Forgotten Realms:

Angels and Demons

Part XXXVI

Strider's heart leapt for joy as the Challengers returned to the little town. Then it sank as he saw the limp form of their druid. The skeletons had lost their purpose and had begun to wander since they left. Thanks to that, the rangers, the remaining guards and some brave townspeople had destroyed them. That left the way clear for the Challengers, and from the look of the druid, it was fortuitous.

The rangers also caught the sight of the young child, hanging off the back of the Drow sorceress. The poor little one was resting, though little eyes were wide open. Success on stopping the evil ones and rescuing an innocent. These adventurers were every bit as mighty as gossip painted them.

Word spread amongst the remaining townspeople, and soon the returning heroes were enveloped. Joy and Hope returned to the town, and the inhabitants let out their repressed feelings. Insane happiness flowed and could only be burned off, there was no controlling it. After so much horror and death, the possibility of rebuilding and rebirth, lent them this manic energy.

Strider meanwhile went over and helped the monk carry their fallen member over to the now cleansed inn. Laying the druid on the table, he examined her as the monk explained how she had been poisoned. He had come across many plants that were natural remedies to poisons, and he still had very few left. Taking some roots out of his pack, he had the druid chew on them.

He smiled as she grimaced at the bitter taste of the roots. That taste wouldn't leave her taste for months, but at least it would help neutralize the poison. A little of her color returned, but the poison was still doing its worst to her. The ranger had to admit that he hadn't seen anything like that in the natural world.

"You've done this town a service they'll never be able to repay," Strider said. "I'll guide you back."

"Will they be safe?" Kirann asked.

"Thanks to you all," the ranger answered, "I'd say that they'll be safer than they have been in a long time. If we leave soon, we should be able to get on your way before dark."

Despite the protests of the townspeople, the Challengers did leave out soon afterwards. Leilani and Val took point as Strider the Ranger led them away. Kirann and Walton carried Lorinda on a crude litter, while Raven played for them as they did. It was the most somber musical trek through the fields.

To the druid being carried, pain wracked her body. The heals from Kirann and Walton helped, but she felt something very wrong. Still, as she watched, life returned to the ground around her. Once drained lands were slowing refilling with color, and that brought her a certain peace she could not deny. It helped a little with the pain, just knowing that she had done her duty.

They found their cart and grazing horses where they had been left. The group gingerly loaded Lorinda into the back, making sure she was comfortable and warm. Raven and Val readied their team, hitching them to the wagon. Once all the work was done, they were ready to go, and it was time to say goodbye to their new friend.

"Strider, my thanks in your aid," Kirann said.

The ranger put a hand to his chest, "If you are ever back in this area, know you are a friend to us."

Raven spoke next, "What will you all do now? To lose so many."

"You'd be surprised at the grit of the townspeople," he replied. "They'll rebuild, they'll go on. As for us rangers, we'll send someone back to the lodge now, and see if anyone else survived. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised. No matter what, we have a duty to protect the land and the people."

"Then I wish you much success in that endeavor," Kirann said. "If you ever need aid again, we came from Altamar on the coast."

Strider smiled, "A more motley and goodly crew I could not ask for. Safe travels my friends."

"Good journeys," Kirann replied.

He then climbed up into the driver's seat of the cart and moved his team forward. The ranger disappeared as he drove the team away. They weren't heading back to Altamar, though one of the priests there might be able to help. Instead they were heading to the druid circle at Monk's Garden, outside of Tyranfal. He hoped they reached there in time to heal Lorinda.

Later that night, in the newly liberated town, Strider sat under the stars. Peace had been restored, and inn was hosting a party. A rather small one, with the limited numbers and resources available. Tomorrow would be rebuilding, tonight was for celebrating. His mind though was on the adventurers, and where their path would lead them. He also missed old comrades, mourning their loss.

A bright light erupted from the towns edge, and he grabbed his weapons feeling very weary. Moments later he nearly dropped his bow, as he saw what made the illumination. Shaped like a man, but with luminous odd shaped wings; the illuminated figure was so bright as a midday sun. Unable to see the man's features, something about his form was familiar. Strider just couldn't place it.

However, none of that mattered as a new figure walked from around the luminous being. The ranger ran forward and embraced his thought lost brother in arms. The bigger man returned it, and had a huge smile plastered on his face. Strider had to pull the man back, just to doublecheck.

"How?" was the only word Strider could ask.

