Section Two: Preparations and Beginning
"So, traveling by horse is an almost definite no-go." Fox said, looking at the maps spread out across the table in the meeting room. In addition to the maps brought out of their rack, the map on the wall had been oriented and had highlighted all possible paths.
"That's the way I see it." Said Peppy. "And judging by the fact that our guests themselves employed lanterns to get here, and it still took three weeks…"
"Even if we all used aerial mounts, the travel time would be extensive." Said Bill. "By horse, it'll take over a year to get to Morningstar, flying… half as much if our mounts make it…"
"So the Lanterns may be our only course of action then, since time seems to be of the essence." Said Katt, sipping a mug of tea.
"Time is very much of the essence." Said Elgar. "Even the three weeks using the Lanterns is risky…"
"Rita?" Fox said, looking up from the maps. "Could you open a gate there?"
"No, sorry." She held up her hands. "It's far, far out of my range. Even out of the range of our friend Elgar, I imagine."
"This is true." The mage admitted. "Since I am a Nomenclature adept, my gate spells are minor."
"Great." Falco sighed.
"Explain something to me, since I have never used a Lantern gate." Said Alan. "If you can employ a lantern to hop you from one country to the next, why did it still take you three weeks? Seems to me that it would take more like hours."
"That's because many lanterns only have set areas they can teleport in, and there are some borders that, well…" Elgar grimaced.
"For starters, the Morningstar council is a bit… close minded. No Lantern can get within three days of the school. Next, while a Lantern could get from this country to the neighboring country, the border after that is a cut border. We have to travel a great deal and do some minor cross-country hops, then we'll face another cut border." Said Elijah.
"Since the Lanterns aren't accepted as standard in some areas, they're not allowed to jump across borders by regulations." Said Cade. "And no Lantern will break regulations, they're not that stupid."
"Good then, we can teleport across the Albrecht's kingdom." Said Fara. "And I don't think we mind a little traveling. Three weeks is a very minor time to us, am I right?" She looked around, and got affirmatives back.
"I imagine what also added to the travel time was the fact that you had to avoid raider country." Slippy interjected. Now out of his mage robes, the gadget master wore breeches, a tunic, and a leather vest, as well as one of his firearms in a leather holster. He had promised a demonstration later, per Bill's request. "With us along, you no longer have to avoid it."
"That is true. Few raiders can match us." Said Julian. "So we'll be able to take a straight path."
"So it's settled then?" Fox asked. "We'll be using the Lanterns to travel?"
Everyone agreed with the plan, because it seemed about the only viable one. With Morningstar under attack by some unknown force, they weren't sure how much damage was being inflicted over time, so the best course of action was to arrive there as soon as possible.
"Which raises another problem." Said Fara. "Lanterns charge a hefty price, and we are hardly one person. We are thirteen people, and all of us have our prospective mounts. I imagine just one hop will cost a small fortune, but multiple ones?" She spread her hands helplessly.
"Elgar, what's the going rate on a person mounted to be moved?" Peppy asked.
"Seventy-five gold."
"Ouch." Said Falco, mind going to work. "Nine-hundred and seventy-five gold for one—ONE—teleport round. How many times did you have to teleport?"
The three mages exchanged glances.
"Ten to twelve, easily." Said Cade.
"Which means, if the rate is flat… 9,750 to 11,700 gold, just for Lantern fees, and that's if nothing is lost in the process." Falco flopped back in his chair.
There was a long silence.
"So, fearless leader, just how rich are you pray tell?" Alan asked with somewhat poor humor.
"Not that rich." Fox admitted. "Not nearly that rich."
"And I can't go to my father and ask for a huge amount of gold." Said Fara. "This could be a problem…"
"No, I think you can relax a bit." Elgar frowned. "If you can manage perhaps half of that, I am more then willing to make up the other half."
There was an even longer silence.
"I think that could be managed." Peppy said.
"We shouldn't have too much problem with that." Fox agreed. "Peppy, later today could you go into town and discuss matters with the local Lanterns? Bill, could you accompany him, since you are familiar with them?" The pair nodded. "Thank you. I suppose this brings us to supplies and thus forth…"
"Rather amazing isn't it?"
