t be too long until we find it. This area is only so big. I’m sure it’ll be the largest one yet, right?”
“I would say yes…” Morqen nodded. “Roughly a few dozen people in the camp at least, none of them are stupid push overs either. You guys all saw it for yourself, they set up a decent ambush for us here.”
“I take it you also know a bit about Zyrsius better than anyone else we’ll ever meet.” Urenakk looked to the elf. “What can you tell us about him?”
“Well aside from the obvious, he’s a large brute.” Morqen started. “Only, he uses his size to his advantage, not just physically over others, but mentally as well. He understands well that because of the way he looks, people would underestimate his intelligence…”
The rest of the Greyhawks were gathering together, listening closely as the rogue started his explanation. They couldn’t help but feel sorry for the elf, having an idea of what he had to go through to even know this much about the leader. Pil looked the most sad for the elf, which was surprising to say the least, especially to the wizard himself.
Pil thought for the longest time that if he were to magically meet with anyone who was from the same village as him, he would feel some kind of hatred for them. He would be justified in his anger and his want for revenge, and to enact all of that on the person. But he looked at Morqen and held no malice, he held none of those feelings. The wizard only felt sorry for the Elf, even if at some point when Morqen was younger that he did alienate Pil; the wizard realized that in all of this time that the rogue suffered the consequences long ago and there was no need to punish him. Now he only wanted to be there for the Elf.
“He takes pride in outthinking his enemies…” Morqen went on. “You actually have to be quite smart to be a leader of any group, and he’s no different. Yet people seem to forget that because he’s a big guy and he leads a gang of bandits.”
“Let’s not underestimate him then.” Aryanna sighed. “I hope with all of this we have a better idea of where to go.” She was looking directly at Morqen as she said that statement.
“I will say that as a precaution, we usually move around in different camps.” The rogue shrugged. “Some are much larger than others but Zyrsius and his closest allies tend to rotate between those camps.”
“But the camps themselves are not moved anywhere.” Ancal nodded. “Alright, that gives us something to work with.” Acting as if he didn’t already know where to go. “Where are the larger camps since he tends to rotate between them?”
“There are three…” Morqen sighed. “One is to the West of Loudwater, there is an old settlement that was reduced to ruins, the crew ended up cleaning the place up and turned it into one of the larger camps. A similar kind of situation happened with a settlement in the East, the crew had set up camp in a destroyed town that was called Llorkh. That had actually dealt a lot of damage to the crew in terms of numbers, the place had stone giants and they weren’t too happy with new visitors. There’s a third camp up North in these woods, that was the first one the crew had built. There was no old settlement there, so that also took the longest.”
“We’re closest to the Northern camp.” Ancal looked at the rest of the Greyhawks. “It only makes sense that we head there.”
“Well, what’s the plan when we actually get there?” Pil asked. “I mean, are there any weak spots we can exploit?”
“We assault the camp directly.” Ancal shrugged. “He already explained that it holds a few dozen men, they can fight, we know that much.”
“He has a name.” Vedetta scowled at the Dragonborn. “His name is Morqen.” The leader of the Banner looked at her surprised, not really sure what to say. In fact, he didn’t give her a response, he just looked at her awkwardly.
“They already know we’re after them.” Nayola piped in. “It’s not like we really could surprise them with anything.”
“It’s not like the place is a fortress.” Corvoril spoke up as well. “It’s a large camp, it has a lot of people, we don’t have the element of surprise, and it’s not like we can really ask the guards of Loudwater to help.”
“Why not?” Urenakk shook his head. “At least then we wouldn’t totally be at a disadvantage.”
“Unfortunately, I have to agree with them.” Kayla sighed in frustration, adjusting her cloak to cover up more of her body. “The guards of Loudwater are stretched thin as it is with just keeping the town safe. With there being multiple large camps, that just shows this bandit gang is much larger than we originally thought. If we were to have the guards help us attack one camp, we’d only be leaving the town vulnerable to one of the other camps.”
“They would pounce on the opportunity.” Morqen nodded in agreement. “Spending most of my life with them, I came to realize that’s exactly what they did in the Evermoor. They built multiple camps surrounding Arrington before starting their attack. The idea is to overwhelm the town with a siege coming from all directions.”
“Bastards.” Pil shook his head. “They really do think of everything.”
“Then that means we only need to attack them even sooner.” Ancal nodded. “Think about it, if they already built camps in three different directions from Loudwater, they’re not far off from mounting another attack. Who knows how long it would be until they moved some of their men to the South just to build another camp and attack from all directions?”
“So we mount the attack now and we cut off the head of the snake.” Kayla nodded. “After that, the body dies, and these groups become scattered. It will become much easier to hunt down the rest after we do this.”
“Then it’s settled, we continue with what we started.” Ancal smiled. “Now, I hope we can put what happened behind us, I don’t want to have to be looking out in all directions for an attack if you know what I mean.”
“You were the ones who attacked me.” Morqen stated plainly. “But fine, let’s just keep going, the sooner we move on from this, the better.”
Both groups started to move out once more, heading even deeper into the woods. Further out than ever before, the snow got even deeper. As the group were trudging along the snow, it of course would not be long until the pass by the Star mountains and one of the many ways to get to them. Vedetta was moving ahead of the group and Morqen was not that far behind.
“Hey…” Vedetta slowed down her pace to talk to the rogue. “If any of ‘em start givin’ you trouble again, just let us know…”
“You guys just stood there and did nothing…” Morqen huffed as he looked at the woman. “What difference would the second time make?”
“I…” Vedetta wanted to argue, but he was right. They really did just stand there and let it happen, and he was more than justified to be angry. “I’m sorry…” she admitted.
“If you really feel bad, then why did you let it happen?” Morqen shook his head.
“Hey, I did step in eventually.” Vedetta sighed. “What was I supposed to do, just start shootin’ at them? They would kill us.”
“Yeah…” Morqen sighed, starting to calm down. “You’re right, they would have…I guess…I guess I shouldn’t be so angry, you guys did all start stepping in when they kept going and they seemed to have backed off for now, so I guess I owe you guys my thanks…”
“You don’t have to thank us…” Vedetta shook her head, smiling sadly. “Especially me-”
“No…” Morqen interrupted her. “Do not start that, do not start making it about yourself and how sorry you are. I still don’t want to hear it.”
“Right…” Vedetta looked down to the ground. “Sorry I…sorry…” As they moved forward, they saw a strange set of doors that were built in along with the mountain. They blended in with the landscape quite well, as they were covered with vines and snow, surrounded by the tall trees. “Wait a second…” Vedetta pointed at the doors as she turned to the rest of the group. “I think I found something…”
The ranger and the rogue waited for both groups to catch up and she would point out the set of doors to the rest of them. Just about everyone in this large hunting party was clueless about these doors, all except for one person. The cloaked woman step forward. Kayla pointed at the ruins, her hand barely emerging out of the sleeve. “That leads to old elven ruins…” Kayla muttered. “This is a very old area and historians believe that this area was at one point governed mostly by elves a long time ago. Many ruins like this can be found all over this area if you look hard enough.”
“Who would look for these ruins?” Breonna perked up. “I heard about them, but I never really thought about them beyond thinking of them as just historical relics…”
“There could be several reasons…” Kayla pondered, leaning her back against the tree and getting under the shade. “Some people might be in search of these ruins for archiving, the pursuit of knowledge and all of its worth. But as I’m sure that you are all able to tell, this entire region is simply brimming with magic. So many creatures thrive here, and yet they would not be considered natural. Whether it is the abominations that lurk in the deep crevices of the mountains, or if it’s the hordes of the undead that are stalking the woods. Either way, this place is filled with magic and I’m sure that these elven ruins are no different. With that in mind, I’m sure there would be one thing that could be resting in these ruins that people would most definitely be looking for.”
“Tressure…” Vedetta sighed. “Lots of loot to collect…”
“Not just any treasure either.” Kayla added onto Vedetta’s conclusion. “Ancient treasure that has withstood all of this time and remains ever so powerful now more than ever. Relics that are full of ancient magical power, I’m sure there are many of these kinds of items that are just waiting to be picked up one day…”
“You mean to tell me that no one has done that already?” Aryanna put her hands on her hips. “I find that hard to believe, I would imagine that these ruins would have already been picked clean…”
“I wouldn’t say so…” Kayla shook her head. “With great and powerful treasures in ancient ruins, you can be sure that the people who left the treasure there didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands, and have set up more than enough traps to fight any poacher off who would be brave enough to try.”
