{"id":219,"date":"2011-06-10T15:29:22","date_gmt":"2011-06-10T13:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/?page_id=219"},"modified":"2011-06-10T15:29:22","modified_gmt":"2011-06-10T13:29:22","slug":"48-crossing-the-hastwith-and-into-vor-kragal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/?page_id=219","title":{"rendered":"48 – Crossing the Hastwith and into Vor Kragal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The desert, contrary to legend, isn\u2019t simply a punishing expanse of sand dunes beneath a vicious sun. There are deserts like that, but this isn\u2019t one of them. Here, the land, and the dirt, just fade gradually away. Rock dominates the scenery, jutting up from the ground in large buttes, mesas, and leaning spires. Stones balanced on one another, their supporting earth blown away by centuries (perhaps millennia) of wind, are a common sight. Almost no vegetation makes its presence known here, though the occasional pocket betrays a deep source of water. Hastwith is only one of many names it has borne through history; in my time I recall it having the name\u00a0Gurragliron<\/em>, which translates literally to \u201cdining of the vultures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making one\u2019s way through this wasteland is difficult, but not impossible if you travel prepared. I had in my memory the path we took on our first venture here, and I recalled the stopovers we made, the places we gathered water, the hazards we encountered. Fortunately, my memory wasn\u2019t terribly faulty. At the second oasis, perhaps six days into the desert, I came upon a south-bound caravan consisting of three wagons and perhaps a dozen people. I apparently was traveling faster, and simply caught up.<\/p>\n

Their leader, an Eladrin woman named Sidhrelee (she pronounced it something like \u201cSthralee\u201d, though I found it difficult to wrap my tongue around the word), had stopped to repair the wheel of one of their wagons before it became a completely lost cause. After a wary introduction between us, I offered to travel alongside them for a while, there being strength in numbers. Her band was a mixed bag, mostly humans from Banner, though she had several half-elves with her, and one halfwise. From their garments it appeared that they met with some success, and apparently this was a venture trip to see if there might be market for northerly goods in the town of Clemonshire, which was a week West of Vor Kragal\u2019s ruins. Once past the desert, we would part ways. Still, to cross together would be worthwhile.<\/p>\n

I found it mildly amusing \u2013 and I had a certain level of pride, I will admit \u2013 when I discovered they had several cases of\u00a0Death\u2019s Head<\/em> whiskies among their wares. On our first evening\u2019s rest, I bought a large bottle (figuring almost a gallon would be plenty for my trip \u2013 I do drink a lot, but I know how to pace my supply) from their store to accompany me on my own travel. If you can\u2019t drink from your own well, you can\u2019t very well expect others to do, no? It was comforting to have the metal-sheathed glass jug beside me as I drifted to sleep \u2013 a bit of home, or at least what passed for home.<\/p>\n

Having company aside from the horses was a nice thing\u2026it also helped to know we\u2019d part after the desert. The solitude of being a stranger in the crowd is a familiar one to me, and not uncomfortable, but I wished to have time eventually alone. This journey was for a purpose, but one I did not yet fathom. I had to decide what my goals were with regard to this trip. I had sketched out a general idea, but I still hadn\u2019t come to a conclusion of how I would go about executing on it. I suspected once there that I would need assistance \u2013 and probably would need an adventuring group to combine my efforts with.<\/p>\n

The week passed with little more than a circling vulture in the sky, I am glad to say. Although the desert is beautiful, I was heartened to see the scrub brush rising again from the dusty ground. I think beauty is often linked, in our hearts, to rarity \u2013 once something becomes mundane, it can lose a portion of what we feel is attractive. The desert had certainly worn out its welcome on me by the time we reached its edge, and I was ready for a change.<\/p>\n

Sidhrelee and I waved to one another as I turned off from their group, that\u2019s all \u2013 no long farewells, just a simple wave and a nod. I hope their future holds good success, for they were kind people and hard-working \u2013 they deserved much for the risks they took.<\/p>\n

I pulled away from the edge of the desert, perhaps a mile from its plant-less boundary, and continued East. I carefully drove around the pits of spell-scarred sands we had first encountered when Fellbane came through here. I saw no sign of Kaenig\u2019s army, which I considered fortunate, though I suspected they would have to track through the desert along the path I took to get here when they proceeded North again. I almost pitied him, knowing the fate that lay before him \u2013 betrayal at the last by the very patron he swore fealty to, for a crime committed by his ancestors. Not that he was an innocent babe, for I\u2019d have killed him in a moment, given the opportunity. No, I felt sorry for his own journey\u2019s preordained failure. I believe any creature can find its destiny, whether that be redemption or damnation, and it would have been a gentler thing to have him find a way to pay towards his own crimes rather than simply be the puppet of Asmodeus\u2019 vanity.<\/p>\n

Given the choice of two enemies, I would rather see Asmodeus fall, after all.<\/p>\n

I contemplated a disguise before reaching Vor Kragal, but realized that a), I have no talent for disguise, and b) I didn\u2019t imagine I\u2019d be the target of a search in this region any time soon. Fellbane being on its way to the Sword Weld, I figured the group\u2019s presence in Banner would direct any specific attention towards that area. In this moment, I found myself missing the company\u00a0Sybarron <\/em>provided, once again. Although \u2018friend\u2019 is probably too strong a word, in the end I\u2019d like to think we treated each other honorably, and there\u2019s a lot to be said for that. He\u2019d never been one to engage in lengthy conversations, but at least we could ask and answer things of each other.<\/p>\n

But you work with what you have, and here, all I had was the horses. So much for conversational possibilities.<\/p>\n