Bear smiled and pointed to the luminous man, "I went looking for the boys and was knocked the ground. Hours later I wake to see this spirit, and he led me to some others. Mostly townies, but a few of our fellow rangers."

Strider smiled brightly, "This is a miracle."

"You have no idea!" the big ranger reached up to his shoulder, where a familiar sight was back. "Fennis is back!"

Strider wasn't sure he could feel anymore amazed, but apparently he could. He did recognize the animal on Bear's shoulder. It was the little fox his big friend had nursed back to health, and was his companion. Strider had seen the poor thing dead, had seen it send this big gentle man into a ferocious rage.

He turned to the brightly glowing man, "How?"

Though he couldn't see the figure's head turn, he somehow knew it had. So bright as to be blinding even during the day, the light pouring of the figure was like looking into a blazing sun. What shook the ranger to his core was the being's voice. Almost like two voices speaking at once, and rumbling with echoes, this voice wasn't that of something of this plane.

"Make right what once went wrong," the being said, before disappearing in a blast of light.

The ranger felt a wide many of things at once. However, his mind reminded him that there was something familiar about the being. Something about how the figure stood, carried himself, reminded Strider of someone else. Even the voice sounded like someone he had met, he just couldn't place whom it was. The one thing he could say, was that the figure didn't come off as an evil presence. Not that it stopped him from being terrified by the glowing man.

"Let's get you all back to everyone else," Strider said, purely exhausted by the events of the day.

That night a little more hope came back to that small town. Along with Bear, others were led back. Some families were reunited, others found comfort in the arms of their neighbors. In the days ahead they would indeed rebuild, and thanks to the example set by the adventurers, renamed. At first, they called it Heroes' Respite, but it just got shortened to Respite.

While the villagers were celebrating, Kirann watched over his poisoned friend. Her body was fighting the poison, nearly burning up with fever as it did so. He applied a wet cloth to her brow. Hours later it would be Val and Leilani taking turns, with Walton pulling the shift before sunrise. Throughout the whole night, Lorinda would speak through her fevered dreams. None of what she said made sense, or was intelligible as speech.

The following day Kirann pushed the horses as far as he dared, knowing full well that too much would kill them. Besides being contrary to his nature, Lorinda valued life in nature. She wouldn't want any living being harmed for no reason, or where it could be helped. So, he rested the horses every so often. While he did, he went back to check on the druid.

Raven was tending to her, but she looked even more worried than Kirann. At least this time Lorinda was awake and alert. She spoke, albeit with minor difficulty to them all. The others kept her company, and tried to keep her spirits up.

The monk checked on the horses. They were grazing and seemed to have caught a bit of agitation from the party. Horses being herd animals, this wasn't too unusual. To calm them, Kirann reached out with his ki. The horses responded back, nuzzling his hair and making him break his connection. Laughing, he pushed their heads away, but they came back. He wasn't able to read them like Lorinda, but he could read their chi.

"Don't worry, we'll get moving again soon," he found himself saying to the two animals. "You two rest up, so we can get their quickly."

Both horses whinnied, before going back to grazing. They were almost ready. It made him feel good to know that they were concerned for his friend. Maybe it was because she was a druid, but he liked to think the horses had grown attached to his little group. He rubbed their heads and necks, showing his affection. Soon the horses were showing their readiness to continue, and the group was on the trail again.

Eventually the group made it to the outskirts of Tyranfal. Kirann turned the cart northward, heading to the monastery and the path he knew to the druid circle. Curious eyes followed them, most unused to having traffic come, outside of normal caravan times. The same curiosity led to waiting sentinels up the road.

"Halt, what is your business here?" asked a rugged looking man, who stood barefoot on the trail.

"I am Kirann, and I have one of your circle here in need of aid. She was poisoned," the monk explained.

The man looked into the cart, "You have devils and Drow!"

Quick as a cat Kirann was down and right in the man's face, "Listen now. One of your fellow druids is fighting for her life. She fought one of your kind that perverted Nature. These two are our friends. Now, are you going to lead us in, or do I add you to the back with her?"

Raven stifled a laugh at the uncharacteristic gruffness in the monk's voice. There must have been something in his words, or maybe in the steely stare, because the druid backed down. The man went back to the front and led the cart into the Circle. This of course didn't happen without the customary glare, as a way for the druid to reclaim just a tad of his ego.

Kirann paid no heed to this. Instead healers were called and he helped Walton carry Lorinda into the nearby hall. When he was first here, he had marveled at how the hall had been crafted. As if sculpted from the ground, there was no dead wood in its construction. Living trees made the beams and supports, while mud and living grasses made the insulation and walls. Stone was intermixed between, strengthening and giving the hall form. It also formed the seats and tables the druids used for a variety of reasons.