Elgar started, looking over his shoulder, blinking as Alan joined him. "What do you mean?"
"Them." Alan nodded back over his shoulder, leaning on the wooden railing beside the mage.
"I see you don't include yourself." Elgar noted.
"Oh, but I am not human, kind sir." He grinned. "No one who stays at the Blood Bayou for any amount of time stays human. Besides, we all know I am different. What I was referring to was the group's ability to organize."
"Yes, I will agree that it's rather stunning, after watching all of the humor and thus forth. Really I was starting to wonder about the wisdom of coming here, but I must say I am quite, quite impressed."
"I'm glad." He moved so he sat on the railing, swinging a foot. "Peppy and Bill have left, as have Falco, Katt, and Fara, to arrange supplies. Everyone else is pulling their part as well, I do believe that Fox is currently requesting some divine council."
"And yet you do nothing."
He smiled and spread his hands. "I do nothing because I need not do anything. I provide information when necessary and thus I am more useful here then anywhere else."
"Did you say that McCloud is requesting divine council?"
"Well, yes. You do know that Fox is a direct servant of Heironeous, correct?"
"So the spreading legends say." Elgar rubbed his chin. "He is only the second Hallowed that I have met in my lifetime."
"They're not all that common. Of course one need not be a Hallowed to speak to gods. Gods speak to me all the time."
This earned him a strange look. "I am not sure whether or not to believe that, sir Bard."
Alan laughed out loud and flipped back so he stood beside Elgar, turning to leave the balcony even as he landed. "Believe what you want, Elgar. Not even I can stop you from doing that."
"The Lanterns are willing to transport all of us." Bill reported. "Money up-front, of course, and the first jump will take us to the capital of the Albrecht's kingdom."
"Tomorrow at midday is when we need to be at their depot." Said Peppy. "We're fully stocked, so traveling should not be any more of a problem then it has been in the past."
"Heironeous chose not to comment on this quest, or at least for the time being." Fox said, pressing his fingertips together.
"As did Obad-Hai, though he did give us his blessing." Said Rita.
"We leave tomorrow morning, then?" Cade asked.
"Yes indeed. I'm sorry, Jordan, but you can't come along on this one." Fox looked toward the window.
"Oh, that is quite all right, I expected as such. Keep me in mind if you need some help from someone large, though."
"Of course…" He trailed off, then sprang to his feet and leaned out the window after Jordan moved, ears perked forward.
"What is it?" Elgar asked, newly bewildered.
Then the others heard the howls.
"Something has stirred up the local wolves." Fox said, turning to face his friends. "They seem quite agitated…"
"How much so?" Falco asked.
Fox held up a hand, and the sound of thundering hooves reached them as the entire group of horses came into the clearing below the house, Fox's unicorn constantly circling the group, pawing the ground. Fara's hippogriff landed moments later, also prowling.
The group went to the windows, leaning out. It was just before nightfall now, and the wind was suddenly chill. Jordan disappeared, flowing into the forest to lie in wait.
"Evil is starting to fill the air." Said Rita, eyes half closed. "What would dare attack this house, I don't know."
Fox left the room, collecting his weapons then leaping off one of the bridges and swinging from branch to branch, finally landing on the ground beside his unicorn. Mage lights suddenly lit the clearing with an almost harsh glow, and he swung his bow around to a ready position, eyes narrowed.
"Shouldn't we help him?" Elijah asked, building spells.
"No. This is his forest." Said Fara. "And this clearing has been warded. If something is forcing its way through, he'll want to take care of it himself, the better to warn other dangers away."
"All the same we should make ready." Said Julian, standing and leaving the room, the others following to collect their weaponry, fanning out on the bridges and balconies to watch what was going on.
The howls cut the air again, and this time Fox knew they were close, the point reinforced when his mage lights started reflecting in multiple eyes. The pack, which was large, had surrounded the clearing.
"I know you can understand me." Fox said heavily in beast tongue. "Leave this area immediately. This is my territory. Do you understand?"
"Such a typical human." Sang a beautiful voice in Sylvian. "This land is owned by the forest, not by you."