Aside from a dust storm that blew in off the desert one morning, the travel was quiet. I reached Serim\u2019s camp easily enough late in the evening, and arranged for a tent and shelter for my horse and wagon without removing my cloak\u2019s hood. When I rode in I was greeted by a different stable-hand, a young human of very slight build. He took my horses after I secured my wagon behind the tent I\u2019d chosen. I grabbed a bedroll and my backpack from the wagon-bed, making sure there was nothing particularly valuable left in the thing, and went into my rented quarters. A small cat was wandering past, which I reached down to offer a hand to before I went in.<\/p>\n

It merely hissed and swiped at me before running out into the darkness, but I caught a glimpse of its eyes looking back at me. The firelight glittered in the creature\u2019s eyes, which curiously appeared to have pupils that were horizontally arranged, rather than vertically. Interesting.<\/p>\n

No one else was around that I could see, so I took my rest in the tent, satisfied to have a non-mobile bed beneath me for a slight change.<\/p>\n

The next morning came slowly, through a greyish sky over the camp. Another group was here, perhaps having arrived this morning, I could hear them talking outside. I could not understand them, but they spoke with what seemed a fair deal of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Walking outside to scrub my teeth and garner a cup of Serim\u2019s tea, I dropped a few silvers into his bucket and had a look around.<\/p>\n

Of the new visitors, they were three: a Shadrim, and a pair of humans. None looked terribly imposing, though they all were armed well. The Shadrim, who I figured for the leader of the group, had recurved horns and black hair, his horns darkening towards their ends to match the color of his pate in the same manner as the beak of a crow. His eyes were brick red, and his skin a yellowed brown, like the dust of the Hastwith. He carried a pair of shortswords on his back, each possessing a slight wave to its blade in the style of a krys, and from the lumping beneath his cloak he wore some kind of leather reinforcement under there. He nodded to me in acknowledgement when he saw me observing him.<\/p>\n

The two humans were each equally thin \u2013 not more than 150 pounds to either one of them. One bore a bow and a thin longsword, and he wore a reinforced hide armor stained red with some dye or other. The dye itself was probably worth more than the armor originally cost him. His hair was a spiky shock of gold that defied the wind to stay in its place. I didn\u2019t like to think of what he used to keep it there. The other human had a thoroughly severe-looking hammer and her chest plate bore the symbol of Erathis on it. Her hair was short enough to stay out of her way, reddish brown, and she had only one eye \u2013 the other was covered with a thick eyepatch. They each were arguing while pointing out at the ruins beneath the fog, and looking at what I assumed to be a map drawn on a flexible piece of hide or leather. Neither one took any notice of me as I settled onto a stump by the fire, adjacent to the Shadrim. I could hear Serim mumbling to himself in his tent, but felt no urge to interrupt him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning,\u201d the Shadrim said. I nodded back to him. \u201cYou are here for the same thing we are, I assume?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepends on what that is.\u201d I grinned. While we enjoy being cagey, nothing entertains a Shadrim more than playing the onion game. Peel a little truth away with every layer. I was taught as a child not to ever give away too much, and I was glad to see the tradition still held. \u201cAre you here to plunder the riches to which we are both rightful heirs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlunder riches, assuredly. Whether they\u2019re mine or not, who\u2019s to say until they\u2019re in my hands?\u201d He shrugged as he said this.<\/p>\n

I extended a hand. \u201cMy name is Goran, it\u2019s a pleasure.\u201d I used the false name reflexively, preferring to maintain at least a little privacy. Seeing as the owner of the name had been deceased for the best part of a millennia, I suspected he wouldn\u2019t object to my employ of it. The other fellow shook my hand back, his grip firm but not overwhelmingly so.<\/p>\n

\u201cKurrian. Those are Stephan and Morgan.\u201d He pointed to the arguing humans.<\/p>\n

\u201cServants?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompanions, though at times like these I wish they were servants. They could be arguing this all day.\u201d He took a swig of tea, and then augmented it with a little flask he pulled from a pocket. Offered some to me, which I accepted with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have friends like that as well,\u201d I offered, \u201cthough not here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUp North somewhere, West of Banner, towards the Sword Weld I think.\u201d I shrugged. \u201cThey follow a different path for a little while. I had to come here, they weren\u2019t so keen on the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cHope I never have to come here alone, but I know what you mean. Seems like a pull, we have to come home once in our lives. Some come here, others Vor Rukoth, don\u2019t know why, but it helps to remind me that I\u2019m making my own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose so\u2026I come here to think over what went before and what might come to pass,\u201d I made this up as I went along. \u201cPlus, there\u2019s plenty of leftovers that might as well be put to good use.\u201d I saluted him with my mug and downed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019ve been here before?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce, a few months back. Went in with my friends for a short while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHard. Ran afoul of another group in there, and attacked shortly after that fight by a few locals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds bad. What kind of locals?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLandshark. We were almost food for the vultures.\u201d<\/p>\n

He whistled appreciatively. \u201cLandshark. That\u2019s bad news. Can\u2019t say I\u2019ve ever even seen one, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBig as a house, and burrows faster than a lot of fish can swim. Teeth like your thumb, just sharper and lots more of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I can\u2019t say I care to ever see one. That sounds terrible! How did you fare?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone dead, but we didn\u2019t kill it either. Burrowed away when we landed a few good hits on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat back. \u201cI think my crew could probably drop one, but I\u2019d really rather not have to try. Seems a lot of trouble for little gain. Much appreciated for the information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about this other group? The ones you had a tussle with?\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked out over the mists. \u201cThey aren\u2019t here now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

