A weary day later, Slith, Mirk, Kel, Aubrey, and Brand stood outside the
small rock tunnel leading to Rivervale. It was late afternoon in the
Kithicor Woods as travelers hurried to reach their destinations out of the
sinister forest. A lone halfling scurried into the tunnel and spotted the
odd group of five. It gave a startled scream and clumsily ran into
Rivervale.
"Do you think they'll allow usss in their city?" Slith nervously asked his father.
"Well, yearsss ago I wasss permitted entrance, but I'm not sssure if they ssstill welcome outsssidersss." Mirk hissed.
"Let's go find out." Brand vanished deeper into the tunnel with Kel following.
Glancing at the two iksars for a brief moment before turning to follow the half-elf, Aubrey slipped around the corner and disappeared. Slith's piercing yellow eyes looked towards his father, waiting for a reply. Mirk's left hand patted the top of his head where his missing horn would have been and sighed. He gave his son an encouraging smile before slowly stepping into the tunnel.
"They might recognize you sssince lassst time you were here, you didn't have your horn either." Slith pursued.
Brand waited for the extremely old Mayor Gubbin to answer; it seemed like the ancient hobbit had fallen asleep in the middle of his reply. Clearing his throat loudly, the bard stepped closer and shook the halfling. Gubbin awoke with a start and look around confused. His eyes fell upon Brand and he stood slowly. Brand, being the kind half-elf he was, helped the elderly man to his feet.
"I remember the iksar you speak of. He came with a wood elf that saved two of my citizens years ago." Mayor Gubbin's voice was filed with age.
"May Mirk and his son enter your city for a short time so we may.stock up on supplies and such?" Brand lied.
"I don't see the harm since Mirk proved he was a different iksar from the rest so long ago." The halfling began to write something on a piece of paper on a nearby desk. "Show this to anyone who tries to stop you."
"Thank you." Brand bowed his head and backed out of the room.
Running towards the tunnel excitedly, Brand jumped over a working halfling and turned the corner. He collided with Slith in a head-on collision. Mirk reached down and helped the two young fools up. Aubrey walked calmly around the same corner Brand had just raced around and laughed at the iksar and half-elf.
While rubbing his forehead, Brand handed the piece of paper from the mayor to Mirk. The older iksar scanned the contents and passed it to his son who was nursing his flat nose. Slith momentarily smiled after he read the letter before pushing Brand away and starting to walk. Chuckling at his son's behavior, Mirk stepped in front and led the others to the lake.
"Where's Kel?" Brand looked around.
"Alrrready waiting forrr you at the lake." The griffin totted over to them from a small wooden dock.
The five cautiously stepped onto the halfling-made dock and stared down into the water. The sun's reflection glazed the surface of the lake as Brand sat and dangled his feet over the edge after removing his boot and socks. As he rested his chin on his hand, Brand continued to look for the small chest that Papsworth had buried halfway in the sand.
Mirk pulled his black robe over his head and stepped closer to the pond, as he though of it. He nodded to the others before diving into the serene waters. Emerging moments later, the iksar spat a stream of water at his dumbfounded son and swam over to where Brand sat. "I'm going below to look for it. If you sssee it before I do, sssplasssh the water to gain my attention."
"Why do you get to do thisss?" Slith said annoyed.
"Becaussse I want to help Lielay asss much asss possssssible." Mirk inhaled deeply and swam to the bottom of the lake.
Slith sighed heavily and peered into the waters, searching for the chest. Kel took flight and circled above, hoping to catch a glint of metal from the box's lock. Brand watched Mirk swim slowly at the sandy bottom. The iksar cut through the water like a knife through butter. Still watching Mirk, Brand saw his friend swim to a darker corner and vanish.
"Do you think he found it?" Aubrey said.
"Yes." Brand grinned as Mirk swam back into view with a large visible smile on his face.
The iksar broke through the surface and took a breath. He explained that, as Papsworth wrote, the chest was stuck in the ground and there was a metal lock on it. Pulling out his dagger, Brand gave it to Mirk and told him to pick the lock with it. Nodding eagerly, Mirk again swam underwater and headed to the darkened corner where the locked clue was concealed.
Above, Brand, Aubrey, Kel, and Slith waited with their hearts caught in their throats. Minutes, but what seemed like hours later, Mirk swam as fast as he could while clutching a faint glowing orb to his chest. The iksar shot out of the water and leapt onto the small docks with a victorious look in his face. The orb stopped glowing and a fancy letter replaced it.