The druids had them put Lorinda onto one of these stone tables. Beneath her they put a blanket, and they covered her with another. She still had a fever, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before. A healer came, looked over the fallen druid and her face turned sour. Kirann went to speak, but the healer held up a hand.

That healer left, coming back very quickly with the archdruid. Both looked Lorinda over, before coming to talk with the remaining Challengers. There was no deception in the archdruid's eyes as he began to speak to the gathered heroes. There was a warmth in them, reflecting the positive aspects of Nature.

"She is very sick," the archdruid explained. "I have seen this before, but it has been many years. Normally it kills withing the first few days after infection. However, she is strong and you have taken great care of her."

Kirann explained, "An evil druid, an antidruid, poisoned her during a fight."

"That would explain it," the archdruid continued. "In the past we ran into several of our misguided brothers and sisters, who went down dark paths. They perverted gifts to make horrible diseases, poisons and venoms. I believe this particular variety is called Shar's Ichor."

"Can you heal her?" Raven asked, a dark feeling rising up to quash the hopeful feeling, that getting Lorinda back here had given.

The archdruid nodded, "It will be a long, arduous process. It may take many weeks, or longer. She could also be permanently disabled by this, only time will tell." Noticing Raven's shoulders slump, the archdruid tried again. "None of this is certain. Knowing her, she'll be back up and terrorizing the Circle again in no time."

Before Raven could ask, Kirann explained, "Lorinda gets a little stir crazy when she feels cooped up. That is why she kept running off after her lessons to the monastery. It was how we first met."

The archdruid smiled, "Yes, young Kirann, you two became fast friends. Not that I disapproved, your self-discipline wore off on her."

"She is a good friend, always willing to go exploring with me," Kirann said. "We both watched out for each other."

"Now you have more friends, diverse as they are," the archdruid looked over them, stopping on Leilani and Raven.

Kirann nodded, "All good friends, and ones that I'm grateful to have. I will never leave any of them alone, if I can help it."

The Challengers were taken to another hall, where they were given rest if they wanted it. At first all but Kirann were unsure of what to do, or how things worked around the Circle. He quickly showed them where things were kept, and that the mushroom beds were quite comfy. Once that was taken care of, they took turns checking on Lorinda in pairs.

By the next day she had stabilized, and healers had advised the poison had been neutralized. However, they advised that she had a long road of recovery. The poison had done considerable damage, but they felt better that she would make a full, or near full recovery. It would take time, more time than they felt comfortable predicting.

Kirann and Raven watched over her as the healers left, the other druids helping them out. They had used a lot of energy, wearing themselves out, to cure this poison. More would be by later to check on her later, but at that time it was just the monk and the bard. Both talked quietly to her, telling just daily things that happened in the circle.

Lorinda spoke, interrupting them, "How bad is it?"

"They cured the poison," Raven said. "You need to recover now."

Kirann nodded, "They aren't sure how long that would take."

"I see," Lorinda smiled. "You need to get back on the road."

Kirann shook his head, "We can wait a while…"

The druid laughed, "No, you are needed out there. How many towns and people have been destroyed waiting for you to come into being? While you wait, how much more will Evil take from good people? No, I wish I could be out there with you, but you are needed."

"I am needed here too," he said.

"We are here for you," Raven said.

Lorinda nodded, "I know. I was so wrong about you, Raven. Your adventure is just starting, and he needs you too. The world needs both of you. I have my Circle, and don't you doubt I'll be joining you when I can. Till then, go out there and change the world. You've changed mine so much."

"One condition," Kirann said. "You fight with all your might to get better."

"Don't you worry," she said. "I'll have to, just to keep you from letting that big heart of yours get you killed!" Then thinking better of that, "I know I joke about it, but you let that heart guide you. It is truly what makes you special, not your heritage, not your monk abilities. Your heart is what makes these wondrous changes possible."

Kirann smiled, "I won't forget. Now, rest up."

She did, as Raven brought her arm around the monk. She squeezed him, letting him know he wasn't alone. They watched over Lorinda a bit more, before Val and Walton took over. They went back to their shared quarters, letting the day seep out of them. Unfortunately, their peace was interrupted by a knock on the door frame. One of the student druids stood there waiting on them.

"Monk Kirann," the young man said. "Your monastery requests your presence, at your convenience."