I waved over towards the Charspire. \u201cThey travel by airship. It isn\u2019t here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat back. Thought something over for a second. \u201cGive me a moment.\u201d Standing, he walked over to the others, and started a muttering conversation with them. The other two threw glances in my direction, and I raised my cup to them while looking out over the city.<\/p>\n

After a few moments, Kurrial returned with the other two. \u201cGoran, my companions. Morgan,\u201d he motioned to the woman, \u201cand Stephan.\u201d The man. \u201cWe\u2019ve just been talking, and we\u2019d like to know, would you like to accompany us down into the ruins? If you fight alongside us we\u2019ll cut you in for a full share of whatever we find. If you will act as only a guide, we\u2019ll pay you ten gold a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought it over for a moment. There was nothing I intended here that couldn\u2019t be made easier by their presence, so \u201cSure, I\u2019d be glad to. And I can fight. Have you decided where we are going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet. We were hoping, as you have been here previously, that perhaps you could point us in a few directions.\u201d Stephan gestured with the map.<\/p>\n

Serim had emerged from his tent, spitting something large and somewhat unpleasant-looking off to one side. He waved casually in our general direction and proceeded to check on the tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm\u2026may I be up-front in my questions of you?\u201d I sat up a little straighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou doubting us? I\u2019ll be happy to demonstrate my credentials on your head, Shadrim.\u201d Morgan ran a finger across the face of her hammer as she said this. \u201cI\u2019m a little more interested in what you can do for us, as I\u2019m not totally convinced we need you here. How about you go first?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright. I was instrumental in the cleansing of Cozule of its ghoul infestation; the rescuing of the remaining population of Tarsis; I am an associate of\u00a0Devil\u2019s Due<\/em>and a friend to Mahar, its master; I am an honored guest at the New Black Widow of Erelhei Ci\u2019nlue; and I am an Emissary of the exile court of Shan Doresh, the Lord of Nightmares. If you like I can arrange a visit. And I can bleed you dry before you get that hammer off your belt, and you\u2019ll never have seen me do it.\u201d Just in case she wanted me to prove it, I slowly unsnapped the strap holding\u00a0Riftspar<\/em> in place and laid my hand gently on the haft of\u00a0Crownfire<\/em>. I kept an eye on the other two, I really didn\u2019t want to turn this into blows when outnumbered like this.<\/p>\n

She gripped the hammer solidly as she saw me laying hands on my weapons, and her frown deepened. \u201cAssuming all that to be true, and that you aren\u2019t simply having us on.\u201d She wasn\u2019t happy about it, but I could see she accepted the things I\u2019d said. Rather than further provoke a fight, I opened my hands and drew them away from my weapons, re-clasping\u00a0Riftspar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is true, and my interest in your having an accurate assessment of my abilities is self-interest. One\u2019s allies in a fight should be given as much information about one another as possible, so that we might know each other\u2019s limits and strengths, and be that much more capable in a fight.\u201d I retrieved a small bag of shelled nuts from my pocket, took a handful, and offered the bag to her.<\/p>\n

She eased up a bit, and her frown vanished. She took the bag and helped herself while sitting down. I looked around at them, and held out a hand to Stephan, who handed me the map. As I studied it, I continued the conversation. \u201cSo\u2026the three of you planned on moving in on Vor Kragal yourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were five,\u201d Stephan said. \u201cUgor and Sheng were lost on the journey here. Sands took them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSands?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed. Rose up from the desert and attacked us, sounded like an army, and it seemed to cast magic at us that never seemed to dissipate. They were taken down by weapons flying through the air like so much flotsam. There was nothing we could do but retreat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that. My friends and I encountered something similar on the way here last time. Were there black pools of something like dust or sand among them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, quite a few, although we chose not to try them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWise you didn\u2019t, they are some form of living diseased part of the desert, taken animate status after being touched by the ruination of Vor Kragal.\u201d I never looked up from the map while speaking. They had a remarkably detailed map here, I don\u2019t know where they got this level of detail, but it was insanely accurate.<\/p>\n

I pointed to the map-marker showing the crevasse that led to the Pool of Bronze. \u201cI have business here, I wish to visit the pool beneath this crack \u2013 it is a pool of liquid bronze, to some degree self-aware. At least, so I\u2019m told. I\u2019ve never been there. Another point of interest that you might want to visit is the Crucible, here\u2026\u201d I pointed to the other location, \u201c\u2026where the armory of Vor Kragal forged its weapons. However, I believe the forgemaster is still present, and if reports are true, not entirely sane. Perhaps not remotely so.\u201d<\/p>\n

The others looked on neutrally as I spoke, Kaillan. \u201cJust legends,\u201d Morgan ejected bluntly. \u201cNothing but legends.\u201d They then looked at each other, and although I didn\u2019t get a very good read of what they were expressing between them, they seemed to come out on the positive side. Kullian looked out at the fog-shrouded ruins.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegends of riches brought you here,\u201d I offered. \u201cThat was enough. Perhaps you\u2019re right, and there is no smith, no smithy. All I suggest is that you keep a watchful eye and consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about that?\u201d He pointed at the emerging dark fragment that was the Charspire. \u201cGotta be some money\u2019s worth in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been closed since before the city was destroyed. I suspect in spite of our efforts it will stay that way\u2026and if it didn\u2019t, I\u2019m not so sure it would be a good idea to be the first living things to set foot inside that place in a thousand years.\u201d Living being the key word in that phrase.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can check it out, all the same,\u201d Kullian said. I shrugged noncommittally in response.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen do we leave?\u201d Stephan asked around a mug of tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about as soon as we\u2019re ready? We can go down today, do a little scouting, and figure out a route to perhaps your pool first.\u201d Kurrian looked over to me. \u201cIt seems closer, though I think Morgan here wanted a short trip into the greenery along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve only just arrived, and you\u2019re ready to jump in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Morgan nodded. \u201cNow never comes again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me a little time, I need to arrange something with Serim.\u201d I stood and searched around a bit, finally locating him at the edge of the crater, where it narrowed to a slight crevice in the surface ground well away from the common point of descent. He was emptying a chamber pot into the crevice and rinsing It out with a bit of water from a bucket.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Serim,\u201d I greeted him with a wave.<\/p>\n