“Anyone can handle any ancient traps…” Morqen shrugged. “What would be the big difference between these traps and any other old temple?”
“Why are you guys suddenly so interested in these ruins?” Kayla crossed her arms. “We’re just wasting time talking about them.”
“I don’t think so…” Pil looked off to the distance. “We’re on our way to what could be the fight of our lives. I’d think if we took a little detour and got some of these powerful magic items, it would be well worth the effort.”
“Yeah, but you’re forgetting about one little detail in this situation…” Kayla pointed a finger upwards. “We just got done explaining why time is of the essence. Not only that, but you guys are not the first group of adventurers who had the idea to explore these ruins. Other groups came to Loudwater before you and they wanted to explore these ruins as well. You know what happened? They were never heard from again…”
“Alright, we’ll put a pin on that for now.” Ancal spoke up. “Kayla is right, the sooner we get to these bandits and put a stop to them the better. We can save exploring this ruin for another time.” Ancal started to lead the march to the Northern camp once more. “Let’s get moving…”
Both groups were making their way past the Star mountains at this point, crossing the pathway, they the trees had grown even taller. At this point, it was extremely difficult to tell what time of day it was as with the shade from high above. The High Forests were dark and with the tall trees, the silence became more tense.
All that could be heard at this point were the boots crunching the snow with every step, every now and then a stick would be broken or some branches hanging low would be moved out of the way. Kayla had decided to pull down her hood at least, most likely to try to get a better field of view.
It was a matter of hours as the Greyhawks and the members of the Roaring Banner trudge trough the woods. Vedetta started to take the lead once more being the ranger, it wasn’t long until Ancal was lagging behind with the other spell casters.
She eventually poked her head through a brush and found that there was a large settlement deep in these woods. There were countless tents, spikes were littered throughout the entire area, many trudges were dug in all over the perimeter.
The ranger motioned for everyone to stay quiet. Morqen saw it first and signaled the others before catching up to the ranger.
“What do you think?” Vedetta pointed at the large encampment. Tree stumps were laid about all over the place. It was the one area where the sun was still shining down.
“Yup…” Morqen didn’t even need to take a moment to think about it. “That’s them alright, look up there at that banner…” A large white flag depicting a horn blower was raised at the highest point in the camp, which was also its largest tent.
“What, they got their own banners?” Vedetta rolled her eyes. “They think they’re some kind of fuckin’ military?”
“No, that flag is important.” Morqen shook his head. “It’s a sign that Zyrsius is here…it’s basically their way of telling members who have been out to be on their best behavior when they return.”
“Good…” Ancal caught up with the pair. “Then that means we can make our move, the plan is the same, we attack full force.”
“Just like that?” Breonna was not that far behind. “Look at this place, it’s a fucking fortress.”
“Well, it’s not like we can really take them by surprise now, can we?” Ancal shrugged. “We already established that they know we’re coming.”
“But we gotta be able to do something.” Breonna shook her head. “Think of something at least instead of just running in there.”
“Tell you what,” Ancal sighed. “You take your group and find another direction to attack and my group will hit them from here, the front.” The Greyhawks looked at each other, none of them had to say anything, they were all of the same opinion.
Breonna nodded. “Alright, we’ll see you on the inside. I guess we’ll wait for some kind of signal?”
“Nah,” Ancal waved off the idea. “Just jump in when you see us start, we’ll give you some time to get ready first.” Breonna motioned for the other Greyhawks to follow her, deciding that she would find an alternate direction to attack the camp from.
Each of the members remained silent on the way over until they were sure that they were out of earshot from the Roaring Banner. At that time, they finally started to voice their displeasure.
“The fuck is even going on anymore?” Vedetta charged forward to the fighter. “They’re just stringin’ us along like we’re their playthings.”
“They almost made an example out of me.” Morqen spat in their general direction.
“We’re gonna need to do something about them soon.” Urenakk nodded in agreement. “I can’t do that again…I can’t just stand there and let them do what they want with us again…”
“How much longer do we have to put up with this?” Morqen shook his head.
“Guys…I get it…” Breonna sighed. “Right now, I could throttle that lizard’s neck and I’d be feeling better.”
“We just need to be a little more patient…” Kayla drew her sword. “I have a plan to get rid of them once and for all, but I need you guys to trust me, I know I’m asking for a lot right now since most of you just met me…”
“Well, you can’t be any worse than them.” Aryanna shrugged. “What’s your plan to deal with them?”
“When we get back from the trip, I’m going to show the town exactly who these people are…” Kayla looked up into the tree hedges. “I know I just need to make the town see them doing something bad, so quite honestly, my plan is just to make that happen.”
“Sure, but what does that look like?” Pil was looking over his own shoulder, as if expecting that the Roaring Banner would be right behind him, listening in on the conversation.
“I’m still figuring that part out.” Kayla admitted, looking at the wizard. “I think I’ll have a better idea once we’re inside here…” The group were going around to the other side of the camp at this point. Sadly, for them, there wasn’t any alternate entrance. Attacking from another direction seemed like a good idea at the time, but there was a large barricade in the opposite direction from where they first saw the settlement.
Breonna frowned as she looked past the trees. Looking off into the distance, she wanted to see if she could spot the members of the Roaring Banner where she was standing. While she was gazing off into the distance, she could spot that the members of the other party racing towards the camp. Breonna thought about how Ancal was going to wait for her, but it seems like he wasn’t going to wait for too long. She mumbled something incohesive before turning around to the rest of the Greyhawks.
“It looks like they ran out of patience…” Breonna hissed as she turned back towards the camp. “The plan is that they just do whatever the fuck they want and we clean up the mess, I guess…” She felt defeated at this moment, resting a hand on her head, a migraine forming the more she thought about this mission.
“Yeah, figured as much.” Kayla sighed as she looked out at the camp. She could hear shouting and fighting already. “Guess the plan for a surprise attack is already off the table.” She huffed. “How are WE even going to get inside? Climb that barricade?”
“I think I can get us in…” Aryanna stepped forward, Xiaz was pulling the end of her dress as he tagged along from behind. “I’ll let you know right now; it’s going to be loud…”
“Well, they are already causing more than enough of a commotion.” Breonna shrugged. “We might as well be doing that too, so why not?”
“Oh come now, Bre…” Aryanna chuckled as her hands began to glow with a deep red, as though they were made of metal and had been sitting in a forge for a long time. “Since when was the last time either of us had done anything quietly?” She held her hands out forward and took a deep breath. A small flicker sparked in front of her. Then another spark, then finally a small ember formed, burning and dancing in the air as if guided by her hands.
“A fireball…” Pil smiled. “I should have guessed, I ought to learn that spell myself at some point, maybe you could teach me…”
“That’s a thought…” Aryanna’s smile grew wider. “Though I should say that even if I were to teach you, the fireball you would cast might not be as potent as mine. Fire is nice, but even then, it is just a combustion of the air before you…” The fire she held in the air grew bigger and had a deep red glow all around. “The fire that I use is not so ordinary, the fire that I use because of my own circumstances come from the nine pits of Hell itself.”
“Fine, be a showoff.” Pil chuckled as he shook his head. “Would it be a good time to say that you look really hot by the way?”
“Oh, ha ha…” Aryanna shook her head. The ball of Hell fire was larger than her own torso at this point. “Alright people, if you want to cover your ears, now’s the time to do it…” The Greyhawks stood there, watching Aryanna make her entrance. The fireball went flying towards the barricade, there was a bright red glow shining throughout the trees as the great ball of light traveled faster towards the camp. There was a bright flash before a large boom echoed throughout the entire forest.
The loud bang was followed by even more shouting as debris went flying in all directions. Not only was an opening to the camp forcibly made, but there was fire spreading in all directions. Some of the nearby trees were aflame, the stumps already beginning to rip and tear from the pressure.