He oriented on it and aimed an arrow. "Show yourself. Now."
"If you insist, human man…" The voice changed, almost seductive, and a slender figure emerged from the trees, a pair of wolves in attendance. She wasn't an elf, but was clearly of faerie descent, much like a dryad in appearance. Her skin and fur were dark, hair long and golden. She wore little, only a loincloth made from rough cloth, and her arms were currently crossed over her bare chest.
"Dananshee." Fox said in a flat voice. "What do you want with my land? I have lived here for a time, and lived near here for years before that, and never did I disturb any of your race, let alone the wolves. The local packs and I actually get along quite well. So why stalk our steeds?"
"You dabble in things that should be left alone, human man." She replied, gracefully walking forward so she was only a few feet away from the arrow, lifting an eyebrow almost lazily when he drew the string back farther. "Do you really think you could fire that?"
"I know I could, for I know that your kind carries evil in them. Leave my land, Dananshee. I will keep your warning in mind. And be aware that I have a friend nearby who with a single swipe could kill your entire pack and you as well."
"I know of your pet wrack dragon, he is of no concern to me." She shrugged, lifting an arm to brush a strand of hair back deliberately, almost surprised when Fox did not react. She quickly regained herself though, turning and walking away, the two wolves still escorting her.
"Leave my land!" Fox shouted in beast speech. "NOW!"
The wolves turned and bounded away, clearly moving to converge with their faerie leader. After a long moment, an achingly beautiful song reached the group, but before any of them could move to follow it, Alan sang to drown it out.
Fox sighed, lowering his bow and rubbing his eyes. They had not even left yet, and already there were parties trying to stop them. This did not bode well.
"I believe the term for this would be 'Bad Karma.'" Remarked Peppy dryly. "I did not understand all of what was said, but I believe that young lady just warned us off our looming quest."
Fox leapt in the air, the mages stunned when he somehow made it up the four stories in a single bound, grabbing a branch and swinging back onto one of the bridges. He didn't offer an explanation on how he did such. "Yes, and that 'young lady' was actually a Dananshee, basically, an evil dryad. Nature is neutral but can tend toward good or evil. Dananshees tend toward evil." He stared off in the direction that the pack had left in. "And all of you should hope she has truly left. Fara, I think we should put up a shield for tonight."
"All right." Fara left for the casting room.
"Slippy, Rita? Would you assist us please?"
The four doing the spell left, and the mages drifted after them, amazed at how these people worked together on spells. They felt the spell being cast, and looking out they could see the faint bubble of light around the house. Jordan materialized just inside the border, grumbling, poking the magical field with a splintery claw, making faint ripples of light go through the air.
"It may be best to leave a shield against evil up for the time we are gone." Fara remarked. "I do not wish to come back to a ruined house." Hearing the ceiling creak, she sighed. "I have no doubt you can defend yourself, but taking precautions may be best." She told the ceiling, and the creaking ceased.
"We should get some rest." Fox announced. "We leave shortly after sunrise."
The others agreed to this, and split up to go to their respective rooms.
Morning dawned cool and clear, beams of sunlight lazily trailing across the ground, dabbling through the leaves.
Fox sighed, looking up at the sky, and went through his usual morning routine, his prayers to his god and respectful pleas to others—to Ehlonna and Obad-Hai, asking them to watch his land while he was gone and asking them to watch over his party while they traveled; to Fharlanghn, asking for a safe journey; and lastly to Pelor, to watch over himself and his friends. Only then did he leave the balcony, going back into his bedroom.
Fara was already fully dressed and ready to leave, running a whetstone over the blade of her rapier. She looked up and smiled when she saw him. "It's been a while since I saw you in chain mail."
During the last quest, Fox's armor had been ruined, and afterward he had decided to simply go with Elven chain, specially made for him, usually wearing it with his normal clothing. Compared to others in his party, it was very light armor, but he simply shrugged when they remarked on this.
"True I suppose, but what reason do I have to wear it day to day?" He wanted to know, kissing her on the forehead and shrugging his quiver on absently, then his bow. "Are the others up?"