He coughed a little, glanced over at me. \u201cMaster Azrael\u2026my apologies, Goram, your return is welcome. I believe I heard you arrive in the night. Will you be staying long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you overheard?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did, but as you well know, I don\u2019t share my information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a new appreciation for that fact now.\u201d I nodded back to him. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how long I\u2019ll be.\u201d I shuffled a sun-bar from my pouch and handed it over. Serim took it carefully and pocketed it quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease look after my horses and see that no harm befalls the wagon while I\u2019m down below.\u201d He nodded. \u201cAnd one other thing\u2026\u201d We talked for a little while longer before I returned to my tent to retrieve my belongings. I unstoppered and sniffed the clay jug on my bedtable, finding it full of water. I emptied it into a washbowl there, and poured the remainder of my\u00a0Death\u2019s Head<\/em> supply into the now-empty jug, all but enough to supply four drinks. I picked up the little clay cup and walked back out to the fire, where the others were talking amongst themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you join me in a toast to our success before we begin?\u201d I asked. Morgan shrugged, Stephan agreed eagerly, while Kurrian appeared thoughtful for a little while before nodding his head. \u201cI have only the one cup, so either we share or\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephan produced two tin cups from his bag, Kurrian had one as well. Problem solved. He poured a share from the big metal jug into each of the humans\u2019 cups, then I looked at Kurrian. The Shadrim fished a coal out of the fire, dropping it into his mug after blowing the extra ashes off. I did the same. I poured whiskey over the two coals, which steamed and hissed briefly as they were extinguished. I grinned at him.<\/p>\n

I raised my glass to them. I remembered the salute from years \u2013 now centuries \u2013 past: \u201cIt is my honor I offer you all. I offer you a place by my side, and to share in my victory.\u201d We all drank quickly. \u201cThank you all, it\u2019s been a while since I was able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

We stowed our cups, and I pushed the big jug into my pack after resealing it, where it showed as a large bulge.<\/p>\n

As before, we walked over to the chains and ropes leading down into the cratered remnants of the city. Each of us chose a way down, and we descended into the ruined residential area beneath Serim\u2019s camp.<\/p>\n

I retrieved\u00a0Crownfire <\/em>from its hanging strap and wrapped the leather cord around my wrist to secure it tightly there. \u201cIt might be wise to be ready, much of the things here can come as a bit of a surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

They variously affirmed my recommendation, and I pointed the way. I spent a great deal of time studying the ruined houses and apartments that we passed, seeing the iron rods that were used to reinforce and guide the stone walls into place. Few roofs here remained intact, far fewer than the district in which I (with Fellbane) had fought the Morvreyans. I fell behind a little, glancing up at the skies on occasion. As before, I saw the Gurragal high in the air through the fog and smoke, though they were not circling above us directly.<\/p>\n

Yet.<\/p>\n

Morgan kept giving me rueful glances over her shoulder as we proceeded along. The others led the way, watching left and right as we continued through the ancient alleys and streets.<\/p>\n

While catching up, I jumped over a small wall, and came up short of the height. Tripping awkwardly, I ended up pulling several heavy stones down from it. The heavy things didn\u2019t even tumble so much as land with a flat thud. I stood up and dusted off in frustration, then turned and grabbed each stone to replace it, slamming them back angrily into the places they had rested for a thousand years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you alright?\u201d Morgan asked.<\/p>\n

Slam. \u201cFine, just my pride is injured.\u201d Slam. I stomped up past her to take a position between the two men, keeping her safely behind me. We were probably a few hours\u2019 walk from the great crevasse that led to my destination. I limped a bit, dragging my left foot when the ground was hard or paved.<\/p>\n

We walked on for a little while longer, and emerged into the square where Fellbane had fought the landshark. The ground had settled, but there were still great divots where the armored beast had drilled its way beneath to emerge among us. The ruined buildings were still crumbled, but the bodies of the dead giants were gone. No doubt eaten by the Gurragal or the shark after we departed, I figured.<\/p>\n

Kurrian raised a hand in alert, signaling for quiet. We all held up, and I drew\u00a0Riftspar <\/em>from its sheath as I put one knee to the ground. I knew the shark must hunt this area, and as we\u2019d moved inward we ended up directly under the circling Gurragal. As I looked up, holding the dagger with the bottom two fingers of my right hand and splaying my thumb and first two on the ground, I felt a tremor down deep under us. I froze completely still, readied my elusiveness to fire at the slightest indication of hostilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour landshark came through here, didn\u2019t it?\u201d Kurrial asked from up front.<\/p>\n