One of the trees soon came crashing down into the camp, causing even more destruction as the entrance was made even bigger. The entire forest was made brighter just by the spreading fire, though there would be no light shining down from above, as smoke began to rise from the ground and enter into the sky.
“Well, remind me not to piss you off…” Pil looked up in amazement. The Greyhawks wasted no time with heading inside, they could hear bandits rushing out in the direction of the explosion, not only to put out the fires, but to also repel any opposing force coming from there.
A handful found the adventurers as they rushed out with a barrel of water, one of the bandits had a decanter of endless water and was using that to try to put out the fires. While the one bandit was busy taking care of that, his friends decided to confront the Greyhawks that were running into the fray. Right away, Kayla was swinging away at once of them with her sword. The bandit was getting tired as he kept engaging with her, the runes of her sword were glowing brightly. One of his friends figured out what was going on, that other bandit was a spellcaster. He was hoping to charge his magic and unleash a ray of lightning at the woman. Kayla saw this happening and right away her eyes began to glow a deep blue as she snapped her fingers, looking right at the bandit that was getting ready to shock her.
The bandit was getting ready to throw the lightning at her, but right as soon as he was about too, all of the electricity had suddenly disappeared. He stood there shocked for a moment and looked over to see Kayla’s eyes were glowing. By the time the man realized she too could cast spells, it was too late. He didn’t get to remain shocked for long, as soon enough he was shot in the back with an arrow, it pierced right through him, the arrowhead was sticking out of his chest. The man gasped right before collapsing to the ground.
Another was about to throw his axe at Vedetta in response, however that bandit became face to face with Urenakk before he even realized it. The monk punched him so hard in the liver, not only was the wind knocked out of the bandit, but it caused him to drop to his knees and let go of his ace. The blade had embedded itself into the dirt. By the time the bandit stood up straight once again, the monk had already dashed away, attacking what was left of the group that came to put out the fires.
Morqen was already behind him, and the elf buried the dagger deep into the bandit’s back. Soon enough, the bandit’s eyes grew heavy as he laid on the ground, feeling the rogue pull the knife out, a sense of relief washed over him. He would not have to worry about keeping Zyrsius happy soon enough.
With the bandits at the new entrance cleared out, the Greyhawks entered the camp. They were finally able to see the rampage that was happening inside. Kelrac had several arrows sticking out his body, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by that. It didn’t stop him from using his claws to tear into the nearest archer. The large Dragonborn made it look easy, his claws tore through the archer as easily as a knife cuts through butter.
Ancal was not far behind, the leader of the Roaring Banner just like he had done before, shot scorching beams of blue energy at some of the other archers. They were being thrown off as it was, but just when it looked like the bandits would get the upper hand, Nayola would show herself, focusing her magic on the two Dragonborn, making sure that their wounds would close soon enough. Some bandits would underestimate her fighting abilities when they see her as a healer, but the Tiefling was a force to be reckoned with when it comes to wielding her mace.
The only one who wasn’t seen in the action was Corvoril, however that was the point with someone like him. The bandits shouldn’t see him coming and if they did, he wouldn’t be doing his job. The majority of the bandits were already out fighting. However, as the story usually goes with the Roaring Banner, he adventurers are more than a match for their enemies and end up overwhelming them.
The Greyhawks were all inside of the camp at this point and were already attacking the bandits to throw them off even more. Corvoril had gotten the jump on one of the bandits barking orders at the others, of course he was surrounded by other men. The older elf was wide open and vulnerable. Just when one bandit was about to put Corvoril down, an arrow was soon sticking out of his back.
Ancal saw this and smiled wide, but while he got distracted, one of the bandits managed to stab him in his hip with a spear. The Dragonborn roared in pain as he dropped to his knees, looking up at his would be killer and cursing under his breath. However, once the bandit was ready to pull out the spear and finish the leader of the Roaring Banner off, he paused. For a brief moment, a bulge appeared on his chest, and soon enough a familiar caw echoed as Princess burst out of him, the crow was charged with necromantic energy by Pil.
Ancal smiled as he looked up at the wizard. “Guess I owe you one…” the Dragonborn laughed. Pil held out a hand and pulled the leader up to his feet. Nayola saw his wound and soon enough, a bright white light washed over the Dragonborn and his blood soon dried, his wound now disappearing. “Let’s go look for the Bull himself…”
“You won’t have to look far!” a voice called out. Of course, Zyrsius, the leader of the Bull’s Crew was not about to go down without a fight. His large axe was resting in his hands, as he stared both the spellcasters down. “I have to say…” the minotaur laughed. “No one has ever been stupid enough to attack me head on like this!”
The other Greyhawks soon managed to catch up, forming a circle, watching in all directions to fight off any bandits that might still be around. The minotaur paused for a moment, looking down at the group to find one particular elf caught up in the middle of it. Right away, the minotaur let out a guttural laugh as he raised his axe high in the air. As he did, a large necklace made from sharp teeth strung together jingled about. “Morqen!” he called out. “Who would have thought that you would have managed to assemble a rag-tag team like this? You’ve done quite well for yourself considering the last time I saw you…” His voice was growing louder with each breath, more animalistic. The hairs on the elf’s neck started to stand up, something was going on with the leader of the Bull’s Crew, but it was hard to tell what that was at the current moment. “I’ll admit…” the minotaur continued. “You’re much more slippery than I gave you credit for, but you won’t be getting away from me this time…no…not a chance…” The leader of the bandits pointed up to his left, along one of the walls of the camp. “I was showing mercy before but now I’m putting you right next to her…”
Morqen looked up to find a body by itself was impaled to a steak, hanging over the wall. It looked like it had been there for a while, but the body itself was unrecognizable. The skin had all been removed, the blood had already been drained, the only resemblance was that the body had the shape of a female. The elf saw this and just dropped his dagger, staring up at the wall horrified. After a brief moment of shock, he let out a piercing screech that was echoed throughout the entire camp, his voice quavering and breaking right at the end. He then picked his dagger up off the ground and turned his attention back to the minotaur. “YOU BASTARD!” Morqen shouted. The elf didn’t even think about what he was doing, he just started rushing towards the bandit leader without putting any thought into it.
The rogue threw his dagger at the minotaur, but Zyrsius was able to block it with his axe, chuckling to himself as he did so. The elf grabbed it and watched out for Zyrsius to take a swing. He was running straight forward, hoping that the minotaur would try to aim for his head. The minotaur swung his axe in a sideways arc, hoping that it would catch the elf. However, that was what Morqen was hopping for. The rogue dropped to his knees and slid across the ground, dodging the axe by getting underneath of it. Zyrsius widened his eyes as the elf closed the gap and plunged his dagger right into the bandit leader’s leg. Morqen was far from done, he pulled it out and stabbed the minotaur once again, over and over again, he would not stop.
Zyrsius howled in pain, but as he did, his voice was more monstrous than ever. It sounded more like the roar of a bear than anything. With the dagger still in his leg, Zyrsius grabbed the elf by the neck, the grip was tight enough to turn the elf’s face purple right from the start. Once he lifted the rogue up to eye-level, he pulled the elf in closer and the two locked heads moments later. “Come on!” Zyrsius shouted. “I want to see you get angry!” Blood was trickling down the elf’s face, Morqen kept trying to kick the minotaur to loosen his grip but it just wasn’t working.
He threw the elf back in the direction of the rest of the group. The rest of the group were already preparing their attacks and were waiting for an opportunity to strike. Pil had several darts of magic fly in the direction of the hulking bull. Ancal had his blue scorching beams of magical energy while Aryanna was unleashing her own which glowed bright red. Vedetta set an arrow aflame before releasing it from her tight hold. Kayla had a shard of ice sent flying across from her own spell. Nayola had created a floating mace that resembled her own right behind the minotaur, and it was already spinning at a break-neck speed as she wanted to pulverize him as quickly as possible.
Zyrsius charged forward, soaking in every single attack and shrugging all of them off like they were nothing. Breonna stepped ahead of the group raising her shield to brace for the oncoming onslaught. With the full force of the momentum he built up, Zyrsius swung the axe right at the woman’s shield. He had struck her with such a great force that the shield itself started to bend around the blade of the axe, the strike alone was able to lift the woman off of her feet and sent her flying.