Mirk handed the letter to Brand before gratefully accepted his robe from Aubrey and pulled it on over his head. "Read it." He urged.
Shaking the letter open, Brand read aloud. "This clue was quite easy, don't you think? Well, to try and keep these messages short, I'll just tell you where to find the next clue. You must travel to the Karanas and find.a farm." Brand stopped and reread the letter to assure himself that he read it right. "...Find a farm. A generous man named Corlendol owes this farm. His farm extends for many a mile and is filled with countless animals. Another piece of information to make sure you have the right farm and not an imposter's, is that Corlendol has two sons and three lovely daughters. Be sure to follow all of Corlendol's instructions if you want to see Lielay alive again. Signed Papsworth." Brand growled and crunched the paper in his hand.
"Thisss rrreally isss turrrning into a game." Kel sighed.
"A farm?" Aubrey blurted out. "Papsworth must really be crazed if he visits farms and is going to have us get the next clue from one." The human began to walk away from the small lake.
Two little halfling children crept behind the five rescuers and watched them in awe. They had never seen a griffin or an iksar in their short lives. One stifled a giggle, but failed. Kel turned around and stared at the small children. One, with extremely curly hair, stepped closer and reached his hand out to pet Kel's feathers. A clawed hand grabbed him before he could touch Kel. The child looked up horrified into Slith's yellow eyes.
"I wouldn't touch him if I were you. The griffin hatesss to be touched by children." Slith hissed.
The two halflings ran off quickly and disappeared into a nearby hole in the ground, that they called a house. Kel laughed and trotted to catch up with the others. Slith walked beside him and joked. The two seemed to understand each other more than the others they traveled with did. Even though the iksar and the griffin bickered constantly, they were close friends that would die for the other. There was a strong bond of friendship between the two that wouldn't even be broken in death.
Brand halted Mirk and Aubrey so Slith and Kel could catch up since they had fallen behind. Receiving a nod in thanks from the two, Brand led the four out of the pleasant town of Rivervale and into the foreboding forest of Kithicor. Night was falling fast, but the five knew they would be well into the Pass before that happened. The forest was so filled with evil at night that is sent shivers along the spines of the travelers.
"What do you think we're going to have to do at this farm?" Brand asked Aubrey as they continued through the forest.
"Do we really want to find out?" Aubrey arched his eyebrow and smirked.
Brand had a lost expression on his face for a moment before answering. "Oh, Tunare..." the half-elf thought of all the possibilities and shook his head.
"Do you think they'll allow usss in their city?" Slith nervously asked his father.
"Well, yearsss ago I wasss permitted entrance, but I'm not sssure if they ssstill welcome outsssidersss." Mirk hissed.
"Let's go find out." Brand vanished deeper into the tunnel with Kel following.
Glancing at the two iksars for a brief moment before turning to follow the half-elf, Aubrey slipped around the corner and disappeared. Slith's piercing yellow eyes looked towards his father, waiting for a reply. Mirk's left hand patted the top of his head where his missing horn would have been and sighed. He gave his son an encouraging smile before slowly stepping into the tunnel.
"They might recognize you sssince lassst time you were here, you didn't have your horn either." Slith pursued.
Brand waited for the extremely old Mayor Gubbin to answer; it seemed like the ancient hobbit had fallen asleep in the middle of his reply. Clearing his throat loudly, the bard stepped closer and shook the halfling. Gubbin awoke with a start and look around confused. His eyes fell upon Brand and he stood slowly. Brand, being the kind half-elf he was, helped the elderly man to his feet.
"I remember the iksar you speak of. He came with a wood elf that saved two of my citizens years ago." Mayor Gubbin's voice was filed with age.
"May Mirk and his son enter your city for a short time so we may.stock up on supplies and such?" Brand lied.
"I don't see the harm since Mirk proved he was a different iksar from the rest so long ago." The halfling began to write something on a piece of paper on a nearby desk. "Show this to anyone who tries to stop you."
"Thank you." Brand bowed his head and backed out of the room.
Running towards the tunnel excitedly, Brand jumped over a working halfling and turned the corner. He collided with Slith in a head-on collision. Mirk reached down and helped the two young fools up. Aubrey walked calmly around the same corner Brand had just raced around and laughed at the iksar and half-elf.
While rubbing his forehead, Brand handed the piece of paper from the mayor to Mirk. The older iksar scanned the contents and passed it to his son who was nursing his flat nose. Slith momentarily smiled after he read the letter before pushing Brand away and starting to walk. Chuckling at his son's behavior, Mirk stepped in front and led the others to the lake.