I nodded, but didn\u2019t otherwise move my head. \u201cYes. These craters were where it came up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFunny, that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFunny that you chose this spot? Or funny that Ugor and Sheng used it to hide in?\u201d I watched him closely as I said this. His back tensed up, and then he straightened calmly. Turning to face me, his eyes darted around.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long have you known?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince this morning. You agreed to my destination a little too fast for someone with money on his mind \u2013 the Pool of Bronze isn\u2019t known for its riches. Your map is far too detailed \u2013 and recent. The only ones making maps around here lately are the Morvreyans. And lastly, Serim confirmed for me this morning that there are no cats around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCats?\u201d Kurrian looked a little surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cI assume that you portaled your way here after you were given news of my arrival? Your messenger had to approach me to confirm it was genuinely me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yes, how could I forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. So, now what?\u201d As I watched him, I rose as well, slowly scanning around, but never letting him out of my sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you can probably guess what happens next. For what it\u2019s worth, I can see why they wanted you out of the picture.\u201d While he said this, I picked up movement in the wreckage of a building slightly behind me and to the left \u2013 an angry-looking\u00a0dunkel<\/em> male had slid around a ruined wall. Come to think of it, most dunkel look angry. His long hair tousled slightly in the breeze here, and his robes covered his hands. I had no doubt he was a wizard or a mage of some sort. I could also hear crunching footsteps in the rubble behind and right of me. I risked a quick glance at Morgan \u2013 she had her hammer out, and was holding it across her with two hands, some four or five steps behind me.<\/p>\n

I intentionally did not look up. \u201cNo, I\u2019m going to bet you don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it really matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose not.\u201d A glance to my right showed a half-orc with a rather large axe sidling up towards me, stepping over the fallen stones carefully. Stephan had nocked an arrow and was slowly turning to me, while Kurrian retrieved both of his blades.<\/p>\n

Just as Ugor was stepping over a particularly large stone, his toe coming down to rest on it, I saw his eyes glancing down just for a moment to make sure of his footing. At that very moment, I leaped in his direction, arms out and cloak flailing, took hold of his spirit with my curse, and shouted at the top of my lungs.<\/p>\n

He was good. Even startled, he tried to set his foot steady to anchor for a swing with that axe, and skidded his foot across the big stone, coming down to a three-point stance with his axe in front of him. The bottom of the blade sang as he nicked the stone with it, and he was ready to fend me off before I even came to ground.<\/p>\n

And the earth exploded around him.<\/p>\n

It felt like the world had slowed around me \u2013 as I coasted through the air, I saw the earth rise in a wave passing underneath Morgan and toppling her, sliding across to the tall half-orc with a fluidity that held all manner of\u00a0wrongness<\/em> to it. Earth simply wasn\u2019t ever meant to do that.<\/p>\n

From beneath him, the dirt and stones leapt from their resting places, sailing through the air alongside the flailing man \u2013 admirably, he never lost his grip on the axe \u2013 and the sharp gleaming nose that rose up out of the new hole opened with a speed I knew I would rarely witness. The great hide of it still sparkled with embedded gems, and as Ugor reached the apex of his short flight, it snatched him from the air with a spray of blood and shook him like a dog with a bit of rope. It bit down hard again, affixing its grip on him, and his screams echoed off the sides of the buildings around us. He was hacking awkwardly at it over his back with one hand on the axe as it crashed to the ground with a thunderous commotion.<\/p>\n

I came to ground at about the same time the landshark did, and saw an arrow whicker past the bridge of my nose. I ripped my gaze to see Stephan lining up another shot, and slipped through a soft border through the feywild to reappear thirty or forty feet away on the opposite side of the monster, cloaking myself with a borrowed glamour to hide myself from their eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let him escape!\u201d Kurrian shouted as he ran to aid Ugor. Morgan had stood, and was skittering back and forth around the bulette, looking for a chance to strike.<\/p>\n

Stephan had lost sight of me, and instead fired at the raging bulette, a shot which glanced off its armored snout as easily as a sunbeam. My glamour chose that moment to evaporate, and Kurrian saw me immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere he is! Get him!\u201d<\/p>\n

I still had the benefit of my fading step, my image racing to catch up with me and dripping with misty shadow, and to some degree I attribute that to my survival, for both the arrow and the knife that were lobbed in my direction missed. Ducking back, I levied a curse on the great beast just in case, blurred my form with an arcane muttering, and stepped back through a rift in the real to open further distance between myself and my adversaries.<\/p>\n

Kurrian let out a burst of profanity, and Urog screamed again while the creature continued to chew and claw at him. He seemed weaker now, I didn\u2019t imagine he could last much longer.<\/p>\n

I turned to run laterally, and open an unpredictable gap between where I was and where I would be \u2013 under this enchantment they wouldn\u2019t be able to see me if I was further than twenty or thirty feet away, and I didn\u2019t want to let one of them charge and pin me down. I opened up a wide berth between myself and the landshark, and risked a glance up.<\/p>\n

As I suspected, the gurragal were moving in, watching the fight below with great interest. Looking back down I saw the group arrayed around the beast, swiping where they were able. Morgan was closest to me, so I sank my figurative teeth into her soul and opened my mind to find the link to Taer Dian Loresh. I felt the pocket of pre-formed nightmares, and opened a channel between the Fey and the Real practically atop her.<\/p>\n

The sudden blast of frost and debris wracked each of the people in a short distance, and black, shrouded spirit-forms gouted from the rift, sailing about the pocket of weakened reality. They sprang at the mouths, noses and ears of everyone in the area \u2013 though I did place the rift in such a location as to avoid the bulette, and Urog was spared their attention as a result \u2013 leaving red welts and scratches on those people they could reach. They didn\u2019t last long in this world, evaporating at most perhaps twelve or thirteen feet from the gushing opening, but that was still long enough. Morgan took the worst of it, for while the others suffered the blast and the spiritual thrashing, I made special point to wrench a deep, weeping wound in her soul.<\/p>\n

And then I ignited her.<\/p>\n

Though the fire wasn\u2019t severe, the surprise and shock had more than their desired effect. She shrieked like a banshee, beating at her arms and body where the flames licked hungrily at her. Hair singed, and skin blackened in places. Altogether a satisfying maneuver, and to top it all off I laced the flames with tiny seedling rifts to the plains of Stygia \u2013 as soon as the fires were out, the seeds would blossom into a temporary fracture and unleash a blast of Stygian ice before re-sealing itself.<\/p>\n