Ancal unleased a bolt of lightning, however that too seemed to hardly phase the minotaur. The leader of the Roaring Banner turned around, trying to find his brother, hoping that the black Dragonborn would be able to step in and face this monster directly. However, Kelrac was still fighting off a great many bandits by himself, and was too occupied with hat to step in and help with fighting off Zyrsius.
Kayla rushed forward, swinging away at the leader of the bandits with her own sword, she was able to pierce through the rough hide with her sword. She was hoping that the magical effect of her blade would be enough to deal with him. While the blade itself did seem to slow him down a bit, it seemed to hardly make that much of a difference. While she was striking the leader of the bandits, her body became enraptured by frost. It was like she had created an aura around herself, the frost didn’t just envelope her, it started to swallow up Zyrsius as well. He didn’t seem hurt, but the magical frost was bothering him. He had slowed his pace entirely, and he just wouldn’t move away from Kayla, it seemed as if he couldn’t.
“Nothing is getting this guy!” Pil snapped as he charged Princess with dark magical energy. She went flying at the bandit leader and once she crashed into him, several gashing wounds that exposed the flesh erupted all over the minotaur’s body. Yet, he still didn’t seem too bothered by it.
Kayla was looking at the minotaur closely to see what about him made him so strong. He was a hulking brute, but his strength was not natural, he was much stronger than any warrior she ever met. His body was encased in frost except for one particular area, that area being the necklace made of teeth.
There was something going on with that necklace, but she couldn’t determine what it was exactly. Vedetta shot another arrow into the hulking brute, but he once again just shrugged it off once it lodged itself inside of him. “Everyone, look at his necklace, that has to be the source of his strength!”
Zyrsius swung his axe at her and the blade was buried deep inside of her gut. She was sent flying in the air just like Breonna, only Kayla ended up landing into a pile of debris that buried her moments after impact. With that, the aura of frost was no longer encasing him, and he could move freely once more.
Breonna screamed in horror and charged at the bandit, dropping her shield, holding the mace with both of her hands. She resorted to fighting him off until the group figures out what to do. Urenakk had charged forward as well, already in his flaming astral form, unleashing a flurry of blows onto the leader of the bandits. Both fighters were looking to buy time right now.
Nayola healed Morqen who was still gasping for air, his hand over his chest as he was still recovering. She had to focus on healing the rogue so much that the floating mace she created disappeared as a result. Corvoril caught up with the group and put a hand on Morqen’s shoulder. “Sorry we started off on the wrong foot earlier…” the older elf muttered. “I know you don’t trust me right now, but if you want to live we have to work together here…I heard that woman mention his necklace…”
“What about it?” Morqen coughed, watching as the spellcasters tried to support Breonna in holding the bandit back. With all of the mages working with the spellcasters in fighting off this minotaur, unleashing everything they have, they were at least able to keep him from dealing a fatal blow to anyone else so far.
“I think that’s where his strength comes from, so I have a plan.” Corvoril pointed at the necklace directly. “While everyone is busy dealing with him, I’m going to snatch that necklace from him, it should weaken him. I do that, and then you deliver the final blow. Just be ready to strike once you see that necklace is off of him…”
“Alright…” Morqen nodded, standing up and holding tightly onto his dagger. He saw as Zyrsius swung his axe at the monk, Urenakk just barely able to dodge the strike. “Let’s do this…” Both elves dashed away into different areas of the camp, trying to get out of sight in general.
“You think you can hurt me!?” Zyrsius laughed as Breonna swung her mace at him and he simply caught it with his hand. He pulled her in closer and struck her with the blunt head of his axe, knocking the wind out of her. She dropped to her knees right away.
Urenakk once again threw as many punches as he could aiming for different joints to knock the bandit leader off balance. However, Zyrsius didn’t seem too bothered by the strikes this time. He simply laughed them off and gave a swift kick to the monk’s gut.
Urenakk clenched his stomach tightly as he puked all over the ground just from the sheer force.
“We’re running out of options here!” Pil called out as Princess flew past him. He wanted her to create a few more wounds for the minotaur. She flew forward, but Zyrsius caught the raven and crushed her in his grip. Moments later, Pil no longer felt his connection with Princess. “Shit…” he muttered.
Aryanna unleashed another scorching ray at the bandit leader, but like usual it didn’t seem to bother him. He smiled as he held his axe, moving forward.
“No!” Ancal held out his hand and black tendrils emerged from the palms, heading straight for the minotaur. The wounds that were already open started to cut even deeper as Zyrsius was bleeding like a stuck pig. Only the bull laughed it off. Raising his axe high.
“I’ll admit…” Zyrsius smiled wide. “I had some fun for a bit…” Just when he was about to swing away, that was when Corvoril popped out of hiding and dashed towards the minotaur. He was moving so fast, he was practically a blur. He jumped high into the air and reached a hand out for the necklace. He wrapped his fingers around it and began to pull it away.
Zyrsius panicked and reached up, grabbing the necklace as well and trying to shake the older elf off his back. Corvoril pulled out his own knife and cut the necklace right away, the strands fell and were hanging loosely from the minotaur’s hand as the older elf fell to the ground on his back.
Zyrsius widened his eyes in horror as searing, biting, sharp pains coursed throughout his entire body. He wasn’t bothered by it before, but now it was too much to handle. The spellcasters and the warriors were getting ready to fight him once more and he saw that. He let go of the necklace and tried to swing his axe once more.
However, a new sharp pain suddenly surged onto the back of his knee. He looked down to see the blade of a dagger was sticking through. He dropped to one knee and turned his gaze to see that Morqen had planted that dagger inside of him.
Zyrsius roared and tried to swing his axe once more, however as he grabbed hold of it, a flaming fist struck him right on his wrist, causing him to let go of his axe. He looked up to see Urenakk was back up and ready for more action. Breonna swung her mace right as his head, causing his vision to blur as he looked around blankly. He tried raising his arms to shield himself from the next blow.
By the time he thought of protecting himself, he was already too late. Multiple spells were unleashed upon him, magical darts, fire, and lightning coming from three directions overwhelmed him. Despite that, he was still able to sense that dagger that was held against his throat. He could hardly see at this point, but he knew well who it was that was about to finish the deed, he recognized Morqen’s voice right away.
“This is mercy compared to what you deserve…” The elf muttered as he opened the minotaur’s throat, blood sprayed everywhere. The leader of the bandits had collapsed, his blurred vision now totally dark as he now was able to rest.
Right away, Ancal turned to see that his brother was finishing off what was left of the bandits and smiled. He turned back to Pil and nodded. “We did it…” he muttered.
Morqen was just staring down at the minotaur before him, watching as Zyrsius laid down lifeless on the snow with a blank expression. That was until a hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked to his side. The young Githzerai looked worried. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save her…” Urenakk sighed, his expression changing into a frown.
“No kid…” Morqen shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself for that…it’s not your fault at all.” He smiled sadly at the monk. “She might not have known you, but she would have been proud that you were able to stop him before he could hurt anyone else. She would have been proud of you…I know I am…”
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It's time that our heroes finally take the fight to the bandits. But I wonder just how well both groups can get along.
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Thanatophobia: Chapter 17
In the Northern regions of the Forgotten Realms stood a large landscape that was known as the Evermoor. It was a perilous land, consisting of hills, troughs, filled with bogs. One thing that always stood out about the land was all year around, there was always this dense fog that covered the entire landscape. The landscape was teaming with life, and with all kinds of monsters. Only the most desperate, or the most battle-hardened would made this land their home. That is exactly what happened with the village of Arrington.
Despite the lands being so dangerous, the people were not alone in the troll infested bogs. Of course, with any settlement, there always has to be some kind of ruler. That ruler usually is decided by how much more powerful they are over everyone else. But power comes in many forms.
Some would argue that knowledge is power, that bringing forth the wisdom of the ages will enable one’s people to survive. That may be true, on the surface, but wisdom comes at a price. For if one is wise, and is unable to share that wisdom with others, then that wisdom becomes worthless. This happens a lot more often than one might think, as there might always be one individual in a village who does know what they are talking about, is willing to share their knowledge. Yet for how much they speak to others around them, no one listens. This can happen for a multitude of reasons. It could simply be that the people around just don’t want to listen, whether it be because they assume to know better, or that they would rather believe in those they trust. Those they trust usually do not consist of the wise one, thus the wise one’s words falls on deaf ears. But that is only one form of power, the power of knowledge, but knowledge is only powerful when it can be shared.