"I heard Alan playing, so I would assume so." She tapped the mirror on the wall, and a diagram of the house came up, different color dots appearing to represent the different party members. "It would seem that everyone is congregating in the dining room."
"You know, I love the meeting room, but half the time it seems unnecessary." He laughed, leaving the bedroom as she did. "But then, it would be time for morning meal…"
The group looked up when the entered. Falco and Katt weren't there yet, but it was generally known that Falco was one of the last up, and even as Fox and Fara sat down the pair straggled in, Falco combing his fingers through his feathers to put them in order.
The house had already arranged a hearty breakfast for the group, and the party dug in.
"To the capital, then across the Albrecht's kingdom, correct?" Said Slippy, tinkering with one of his guns in between bites. This particular gun seemed to have two barrels, mounted one above the other, and a metal-reinforced wooden stock.
"Not inside this house, Slippy. If you put a hole in one of these walls, I will take it out of your hide." Fox smiled sourly.
"Right, right." Slippy returned the gun to the holster on his back.
"And that is the plan for today." Fara said. "Which is more then fine with me…"
"I take it this group has some past history with the Albrechts?" Elgar asked. "I have heard a bit about a joust, but…"
"Prince Titus Albrecht is a follower of Hextor." Fox said flatly. "He has supposedly redeemed himself and follows Pelor again, but I doubt that to be true. Either way, he and I have a bad past history. He's tried to kill me more then once, though not since the wedding. His parents are kind, but I honestly wonder how long it will be until we hear that Titus has usurped the throne."
Elgar raised an eyebrow. "Well, my goodness then."
"Exactly why we are glad to be able to teleport across said kingdom." Said Falco. "I'm not very fond of him either, none of us are. And Jordan has repeatedly threatened to eat him."
Outside the window, Jordan snickered, sending clouds of smoke into the air. The mages weren't sure if they were kidding or not.
"I meant to ask, will the Guild keep itself going for the time you are gone?" Fox asked, looking at Falco.
"I've got a veteran thief keeping an eye on it for me. I trust him, and he knows I've got friends in high places, so he won't betray me."
"That's one less thing to go wrong while we are gone, then."
"I have no doubt that havoc will be raised, but I'm sure it will be manageable havoc." Falco smiled.
Fox rolled his eyes.
Fara swung onto the back of her hippogriff, bareback as always. She had an aerial saddle, but never bothered. She was comfortable without it, and so was her hippogriff. She twisted, watching the others mount up, smiling as Fox trotted up on his unicorn.
"What are you looking at so intently?" He wanted to know as his unicorn came to a halt beside her.
"One of Heironeous' angels, descended to Earth to keep watch." She grinned.
"That's blasphemy." He grinned back, looking over his shoulder, watching as his party fell in behind him, the mages uneasily also falling into formation. Taking that as a signal, Fox turned his eyes forward, and his steed sprang into motion.
As the group reached the road, a bursts of crackles, branches breaking, reached them. Turning his head, Fox saw Jordan rear up in a shower of twigs, wings spread, and let out a roar as a goodbye, like a colossal wind rattling huge trees. Falco threw back his head and answered it, a brassy, ringing roar breaking free from his throat. Laughter broke out among the others when the mages and their mounts spooked, all looking at Falco as if he was an unholy incarnation.
"You've been told I'm dragonkin." Falco said, exasperated. "What did you think it entailed? And yes, I have learned Draconic. It's not the easiest language in the world to speak, but it's come in handy more then once."
"I think, Sir McCloud, that we have much to learn." Elijah called forward.
"It does not matter how much you know, there is always much to learn." Fox replied over his shoulder as the group proceeded down the road.
Alan toasted everyone with his flask. "Hear, hear, fearless leader!"
"How old are you, good Bard?" Elgar asked, moving his horse to pace Alan's. Alan's stallion, having lived its life in the Blood Bayou, seemed rather odd somehow, but Elgar couldn't put his finger on it—at least until the stallion looked at him and grinned, showing a full compliment of sharp teeth. Elgar moved his horse a bit farther away.
"I don't even know anymore." Alan replied cheerfully, shifting Kaji from his lap to one of his shoulders. "Does it matter?"