I moved to take cover behind the only remaining wall of one of the buildings, its remainder fallen into debris some time ago (I couldn\u2019t remember if it was as a result of the previous engagement here). I hoped to be able to take the opportunity to pick off the combatants while they fought it out with the bulette. As the fight wore on I focused my attention on Morgan, correctly assessing her as the only real source of healing reserves for the lot of them. I continued to concentrate on maintaining my open link to the field of nightmares, which harried and tortured them while they fought the enormous landshark. The beast had managed to tear Urog\u2019s armor apart, and he lay motionless beside it in a heap of crooked limbs and blood.<\/p>\n

As I watched, it leaped cleanly over my pocket of shadowy spirits and landed beside Stephan, whom it promptly gave a good biting to. Unlike Urog, it didn\u2019t hold this time, just tore at him for a moment before burrowing directly beneath him like a sand flea in the tide. Those legs must be terribly powerful to loft a creature of that size into the air like that.<\/p>\n

I concentrated to shift the rift to follow Morgan, who was staggering around trying to shake off the tormenting nightmares, when I heard the rubble behind me crumble under footsteps. I wheeled around to find Sheng, the dunkel wizard, pointing a wand at me. \u201cClever devil, your race has always had a knack for stealing the secrets of others, but I didn\u2019t imagine you could blur yourself as true arcanists do,\u201d his wand flashed, and with a sharp pain I felt my feat weaken beneath me. \u201cHe\u2019s over here!\u201d he shouted over my cover.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe deal with many devils, and Belial is, after all, the master of secrets,\u201d I offered.<\/p>\n

His eyes flashed violet for a moment. \u201cFortunately, I just so happen to be able to see truly, and that means I saw your little vanishing act. I can see you plainly.\u201d He grinned as he said this, waving his wand like a conductor wielding his baton.<\/p>\n

I chuckled ruefully. \u201cToo bad he can\u2019t,\u201d I said, just loudly enough for the dunkel to hear me.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you can\u2019t possibly think such a juvenIIIIIEEEEEack!!\u201d Sheng\u2019s retort was cut off as enormous talons wrapped themselves around him, some piercing his clothing or digging into his flesh, and lifted him into the sky. The gurragal that snatched him cried out a victory call as it lifted him high and flung him against the wall of a still-standing cottage with a wet snapping sound. Where he hit, a splattered bloodstain marked the wall.<\/p>\n

I refocused the open rift to cling again to Morgan, cursing my legs for their wobble. Stephan was racing across the street, coming my way fast. I had to move away from here fast, before he\u2019d be able to resolve my form from the background.<\/p>\n

I half-fell on my wobbling legs through another weak spot between the worlds and reappeared practically on top of Sheng where he had raised himself to his hands and knees. I reentered the world just to the other side of him, and almost fell on him. He must have heard me scuffle, as his head whipped around with a grimace. I saw where the stone of the building had gripped the skin of his flesh and torn it away\u2026this is one elf who was never going to be pretty again.<\/p>\n

Assuming he lived long enough to tell. I had other plans regarding that.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive my regards to the Black Queen, webservant.\u201d I whispered this as I let my legs fall forward, spilling me over him. As I tumbled over him, I slid the point ofRiftspar <\/em>into the dunkel\u2019s braided light hair, just above the shoulders, and felt it bite home beneath his skull. Just to be sure, I shoved as much arcane power through the dagger as I could muster. He gave a muted half-grunt, half-scream as his body was physically thrust from me to crack with a solid thump against the wall he\u2019d previously struck. His left leg twitched spasmodically after he fell in a crumpled heap.<\/p>\n

I rolled over, and looked up the street.<\/p>\n

Kurrian and Morgan were staggering out of the fountain of nightmares I was holding open \u2013just in time for the passing shadow of the second gurragal to wing overhead, its claws held forward in almost raptor-style striking. Even feral, gurragal had a sense of terrain and arcane tactics. Its enormous wings spread wider than the street, and the skull patterns in its pinion feathers gave me courage, and a strange sense of pride. As twisted as my people were as a result of our blood ties to the infernals, we lived in greatness \u2013 and would again, in triumph, if I one day had anything to say of it. Morgan was mauled and tossed right back into my fountain of nightmare. I grinned at the thought.<\/p>\n

Focusing the rift to bring Kurrian back into range of the rushing shadow-forms while keeping Morgan in its presence, I looked back towards my former hiding place.<\/p>\n

Just in time to see Stephan let loose with his bow, pointed straight at me.<\/p>\n

He must have seen Sheng die, and realized where I was. I had a moment in which I felt the accumulated weight of my life lift from my shoulders, seeing only the head of that arrow approach me, knowing that without a shaft in sight it was going to simply pierce my eye and exit the back of my head. My role in this middle world would be over.<\/p>\n

In the moment that passed between his releasing the string and the flight of the arrow, I\u00a0pushed<\/em> with my arms, shoving both with my physical strength and with my mind, sending my consciousness down circuitous and unreal paths of logic as was shown me by my Fey mistress a long while back. Phantom red afterimages seeped from my skin, drawing an echo of exertion from my enemy archer, and surrounding me with a skein of force. Even as this transpired, the arrow still made its way past my face, I felt its feathers brush my cheek like the fingers of a lover who wishes not to wake you with her rising. The arrow slid along my body and pierced my right leg, almost vertically from knee to ankle, in the side of my calf as I flew up through the air in my attempt at avoidance.<\/p>\n