Some would argue that influence begets power, that the ability to make others do one’s own bidding accomplishes what wisdom by itself cannot. This is true, on the surface, but much like with wisdom, influence can only go so far. In the village, there may be an influential one, one where they are found to be charming to the rest of the village. They may be able to get everyone to build a monument for the influential one. But the influential one has one great weakness when it comes to their dealings with others. To be able to influence someone, there has to be a connection between both the influential one and the people they are trying to manipulate. This connection can be something like the will to survive in a hostile environment like the Evermoor. Perhaps that will to survive is triggered by the influential one trying to scare others into action. Push and pull factors are taken into consideration by the influential one and pushes and pulls others in just the right amounts, in just the right directions to be able to become a leader.
However, what does the influential one faces an obstacle that they cannot manipulate? This obstacle can come in many forms: the general of an army who is not willing to negotiate, a hungry wild animal or a monster that only sees the influential one as food, perhaps it is the wrath of nature incurring upon the village. What does the influential one do in these scenarios? How do they influence those that cannot be manipulated, or communicated with? The influential one cracks under the pressure in these circumstances. The power to push others in the direction that one wants to only goes as far as how much the people allow themselves to be pushed. Any pressure applied to that kind of power, and it snaps.
Some would argue that it is might that creates that power, where knowledge cannot be shared, where influence may break, might stands strong against any force and comes out on top. In the scenarios mentioned before, the people might look for a mighty leader to step in and save the day. If there is a general who is not looking to negotiate for a surrender, if there is a military out there looking to execute the people in the village. It is only natural that the people would go to a mighty leader, for with that might, the leader would take up arms, and use their strength to fight off the foreign enemy. When it comes to the monster that only sees the people as food, the mighty leader would use their strength to drive that monster away and protect both themselves and the people of that village. When it comes to nature incurring its wrath upon the village, the mighty leader would dedicate their strength to protect everyone, ensuring that everyone in the village survives. That could mean hunting for food, rebuilding the village, rescuing others, whatever that may be, the mighty leader would make sure that the people would live to see tomorrow.
However, with all of these scenarios, that is only possible when the mighty one is pointed in the proper direction. The mighty one might not know how to handle the natural disaster, without the knowledge that wisdom brings, all of that strength becomes helpless. If the mighty one spends too much time trying to prove its own might, it might lose the facilities that influence has. As others would simply become abused by the mighty one, as without the knowledge or influence, the mighty one may only end up seeing the people as competition. Might is without a doubt, powerful, but that power is only helpful when that might is pointed in the right direction.
The major factor with power is that it is not just one factor. Wisdom by itself is alone, influence is fragile, might can easily be abused. It takes a mixture of all of these factors for one to truly become a powerful leader. That is what it took for an old family of elves to influence a town like Arrington. A husband and wife, great in wisdom, for they have spent years studying magic and the arcane. Husband and wife, great in influence, for Arrington was but one village in an entire region that was under their control. A mighty husband and wife, for they had ruled their region with an iron fist. Some might say that the grip they held over Arrington became too tight, and eventually snapped, as the people of Arrington took up arms and started to fight for their independence. As it comes to the weakness of the mighty.
This was the history of the small village of Arrington. It had a tough, and bloody history that undeniably shaped how the people of this village would react to the rest of the world. That is the village that Pilienries Hudrozi is from. A young boy who attempted to study magic on his own and became ostracized by the community. The consequences of his actions became very clear for another boy who also lived in that village. This was a young boy who would go out of his way to try to fit in so that he would not end up like Pil. This was a young elven boy named Morqen Reshert.
Morqen was not only there in Arrington, he was also born and raised in it, just like with the wizard. However, that is where their similarities end. Pil decided to toy with forces that were beyond his understanding, forces that had at some point, held a tight group over the village. The people of Arrington would refuse to ever allow such a force to have influence over them ever again. That is why they decided to alienate Pil. Pil made a choice that was far beyond his understanding and had to pay for it. Morqen would not make the same mistake as Pil, he saw firsthand what the boy was going through. Like a good little elf, he would ignore Pil, and would go on about his day throughout the village with his family who cherished him dearly.
Arrington consisted of a multitude of races and people. The majority of the people within were humans, but there were also elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and other such races. Each of these families were all struggling in their own ways, and would as much as possible, try to unite themselves as a community. It was unheard of in this village for neighbors to keep to themselves; this of course, had its own ups and downs. The ups were that the people in this community would stand up for each other, take care of each other, as if part of one big family. The downs in this is that if one were to be an outsider, and deviated from this community, the community would react harshly, as they did with young Pil.
Morqen would not allow this to happen to him. He instead chose to fit in and do exactly what his parents told him to. Here, Morqen’s parents would take him to the market with pride, while not exactly parading him around, they would still be more than willing to show him off to the others within. The young elven boy didn’t think much of it, as after all, if he behaved his parents would get him something to eat.
“Mother?” Morqen turned to a tall elven woman with long raven black locks. She smiled down at him once she heard that he called her. “What goes beyond the village walls?” Morqen asked.
“Monsters…” His father cut in. “Trolls, hags, wolves, bears, and everything else that would want to take you away. That’s why we built our walls to begin with.”
“Do any of those monsters use magic?” Morqen asked.
“No…” Morqen’s mother shook her head. “That is reserved for only the most dangerous thing out there. The one thing that would take you away for good.” Her son looked up at her in confusion, not understanding what she was alluding to. “People…”
“But people live here…” Morqen motioned to the village.
“Not all people…” Morqen’s father clarified. “These people here, oh they would give you the shirts off of their backs. But the people out there are different. We can’t give them any chances son. We’ve had too many people come in from the outside before and start telling us how we should live our lives. No, it’s the people who live outside these walls that you need to watch out for.”
“What do I do if I see people coming?” Morqen hesitated.
“You run.” His mother clarified. “As fast as you can, you run and you find somewhere to hide. Do not wait for us, you need to start taking care of yourself, do not wait for someone to find you and do that for you.”
“Even if you’re the ones who find me?” Morqen shrugged, spending more of his energy finding what holes he can in the advice rather than just listening.
“Of course not, child.” His mother shook her head. “Your father and I, if we got out of there and we found you, of course we would take care of you. But child, look around at the rest of the world. Do you really think the rest of the world would do that for you?”
“Father said these people would give you the shirts off their back.” Morqen argued.
“I know what he said.” His mother snapped. “But do what I say and start taking care of yourself when that happens okay? That’s what we’re trying to get across.”
“How would I start?” Morqen frowned.
“Well, why don’t I show you tomorrow.” Morqen’s father smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Right now, there are three things that I want you to think about when it comes to making sure that you are taken care of. Those three things are food, water, and shelter, in no particular order. As long as you have those three things, you are surviving.”
The three elves made their way back home to a small cabin that was not too far away from the market. It was fairly close to the center of town, like with any home, it had its own ups and downs. The ups being that it was fairly close to everything inside of the village. The downside being that if the village were facing some kind of disaster, it would be harder to find an escape route.
Regardless though, it was a lovely humble home made out of hardwood like everything else in the village. The family made their way inside, stepping over a nice, dark green rug and made their way into the common room which had a sofa and a fireplace that already lit up the room with a nice orange hue.
Morqen’s parents made their way to the nearby cabinets where they started to organize everything they bought in the market, leaving the child to his own devices. This caused the boy to make his way into his own room where he picked up his favorite story book.
This was the story that his mother used to read to him before bed, at least until he learned how to read himself. A fantasy story nonetheless, which contained a charming anti-hero roguish elf who would explore dungeons and ancient temples to find treasure. This rogue was not strong, in fact, he was rather small and frail. While he was quick on his feet, he still did not have many resources when it came to fighting others.
Most of the time, this rogue would be put up against bigger, brooding forces that would overpower him if fought directly, or powerful wizards who spent years learning the arcane. This rogue had to out-think his opponents in every conflict. This could come in several different forms, whether it be hiding in the shadows, avoiding the conflict all together.