"I have heard that those at the Blood Bayou live short lives."
"Not all of us, good Mage. The Jack has been around since before the Titan's War, the same for my Lady the Demoiselle. The gods only know about the others in command. Short lives, long lives, who's to know? I cannot say how old I am; much less tell by what I remember, for I have trouble remembering yesterday!"
Bill muffled laughter at this cheerful statement, accepting the flask when Alan offered it to him.
Travel progressed uneventfully, those working in the fields ceasing their labors and running toward the road, shouting and waving. Those in the party acknowledged, obviously used to such. Fox, however, did little but nod or partly bow from his saddle to those calling to him.
As they got closer to the city, they passed the field that was being used for training grounds for the City militia, and Slippy pulled his gelding to a halt.
"Fox, wait up a moment." Slippy called forward, and was rewarded when Fox stopped his steed and turned to look at him. "I know we have to be at the capital soon, but I told Bill I'd give him a demonstration."
"By all means." Fox replied, and let Slippy lead the group.
Head Guard Jozan of the King's Own had some new recruits doing target practice in a field with bows and crossbows. He called a cease-fire when he saw Slippy trotting up. The two engaged in conversation for a moment, but it had resolved when the others arrived, shifting their horses to places they could best see. The trainees had also left their labors, curious of the going-ons.
"He's willing to sacrifice a target for my usage." Slippy cheerfully said, dismounting and tossing his reins to Fox then flashing his hands in arcane signals. In response, a shield appeared behind said target, and Slippy positioned himself about fifteen feet away, loading the two-barreled of his three firearms. "Something I quickly decided on was that the lead pellets used by most firearms aren't all that effective. Metal balls, now..." He smiled grimly, holding up what seemed to be a small metal tube, sealed at both ends. "This is filled with small metal berrings. This firearm is only meant for close combat, but I'd be on the right side of it when it goes off. Cover your ears, the lot of you." And with that, he finished loading the firearm, braced the stock against one shoulder, and pulled the trigger.
The small explosion that happened milliseconds afterward could be heard for miles, followed closely by the sound of a straw target being ripped to shreds, the metal balls coming to a stop at the magic shield Slippy had cast.
"Oh my god." Jozan said, making a religious symbol. Several others followed.
"Not hardly." Slippy smiled. "Merely science. I also have a large single-barrel firearm meant for distance, and I daresay that thanks to an enchanted lens, I could accurately hit targets from 1000 yards."
Fox raised his eyebrows. "That might be useful."
"Yes, even more so because few armor types can stand up to this kind of weapon, even plate." He holstered the gun. "The problem is that these weapons are… touchy. I have lost track of how many attempts it took to get this design right, of how many times I had them blow up, nearly taking out one of my eyes or my fingers. There is much to be said for magic shields." He sighed and shook his head, pulling out the smallest of the three guns. "Three-shot handgun, about the most temperamental of the trio, and also the weakest…" He lifted it and fired, the three bullets making a flawless triangle pattern on what was left of the straw target. "But the rounds have enough force to go through some plate armor."
"No powder horn?" Asked one of the guards once he had lowered his hands from his ears.
"None needed. The powder is in the rounds. Don't ask how many alchemy sets I've ruined. My father is still angry at me."
"You are a genius, Slippy." Peppy had dismounted, holding out a hand and examining the hand gun once he had it. "What would be the chance we could all learn to use these?"
"Slim to none, I'm afraid. There is still a high chance that it will backfire when used. The rounds are volatile and only stable through magic I sustain." Slippy took the handgun back. "We've all got our specialties, Peppy. I'd advise that you stay with arcane bows."
Peppy laughed, swinging back into his saddle as Slippy did, watching as Slippy tossed a gold piece to Jozan to pay for the target and dismissed the shield spell. "Thank you so much for that tremendous vote of confidence."
"You are very welcome." Slippy grinned, and looked to Fox. "Shall we continue?"
The party returned to the road in relative silence, then Falco looked at Slippy. "How high of a chance of backfire?"
"In my hands? 15% in optimum conditions. In yours or anyone else's? Probably about 75%."