The pain was bad, but I\u2019ve had much worse \u2013 the brunt of it was driven away with the leeching effect of the net of force that surrounded me. As far as injuries went, I\u2019d be able to nip off the feathers and draw it through once I had a moment. Still and all, not an experience I\u2019d want to repeat. I muffled a groan and slipped further away through another quick portal, loosing a flurry of ice and frost behind me, just in case Sheng somehow survived my blade scrambling his brains.<\/p>\n

I reentered the Real again and fell once more to my hands and one foot, keeping the injured leg off the ground in a calisthenics move I hadn\u2019t used since the Cairn Jale. Kurrian was struggling through the border of the fog of nightmares I\u2019d woven, and I redoubled my concentration to maintain it, twisting its location minutely to encompass him in its area once again. He screamed in frustration, runnels of blood streaming down his face and hands from the hundreds of little nicks and cuts the passing proto-nightmares inflicted upon him.<\/p>\n

There was no sign of Morgan.<\/p>\n

Stephan had begun moving cautiously towards Sheng again, bow ready and drawn, eyes scanning the street down which I\u2019d moved. He was my true danger, I knew. I couldn\u2019t afford to have him spot me and riddle me with arrows.<\/p>\n

Time to do something about that.<\/p>\n

I took a deep breath, preparing to exert myself fully, and sprang into action. I grabbed hold of his soul with my curse, feeling the teeth of it sink in, and as his vision snapped into my general direction, I slapped his eyes with the oldest secret ever granted by the fey. My eye-bite blinded him to me, sending sparkles of frost across his vision, and shards of true frost sinking deep into his skin. I twisted my grip, ripping shreds of his soul free, listening to his sudden gasp for breath as my attack slid through him. I then ignited the kindling of spirit I\u2019d separated from him, sending a cascade of witch-fire through his soul. The glimmer of white through his squinted eyelids told me the attack had struck home. Where his nose was bleeding from my frosting eye-bite, the red droplets burned like flaming paraffin to the ground.<\/p>\n

I ripped the fabric of reality again, slipping laterally and away from him, so if he\u2019d had some idea of my previous location, he\u2019d be blinded to where I went. I came to rest on one knee almost leaning against a half-wall where once one of our giant adversaries had broken down a house.<\/p>\n

Stephan unleashed an arrow towards where I\u2019d been, confirming that I\u2019d shaken his visual pursuit. As he did so, another shadow passed quickly overhead, and he drew and fired far faster than I\u2019d originally given him credit for being capable of. The arrow hit the gurragal, which let out a shriek of anger.<\/p>\n

A shriek that was answered by its companion, who flew directly over me on an attack run towards Stephan. It caught him from his left side where he\u2019d turned away from me, pulling him off the ground in both claws, and it dropped him from a reasonable height to crash prone upon the ancient ash-colored cobblestones.<\/p>\n

Where he skidded and bounced directly into Kurrian, within the grasp of my swarming horrors.<\/p>\n

Seeing my enemies brought into my power so, I showered Stephan with the icy blades I\u2019d come to enjoy so much, rippling his form and blasting the frozen portions of his skin further, cracking it under the shock of force and sending a mist of blood into the air around him. The froth of terrors around him drank most of it from the air before it could settle, taking on a reddish tint before they faded from view.<\/p>\n

Kurrian, at the center of the hurricane, folded over, either unconscious or dead. I couldn\u2019t tell which, and at this point I really didn\u2019t care. I was almost spent. I had several of my heavier spells still at the ready, but I really didn\u2019t want to expend them if I was going to head into the deeps alone. Instead I took advantage of Stephan\u2019s temporary immobilization to snick another eyebite across him while slipping the eye of my little private storm directly onto him. He finally began to scream before falling motionless, and I let the whipping dream-stuff tear at him for a short while longer after he did.<\/p>\n

Just to be sure.<\/p>\n

As soon as I was certain he was going to remain still, I let the rift seal itself, the pocket of phantoms fading with a sound like a rapidly-receding scream. I kept a very careful eye skyward. Morgan\u2019s inert form was sprawled on the ground some yards beyond Kurrian, I observed as I approached. A short distance past her form was the dead bulette, half-buried beneath the dirt and stone.<\/p>\n

The first gurragal became apparent as I got close to Stephan and Kurrian, it was gorging itself on the remains of Ugor, which had been around a corner and out of my sight. The second I couldn\u2019t find. I checked Stephan\u2019s pulse, which was absent, then Kurrians \u2013 just a thread remained, but enough to work with. I took a long loop of rope from Stephan\u2019s rucksack, and locked my arms under Kurrian\u2019s shoulders to drag him out of the street as fast as I could. Getting him into a pile of rubble, I quickly bandaged his most grievous wounds and divested him of any weapons I could find.<\/p>\n

Once that was accomplished, I trussed him, hands and feet, and tied the bindings together with a noose around his neck.<\/p>\n

As I was tying him, the second gurragal landed in the center of the street, and hopped awkwardly over to Stephan\u2019s corpse. It began ripping and gulping, a practice I had little patience and less stomach to watch.<\/p>\n

I rolled Kurrian over on his side, and completed the rope-harness, giving me a solid, if not easy, dragging rig. Not dissimilar to what one would use to haul a deer carcass while hunting, and I was satisfied with the work.<\/p>\n

Kurrian\u2019s water pouch was still clinging to his side, and I pulled it away. Opening it, I sniffed\u2026and smelled only water. I poured a bit over his face, wiping at him with my other hand as I did. He sputtered back to consciousness quickly, and struggled briefly before seeing me standing there, drawing\u00a0Riftspar <\/em>again from its sheath.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are the others?\u201d He asked.<\/p>\n