However, there would come a time when the conflict would be unavoidable and the rogue would have to fight his opponents directly. In this case, the rogue would focus on using underhanded tactics to divert his opponent’s attention and he would deliver a crushing blow while his opponent’s guard was done.
Morqen himself was a small frail boy, the appeal to the story was almost immediate. Morqen thought about what his father was going to teach him the next day, as well as how he would use these lessons for himself once he got older.
He came upon the realization that he would want to leave the village one day, he would want to leave and go out exploring on his own. If and when he would get older, and the opportunity were to present itself. He would go out and become just like the main character in this story book if he could. He would go out exploring the world, finding all kinds of tressures for himself, where he would decide to one day bring it all back home to this village and share his findings with his family.
This of course, was the fantasy that the small even boy conjured up in his own head. As he continued to read, the smell of chicken filled the room and he couldn’t help but smile. He knew that soon enough he would be called for dinner.
He remembered that earlier in the day that his mother wanted to make some kind of savory pie for dinner with the chicken, with the gravy, and vegetables mixed in with it. The boy forgot what she called it, but he would ask her once again once dinner was ready.
However, now that he could smell food, it was hard to concentrate on his book. He took a deep breath and decided to just close the book then and there, putting it on a shelf before making his way into the common room. He couldn’t help but think about the chicken as he saw his mother put it inside the oven. He decided that it would just drive him insane to just sit there waiting for the food, he resorted to distracting himself by walking out to the front porch and just wait there until dinner was ready.
The door flew open as the little elven boy put on his slippers and went out to the porch. He sat down on the floorboards, poking his head through the railings and looked off into the distance. He could see the many houses circling around him in the village, each with the lights on. He could hear people from all over town shouting, but he wasn’t really paying attention. There were people moving around in all directions. But what really got his attention was that out into the distance, he saw smoke emerging from the edge of town. The boy tried to remember what was out there, and all he could think of was the barn full of animals inside. That was when he realized that the people around him weren’t just shouting at each other, they were screaming in terror.
The boy widened his eyes and ran inside, instantly prodding his mother once he got into the kitchen.
“Dinner is almost ready, hon.” The elven woman smiled. “Just be more patient.”
“No mom, something is going on!” little Morqen persisted. “Look outside, the barns on fire.”
“Huh?” The woman turned and saw that the boy was being serious, she made her way out into the porch only to see the mayhem happening outside. She stood there frozen in silence, her husband soon followed her outside.
“Everything alrig-“ before he even finished he looked at what was happening and then turned to his son. “Get inside, put your shoes on, get ready to run…” his tone changed, becoming much more serious.
“What’s going on, dad?” Morqen broke into a sweat, looking out into the tall cloud of smoke that was forming above town.
“Son, get inside, and do what I say.” Morqen’s father demanded. The boy nodded his head and ran inside. He grabbed his wife’s arm, trying to snap her back into reality. She was in a daze, her mind was going a mile a minute, and she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed in this scenario, she was just paralyzed out of fear. “Dear, we need to go.” Her husband pleaded for her to come back, but she couldn’t no matter how much she wanted to. All she could sense now was the pie she left back in the kitchen, it was burning now.
Upon that realization, several gruff men riding horses emerged from the distance. Whether they were out in the horizon and riding into town, or if they were already inside, emerging from every crevice of every building, it didn’t matter. The older elven man wanted to get his family out of there before the attack started, but it was too late. The people attacking were already here.
It wasn’t long before the bodies began piling up as warriors started kicking doors into houses, forcing themselves inside followed by the screaming of men, women, and children all around. Of course, it was at this point when the mother was able to finally regain control over herself. Although it was already a little too late as her husband was dragging her by the arm into the house, grabbing all kinds of essentials and stuffing it into a small bag quickly.
“Morqen, are you ready?” The father called out after he closed the satchel up. At this point, the mother was starting to gather some of her own things, stuffing them into her own bag.
“Yes father!” the boy called out. He switched out from simple bed clothes to what he would wear when he would want to go out exploring into the woods. The boy himself, didn’t think to grab anything, he was just ready to follow his parents out of the chaos.
“Alright, follow me, both of you.” The father commanded, the family of three ran out from the back of their house. Only to find that just about everyone else was already doing the same thing, families from all over the town were scattered, running in all directions trying to find a way out. “This way…” the father lead the family into a small alleyway that wasn’t far away. His idea was to use that as a way of finding some alternate way out of town. But in the middle of the family trying to squeeze their way through, they could see someone crawling on the ground on the other end of it. A bandit was approaching them from behind, axe in hand.
Immediately, the family started heading in the opposite direction, as suggested by the father once more. It was a rather unfortunate circumstance all around. Morqen’s family wasn’t special in anyway. Moments like this would have helped if the father was an old soldier, retiring after a long war. It would have also helped if the father was some kind of adventurer at some point, as then he would have had some way of fighting off the bandits, or some friends to come and rescue him. But he wasn’t, the father didn’t have any special job. He would just help out and work at the farm. Morqen’s mother was just as unprepared for this as she was a traditional housewife. She preferred to stay at home and take care of Morqen, as well as be the one to school him.
Morqen himself was not any better than his parents. He was a rather obedient child, in fact, he would often not be able to speak up for himself just because of how strict his parents were. He was the biggest rule follower of the house. The most he would spend his time doing would be to find an escape in one of the many tales in his books.
The boy wished how he could have just transformed into one of the many heroes he read about. Especially the clever rogue he was fixated on. The rogue would have been able to find a way to slip out of the situation, he would have been able to outsmart the bandits, using some clever trick, or he would have already found a place to hide and he would just wait out the frenzy.
Unfortunately, the boy was not at all like the clever adventurers he read about. He couldn’t figure out where to go, he couldn’t find an escape route, he couldn’t find a place to hide, all he could do was follow his parents.
The family lost track of which direction they were heading. It seemed as if they lost sight of what they were trying to do. All they were thinking about was to run. Even if they had some sort of plan, there would be no way they could escape at this point. No matter where they turned, there were attackers in town. Bandits that were either killing or restraining everyone they could.
It wasn’t long now until the elven family themselves became surrounded. Bandits emerged from the houses, rode in on horses, or were already in pursuit of the elves on the ground.
“Well what have we got here?” one of the bandits laughed, pointing a spear at the father.
“Perfectly healthy from the looks of it.” Another bandit smiled at the mother. “Yeah…we can definitely put them to work…”
At this point, the family of elves scattered, trying to divert the attention, but that only amused the bandits. One by one, each member of the family was caught and restrained. The bandits immediately reunited them before dragging them off together. Morqen looked around to see where they were being led and it was outside of the town walls. Morqen turned his head to the side to see that the small white-haired boy of the village was laying down on the ground motionless, recognizing how much danger he was in, he decided to just give in for the moment.
The father was not done resisting, in fact, Morqen’s father broke out of being held and attacked the bandit who was restraining him. He shoved the bandit to the ground and tried to free both his wife and so, but this moment of newfound strength would only last for so long. The bandits decided to take no chances this time, one of them swung their sword down onto the father, cutting him in two. The father’s blood splattered all over the elven boy, and just like his mother, he froze at that moment, filled with absolute terror.
The bandits tried to take the remaining two members alive, the bandits immediately swung one of their clubs, hitting the mother in the head. She dropped to the ground in an instant infront of her son, who was still frozen in fear. He knew what was happening, but his body couldn’t move, no matter how much he wanted it to. He was granted peace soon enough, as the moment a deep pain morphed in the back of his head, everything went dark and silent.
When he came to, it was dark, and his vision was blurred. He had a massive headache and he couldn’t help but grunt in pain, reaching for the back of his head. He gritted his teeth as he looked around trying to figure out where he was. It was too dark, he had no idea, he didn’t recognize any of the surroundings.
In fact, it didn’t even look like he was in the village anymore. The elven boy blinked a few times, and eventually, his eyes were able to adjust to the darkness. That was when his suspicions were confirmed, as he was not in any wooden cabin, or even the woods, he was in some kind of cave.