"Perhaps you aren't the coward I know you as."
The party stopped again, the mages watching in bewilderment as Falco and his horse dodged the minor balls of fire that chased them.
"It never is wise to insult a mage." Katt sighed, nulling the fireballs.
"Nor is it wise to burn a guild leader." Falco muttered, falling back in with the group.
"Quiet love, you've been beat."
Fox rubbed his eyes. With a start like this, he didn't really want to contemplate the rest of the journey. Fara glanced at him, and he felt her amusement flutter through the back of his mind.
'Well, they are our friends, love, and we've known each other for years. Did you really expect the presence of newcomers to alter their behavior?'
Well, he had to admit that was true. He just hoped early signs wouldn't prove right.
The citizens of the capital knew who Fox McCloud was, of course, and were aware of his entire party. What everyone there had come to realize was if Fox was traveling with his entire group, something of at least some importance was going on. So when Fox's party rode into town, with Fox leading in armor, the word spread through town, and soon they had a crowd of citizens pacing them, calling out questions. Fox told them little, and the rest of the party followed suit—yes, they were going on another quest, no, it did not concern this country.
The Lantern who was teleporting them to the next depot was a gnome; he was sitting on the windowsill of the Lantern depot when the party arrived. He had heard them approaching from across the town, and lifted an eyebrow at Fox when he arrived. "Do you always create such a clamor when you travel?"
"I try not to." Fox replied sourly. "I truly do. We are ready if you are."
The gnome, a fellow named Jebeddo, nodded, hopping off the windowsill and waving the crowd back. He directed the party to stand their mounts in a circle around him, remapped the spell in his mind to accommodate for the many, many party members, and activated his specialty magic.
The portal spell of the Lanterns moved smoothly as usual, and the party members looked around in surprise. They now stood in a fenced off area of a different town square, next to a different depot.
"Just that simple, folks." Jebeddo managed a tired, tired smile, and staggered inside the depot.
"If it's this easy, traveling could be a bit simpler then we thought." Falco remarked.
"We can only take the Lantern magic to the border of this country, then we have to travel a good amount of distance until we can use the Lanterns again." Said Elgar.
"We're trying to do something about that." Said a cheerful voice, and a slightly portly human man emerged from the depot, energetically shaking Fox's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I can take you as far as the border, as you've said, but I can take you no further, unfortunately."
"So we've been told." Fox had to smile. "Shall we?"
The human man nodded and stepped to the middle of the circle, repeating the spell that Jebeddo had only minutes ago preformed.
Falco sighed, poking the fire and looking off toward the only dimly lit horizon. They weren't in desert terrain yet, but the air was starting to get hot and dry. By Fox's explaining, they were about halfway between home and where they had ended up in the East during their last quest.
It felt strange, being away from his city after so long of being there. Let the King think what he wanted, it was Falco that ran the city itself, or at least behind the scenes. All the rogues and thieves in town knew his name, as well as most of the citizens. In the underworld, nothing went unless he said. And now, after spending all his time since the last quest to build his private empire up, he had left it.
Which brought up another interesting point, that of Katt. She had been at his side since their first quest. He hadn't spent too much time wondering why she bothered, especially with a human ruffian like he was. Well, perhaps he should talk to her after this quest, he decided. He did care for her a lot…
"Amazing. You've been quiet for an hour straight."
'Speak of the devil.' He smiled at Katt as she flopped down next to him. "Just considering what's ahead of us…"
"More sand." She shrugged. "Though I am not truly complaining. It feels good to be traveling again."
"Does it bother you that we're doing someone else's dirty work?" He asked bluntly, stabbing the stick so hard into the fire it lit and broke.
"You mean helping Morningstar even though it might not help us?" She tilted her head, looking at the fire. "A bit, but I've dismissed it. If we're meant to be heroes, then let us be heroes."
"Aye!" Alan appeared between them and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. "Indeed, lady elf, I couldn't agree more!"
Both were used to him, so they managed not to jump. "You haven't changed a bit since I first met you, do you know that?" Falco remarked, looking at Alan.
The bard grinned. "Now why would I do a thing like that?"