I moved aside, so he could see the giant war-vultures feasting. He frowned, but remained silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepends on how you cooperate with my questions. Answer me honestly, I might let you live. Lie, or fail to answer, and I drag you out in the street and leave you. I don\u2019t know about these ones for sure, but I know their ancestors could put away five humanoids between a pair of them, easy. Might not be able to fly so well afterwards, but oh yeah, they could eat.\u201d I offered him the tip of his water skin, and he drank from it rapidly.<\/p>\n

I set the skin aside. \u201cWho sent you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m dead if I tell you, you have to know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked meaningfully over my shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re dead sooner if you don\u2019t, and you seem the resourceful type. Might be able to avoid being found for quite some time. Might even live long enough to escape notice and get away clean. Dunno.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I tell you, I\u2019m more than dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re more than dead regardless. I know you, I know our kind. You\u2019re going to visit the Hells whether you like it or not, whether it\u2019s sooner or later. Question is, do you want a chance at redemption ahead of time, or would you rather just be done with it and go now?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked out at the giant vulture, which was gulping down one of Stephan\u2019s legs. I think the left one.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis name is Sariel. He sent us on behalf of the Horn Prince.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it his cat I saw?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was Nuim, an imp that Sariel keeps. He set it here to watch for you in case you returned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up at me, gauging my expression. \u201cHe sent us. He figured we would be enough to deal with you. I don\u2019t think any of us expected you alone would take us all down.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. \u201cI didn\u2019t. I had help.\u201d I hooked my thumb over my shoulder. \u201cSo what are you going to do now? You\u2019re seeming awfully happy to chat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t that my line? And yes, so long as you\u2019re granting me my life, I am grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose. What\u2019s your plan if I free you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have one. I\u2019ll get away. Somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far away is Sariel now? Where were you when you were sent after me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Horn Prince and his army are still in the jungles, seeking something. They haven\u2019t found it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKnow what it is? How close they are?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo and no, though they seemed like they might be getting close enough to be anticipating and end to the search.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. I\u2019ll make you a deal here, Kurrian. I\u2019m going to take all but one blade from you. The one blade, I\u2019m going to stick in the stones over here behind you. I figure it\u2019ll take you a good ten minutes to cut yourself free. I\u2019m then going to go around and get what I can off that landshark and if I can reach them, off your companions. I expect you to get yourself loose and get yourself gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded slowly as I said this.<\/p>\n

I did as I promised him \u2013 took his weapons, then loosened the connecting rope between his neck, hands, and feet, leaving the bindings on his limbs tight. In particular, I took his map. The Morvreyans might be right bastards, but they sure know how to draw. I left one blade, a sharp dagger, I wedged into a small pile of rubble behind him. He watched me very closely while I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you doing this?\u201d He finally asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, letting you live?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re only doing a job, albeit one I don\u2019t like. You didn\u2019t know what you were in for. I think everyone deserves to get at least one chance to make a different choice of direction. Besides, I would hope someone one day would do the same for me.\u201d I coiled the remaining rope as I was talking, then looked at it and tossed it next to the dagger. \u201cI think in a different lifetime, we might have been friends. Maybe once you\u2019ve gotten yourself clear of pursuit, that chance remains. I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know I won\u2019t just come following you and kill you then?\u201d<\/p>\n

I straightened up. \u201cAre you saying you will?\u201d<\/p>\n

He responded quickly. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe a little too quickly. But still, I wasn\u2019t about to go back on my word.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing, Kurrian \u2013 Sariel is working for the one who betrayed us. Betrayed us all. If you care at all about our people, remember that. Sariel is infernal, he likely goes way back, and may be one of the ones who brought us low. And they\u2019re still doing it.\u201d Whether he\u2019d understand what I was talking about, I couldn\u2019t say. Just that he had the chance to know was all that mattered.<\/p>\n

I circled around the area, giving the gurragal a wide berth, and moved to Sheng\u2019s body. Rifling through his pouches and pack, I took what I could that might prove useful, including an enchanted haversack. This would come in verrrry handy indeed. Damned wizards always had it easy. I dragged the body out into the middle of the cobbled street, and waved my arms over my head and clucked loudly a few times to make sure a vulture saw me and saw the body.<\/p>\n

Watching to make sure I didn\u2019t end up as its next meal, I crept around to the fallen landshark, and spent ten or fifteen minutes prying precious stones from its armored hide, and took stock of the battlefield.<\/p>\n

One gurragal had flown, the other was still working over what I assumed was Morgan. I kept an eye on the sky and the remaining bird while going through Urog\u2019s remains \u2013 what little there were. When I was done I circled the great bird and returned to where I\u2019d left Kurrian. He was gone, as I expected, as was the blade and rope.<\/p>\n

I waited a little while, and circled to the opposite side of the vulture from Sheng\u2019s corpse. Once the great bird started picking more carefully \u2013 indicating it had gone through the easy bits \u2013 I shouted and waved my hands a few times, blasting at the ground next to it with small bursts from my rod. Complaining loudly, the beast did as I expected, and hopped down the street to the dunkel\u2019s body. An easy meal is always a good draw.<\/p>\n

I could see it had been injured in the fight, as there were wounds on its side facing me, but there really wasn\u2019t much I could do about that. I wanted badly to try to cow it, perhaps even catch and break it, but I had no time for that \u2013 neither could I keep it while I descended into the tunnels below. So I left it alone, and scrounged what I could from the gear and scraps left where Stephan and Morgan had fallen. Once I had taken what gear and supplies I could, I moved back into the ruins and found a sheltered spot to rest in for a little while.<\/p>\n

It was time to check out this Morvreyan map, and see just how detailed it was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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