He panicked, looking around to see if his mother was brought along with him, but she was nowhere to be found. He got up, his head pounding harder than ever as he did so. He thought his head was going to pop with each and every step that he took.
He realized he was kept in some small corner of the cave by himself and without any restraints. Taking advantage of this, he decided to simply get up and travel down the only pathway that was in front of him. Getting deeper and deeper into the cave, he could hear his own feet tapping each time they hit the ground. His steps echoing throughout the cave, he shook his head in disappointment. There was nothing he could do about that, and it irritated him. He didn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention.
As the boy kept going further down, he was finally able to see a dim light at the end of the tunnel. He had mixed feelings right away, it would be easier to see what was down there, but at the same time, if there is a light source, that could only mean that more people were down there.
He took a deep breath and looked ahead at the dim light source. “Come on Morqen…” he muttered to himself as he leaned his body against the wall. It was still hard to walk, and a lot of his energy was spent with him trying to keep himself quiet in spite of the intense pain in his head. “It’s time to be brave…” he encouraged himself. He thought about the dashing rogue in his little story book. That character would not be afraid in a moment like this. He would think of a clever way to escape, and he would be home free.
He came upon the light source soon enough, and he widened his eyes in shock. It was a hulking brute of a minotaur sitting down on a stool. He held a large dagger; though in his hand, it was as small as any kitchen utensil. He was simply cutting pieces out of an apple before raising them up to eat for himself. He was facing towards the tunnel that Morqen was coming out of.
The elven boy grimaced, there was no way he could get around the brute without being spotted. He shook his head. “Time to be brave…” he repeated to himself and went forward. Despite the pounding headache, despite how much smaller he was than this hulking minotaur, he still moved forward.
He stepped into the light, staring into the brute’s eyes. What shocked him was that the large unit of a man was already staring back at him.
“I was wondering when you would finally wake up…” the minotaur muttered in a deep, unpleasant, guttural voice. “You were out for quite a long time…” The elven boy gave no response, he simply continued to glare at the bandit. The minotaur sighed and lifted a piece of the sliced apple and held it in the air. “Want some?”
Morqen widened his eyes but regained his composure. The brute in this small moment had his guard down, the elven boy decided he was going to take full advantage of it. He reached forward slowly, as if making it look like he was going to eat the slice offered to him. However, soon enough, the boy leaped forward and grabbed the knife out from the brute’s hand instead.
The boy jumped back, knife in hand, pointing directly at the bandit. The minotaur got up, staring the boy down and let out a large huff from his snout. He didn’t seem upset or even surprised at this moment; he just was seemingly observing the boy. It was a small silent exchange of glances for a single instant before the bandit decided to finally speak up again, breaking the silence. “You know, when it comes to all of the people we take for ourselves, we end up realizing that there are only two kinds of people…” the bandit started. The elven boy merely kept glaring at the brute in response. “There are captives that make themselves useful and find a comfortable time with us, and then there are captives who are absolutely useless to us.” He sneered as he cracked his knuckled. “You can guess what happens to them.”
“Why should I care?” Morqen growled rolling his eyes, taking another step back, not letting his guard down.
“Because I have one simple question for you.” The minotaur stepped forward. “Which one will you be, boy? Why don’t you show me here and now?” Morqen ran back into the tunnels, dashing his way into the darkness to try and get out of sight. “Go ahead…” the bandit cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders. “Make this fun for me…” he started following the boy deeper into the tunnel.
Morqen ran further away, but made sure to slow down his pace so that he would not make so much noise. “Time to be clever…” he whispered to himself as he looked around. He found a large crevice in the tunnel that he could easily fit into. It wouldn’t be long until he would reach the end of the tunnel, and the bandit would find him in even less time.
The little elven boy sucked in his stomach and started to slip inside, making sure to completely silence himself. He focused on listening for the bandit to approach. It was easy enough, the brute’s footsteps were much louder, and it was much easier to tell just how far away he was.
The footsteps grew louder by every passing moment. The little elven boy was holding his breath, making sure to not make any noise whatsoever when the hulking brute would approach. The minotaur started to make his way further down the tunnel, eyes scanning every corner. He was shocked that the little boy was able to get out of sight and find a place to hide. It didn’t seem possible, was the boy really that small? The bandit shook his head and kept a straight face. Taking yet another step further down the tunnel.
That was when the boy finally saw his opportunity to strike. He was able to squeeze through the crevice without being noticed and leapt forward, plunging the knife deep into the minotaur’s thigh. Immediately, the brute started to scream in pain as the boy pulled the knife out and tried to run away once more.
However, as the boy was running in the direction towards the light source once more, he felt something pull onto the back of his shirt. It was with enough force to lift him off of his feet and into the air. Before the boy realized it, he was being held in the air in front of the minotaur who managed to catch him. The boy thought the bandit was going to stare daggers into him, puffing himself up and trying to scare him. But instead, the minotaur was smiling, the bandit pulled the kid in closer, maintaining his composure. “You actually got me…” he muttered.
Before the boy could give a proper response, he was slammed into the ground. The impact was hard enough for the boy to start coughing blood. The bandit let got of the boy who was still just laying on the ground stunned. The bandit then followed this up by delivering a swift kick into the boy’s ribs and that sent the little elf flying into the air.
Morqen started to tear up, eyes were watering from just the stress alone. Was he going to make it out alive? Where was his mother? Where is he? What do they do if they manage to escape? Where do they go? Will he ever even see his mother again? These questions were all burning into the back of the boy’s mind as he sobbed, struggling to lift himself up from the ground.
‘Not like this…’ the boy thought to himself as he gritted his teeth. Blood leaking everywhere from newly opened wounds he didn’t even know he had. ‘No, I can’t…’ he held tightly to the knife, clinging onto it as if it would be the last thing he would ever hold. That was when he finally heard the footsteps once again.
It was the minotaur of course, who was also bleeding heavily, leaving a bloody print with every other step that he took. Despite that, he was showing no signs of even being phased by the wound. He was just smiling as he clenched his fists. “What else can you do, kid?” the bandit chuckled.
Morqen glared up at the brute, holding a hand over his ribs as a sharp intense pain got more intense with each passing moment. He threw the knife he was holding at the minotaur, the blade plunging itself into the chest of the minotaur, the brute widened his eyes in shock. The boy turned and saw that the light source was actually a lantern sitting on a table. He ran to it, grabbing the lantern by the handle as the minotaur was pulling the knife out of his chest.
“You’re quite good…” the bandit smiled as he put the knife away in a little sheath that was on his hip. “If you threw that a little harder, if that knife was a little bigger, you’d have gotten me right in my heart…” The boy didn’t even responds or hesitate, he threw the lantern this time at the minotaur. However, the lantern was much heavier, and it hit the ground right before the bandit, shattering upon impact.
However, this didn’t change the fact that the lantern was full of oil. As soon as it did shatter, fire erupted from the ground and spread far enough to reach the minotaur. The boy tried running away once more, not wanting to waste any time with this.
“Mom!” he called out as he ran deeper into the cave. It was quite a distance, but it was totally dark. The lantern was the only light source in the cave and now he was back to hardly being able to see anything. That was why he hardly realized it when he ran into an entire section of metal bars lined up at the end. He grabbed onto them, trying to squeeze through. However, the spacing between them was even tighter than the little crevice he used to hide. “Mom!” he called once again, shaking the bars violently hoping that one or two would loosen up.
Unfortunately for him, they were firmly planted into the ground and were not budging even the slightest, despite him using all of his body weight to try to move them.
“You know, kid…” a familiar voice broke out form behind. The little elven boy froze as the cave started to light up once more. He turned around to see the hulking minotaur slowly putting out the fires on his body, what little of the fire there was left. “I was honestly thinking that your mother was going to be the useful one and you were just going to be a wasteful mouth we had to feed.” The boy stared up at the minotaur, shocked that the bandit was still alive. “Though it seems now that the total opposite was true all along…”
“What are you talking about!?” Morqen barked. “I don’t understand! Where is my mother, what did you do to her!?”
“Like I said earlier kid, there are two kinds of people that we end up holing captive…” the minotaur brushed some of the dirt off himself. “Useful ones who find a home here, and useless ones who don’t. I asked your mother earlier which one she would be and she turned out to be worthless…but you…we can use you…”
“Like I would ever do anything for you!” Morqen hissed, trying to find a way out. But now he was cornered, there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. He was completely trapped and he had no choice but to face the bandit directly.