"Where's Kel?" Brand looked around.
"Alrrready waiting forrr you at the lake." The griffin totted over to them from a small wooden dock.
The five cautiously stepped onto the halfling-made dock and stared down into the water. The sun's reflection glazed the surface of the lake as Brand sat and dangled his feet over the edge after removing his boot and socks. As he rested his chin on his hand, Brand continued to look for the small chest that Papsworth had buried halfway in the sand.
Mirk pulled his black robe over his head and stepped closer to the pond, as he though of it. He nodded to the others before diving into the serene waters. Emerging moments later, the iksar spat a stream of water at his dumbfounded son and swam over to where Brand sat. "I'm going below to look for it. If you sssee it before I do, sssplasssh the water to gain my attention."
"Why do you get to do thisss?" Slith said annoyed.
"Becaussse I want to help Lielay asss much asss possssssible." Mirk inhaled deeply and swam to the bottom of the lake.
Slith sighed heavily and peered into the waters, searching for the chest. Kel took flight and circled above, hoping to catch a glint of metal from the box's lock. Brand watched Mirk swim slowly at the sandy bottom. The iksar cut through the water like a knife through butter. Still watching Mirk, Brand saw his friend swim to a darker corner and vanish.
"Do you think he found it?" Aubrey said.
"Yes." Brand grinned as Mirk swam back into view with a large visible smile on his face.
The iksar broke through the surface and took a breath. He explained that, as Papsworth wrote, the chest was stuck in the ground and there was a metal lock on it. Pulling out his dagger, Brand gave it to Mirk and told him to pick the lock with it. Nodding eagerly, Mirk again swam underwater and headed to the darkened corner where the locked clue was concealed.
Above, Brand, Aubrey, Kel, and Slith waited with their hearts caught in their throats. Minutes, but what seemed like hours later, Mirk swam as fast as he could while clutching a faint glowing orb to his chest. The iksar shot out of the water and leapt onto the small docks with a victorious look in his face. The orb stopped glowing and a fancy letter replaced it.
Mirk handed the letter to Brand before gratefully accepted his robe from Aubrey and pulled it on over his head. "Read it." He urged.
Shaking the letter open, Brand read aloud. "This clue was quite easy, don't you think? Well, to try and keep these messages short, I'll just tell you where to find the next clue. You must travel to the Karanas and find.a farm." Brand stopped and reread the letter to assure himself that he read it right. "...Find a farm. A generous man named Corlendol owes this farm. His farm extends for many a mile and is filled with countless animals. Another piece of information to make sure you have the right farm and not an imposter's, is that Corlendol has two sons and three lovely daughters. Be sure to follow all of Corlendol's instructions if you want to see Lielay alive again. Signed Papsworth." Brand growled and crunched the paper in his hand.
"Thisss rrreally isss turrrning into a game." Kel sighed.
"A farm?" Aubrey blurted out. "Papsworth must really be crazed if he visits farms and is going to have us get the next clue from one." The human began to walk away from the small lake.
Two little halfling children crept behind the five rescuers and watched them in awe. They had never seen a griffin or an iksar in their short lives. One stifled a giggle, but failed. Kel turned around and stared at the small children. One, with extremely curly hair, stepped closer and reached his hand out to pet Kel's feathers. A clawed hand grabbed him before he could touch Kel. The child looked up horrified into Slith's yellow eyes.
"I wouldn't touch him if I were you. The griffin hatesss to be touched by children." Slith hissed.
The two halflings ran off quickly and disappeared into a nearby hole in the ground, that they called a house. Kel laughed and trotted to catch up with the others. Slith walked beside him and joked. The two seemed to understand each other more than the others they traveled with did. Even though the iksar and the griffin bickered constantly, they were close friends that would die for the other. There was a strong bond of friendship between the two that wouldn't even be broken in death.
Brand halted Mirk and Aubrey so Slith and Kel could catch up since they had fallen behind. Receiving a nod in thanks from the two, Brand led the four out of the pleasant town of Rivervale and into the foreboding forest of Kithicor. Night was falling fast, but the five knew they would be well into the Pass before that happened. The forest was so filled with evil at night that is sent shivers along the spines of the travelers.
"What do you think we're going to have to do at this farm?" Brand asked Aubrey as they continued through the forest.
"Do we really want to find out?" Aubrey arched his eyebrow and smirked.
Brand had a lost expression on his face for a moment before answering. "Oh, Tunare..." the half-elf thought of all the possibilities and shook his head.