“It always starts off like this…” the minotaur sighed. “But you’ll come around. Your mother is safe, in another room, she’s not hurt or anything. In fact, she’s quite alive and well.”
“Why didn’t you just kill us?” Morqen held his hand over his ribs once again which were still hitting him with a sharp intense pain.
“Because I wanted to see which of you would be useful…” the bandit smiled. “And I did. You still don’t seem to understand, so I’ll make this easier for you…” He pulled the dagger out once more. “You are going to work for me and my crew, doing what I say when I say it. If you do well for yourself, I’ll take care of you and your mother. If you refuse, I’ll kill you both…it’s as simple as that”
“You and your crew?” Morqen spat blood on the ground, landing right in front of the bandit. “Work for you? Yeah right? Why should I believe you?”
“Because I can finish you off here and now, then finish what I started with that whore mother of yours.” The minotaur growled. “I could strangle you, stab you here and now, then maybe get a half decent child out of her before I finish her off. Being my son and all and related to you, he’d have to be useful. But I’m offering something different. I’m fine with doing either of these things, so it’s up to you to decide.”
Morqen hissed, he was out of options. He took a deep breath, realizing he really had no choice if he wanted to survive. He finally nodded his head. The minotaur smiled and put his dagger away once more.
“Who even are you people?” The little elven boy finally asked.
“We are the bull’s crew…” the minotaur started. “We, or I should say my men are traveling the world taking what we can, making use of what we can. You can call me Zyrsius.”
Deals like this are often made, perhaps not too this extreme, but there are many situations where someone is left without a choice. Morqen would of course come to realize that a deal like this for only so long. The Bull’s Crew would keep their word, taking care of both the boy and his mother, as long as he did what they said.
There would always be that fine line he would tread. The crew knew that he was only useful for as long as he remained compliant. They knew that one day, he would no longer be able to do a lot of the dirty work along with them. Years would pass with this tension in the air.
The boy would often kill for the bandits, steal for them, and spy for them as he grew older. Every time he would come back with a reward, he would immediately make his way over to his mother. She was bedridden, sick, looking frail even for an elf. The young elf had crushed several herbs into a little cup, filling it with boiling water and letting it sit there for a few minutes before finally handing the drink to his mother.
“Thank you dear…” the old woman smiled sadly at her son as she accepted the drink. Slowly lifting the cup and taking a small sips every now and then.
“Today’s the day, mother…” Morqen smiled. “I can get us out of here, now that I just got back for them on stealing some things for them, they’ll be busy with that, they won’t be paying attention to us.”
“With riches?” his mother looked confused. “What exactly did you steal for them? Why would it keep them busy?”
Morqen remained silent, how was he supposed to tell her? How could he explain that he spent the morning exhuming bodies and bringing them back to camp? He hardly knew what the bodies were going to be used for. At this point, he hardly even cared, he just wanted to get out.
The mother’s concern grew as he wouldn’t answer. “Son, what did you steal for them?” she muttered once more. “Why are they so busy?”
“That part doesn’t matter…” he shook his head. “What does is that we can finally leave. I don’t know what the plan is, though I heard that they’ve been talking to some local bounty hunter or something.” He wasn’t lying, he knew they were talking to some female hunter, looking to make some kind of deal with her. He hardly knew anything about it as he wasn’t really involved in that kind of arrangement.
“Please, mother, drink the tea…” he lifted the cup for her. “You’ll need the energy soon enough…” he watched as she took another sip. She still looked worried about him, knowing that something was wrong.
Morqen sighed and got up, making his way over to the locked gate of her cell. Looking off into the distance, he could tell that the sun was gone at this point, it was dusk. He smiled, everything was coming together.
He left the cell eventually to go out and patrol the grounds quietly sneaking around. He wanted to take mental notes of where every guard was out tonight and where they would be. He wanted to make sure that he would be good and ready before busting his mother out of here.
He was skulking about the camp, making sure to remember where each archer was. Where each of the bandits were resting. He started to head back into the direction of his own cell. Of course, by design, his own place of rest was on the other end of camp from his mother’s. They knew he was out now, they had to know. It was only that right now they did not know where exactly he was.
Like always, he was good at hiding. Although he knew that they would eventually have to know where he was, otherwise they might hold up their end of the deal.
“It shouldn’t be too long now…” the elf muttered to himself as he made his way over to his own cell.
“Hey!” a voice called out, causing Morqen to pause and turn around, facing the direction of where that voice was calling from. It was another bandit, one of the guards who was patrolling the camp. “Zyrsius wants to see you, you know where to find him.”
“What does he want with me now?” Morqen huffed. “I already did my work for the day, tell him to go bother someone else.”
“I wasn’t asking, neither was he.” The bandit snapped back, pulling out his sword. “You best remember where you stand around here, boy…” Morqen hissed and kicked the ground. What could Zyrsius possibly want with him now? The rogue shook his head before making his way over to the largest tent in the center of camp.
Two guards stood at the entrance and saw the elf approach, stepping out of the way and creating enough space for him to enter. Once he entered the tent, the guards followed him inside. The rogue could see that the leader of the bandits was reclining back in a chair, the minotaur smiled as soon as he saw Morqen enter the room.
“About time you came…” Zyrsius smiled. “I was beginning to worry, I sent someone out for you a while back.”
“What do you want, Zyrsius…” the rogue crossed his arms, indignant. “I already found those bodies for you and brought them back, so I already did my work for today.”
“It ain’t about that, kid…” Zyrsius stood up. Morqen glared at the minotaur, even after all of these years, the bastard always wore that smile, it was impossible to read him. “Though I do appreciate what you did for me today, we really needed them.”
“For what?” Morqen rolled his eyes.
“Let me worry about that, and let me just get to the point of why I brought you here today…” the minotaur leaned over the desk, resting his hands on the table. “It’s actually good news for you…”
“You’re finally letting me go?” Morqen asked facetiously.
“Actually yes…” Zyrsius smiled. “It’s your lucky day…”
Morqen paused, starting to break into a sweat the moment he heard that. He could feel his heart rate jump. “What?” was all he could muster out.
“It’s simple…” Zyrsius continued. “I know you still don’t like me much, Morqen, even after all these years, after I raised you as my own son.”
“Probably because you’re also the one who killed my father…” Morqen shrugged. “That might have been why…”
“Regardless, I still see that you hate it here.” Zyrsius shrugged. “I know you want out and well, I think you’ve earned your way out…”
“Just like that?” Morqen shook his head. “And I’m supposed to-“ Before he could continue, the two guards who were standing behind him started to restrain him. “What are you doing!? What do you want with me!? Is it the bodies?”
“No…” Zyrsius shook his head, standing straight once more. The guards grabbed a rope that was nearby and started to tie the elf up by the limbs, just so he couldn’t escape. “Like I said I’ll worry about the bodies. Right now, I just want you to think about what you’ll do once you’re out of here…”
“You’re out of your mind!” Morqen barked as he struggled in his restraints.
“I assume you heard about the bounty hunter we’ve been talking to.” Zyrsius turned around, reaching for a large axe that was mounted behind. “Lovely girl, she was very interested in getting to know you. Since she wanted to meet with you and you wanted to get out of here, I felt that this was the perfect arrangement. Since I’m in such a good mood after all…”
Morqen wanted to try to convince Zyrsius to stop, to try to talk his way out of the situation. But when the rogue opened his mouth once more, a cloth rag was stuffed inside almost right away, gagging him. He was being dragged out of the tent, although the leader of the bandits was not far behind, as he emerged out as well, axe in hand.
Morqen glared at the minotaur, trying to headbutt and kick his way out from being held, but it was to no effect. All he could do was watch as he was being carried off to the exit of the camp.
The minotaur waved to the elf, with the same smile he had on for all of these years. “Oh, and Morqen,” the leader of the bandits called out. “don’t worry about your mother. I know how weak and fragile she is right now; I promise I’ll take good care of her.”
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Now you guys get to learn more about Morqen. He’s quite the reliable guy once he’s on your team.
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