Chap2: Choices
Ok Sheahay I'm ready for my pick up, Qasar and Toein are with me, Arclight mentally called out to the druid. A crackling that sounded like distant thunder began and the druid burst into view. Sheahay wasted little time as magic poured out of him into the others causing them to hover in the air.
"The eagle spirit will allow us to travel quickly over the snow. We should hurry the others are almost gathered," explained Sheahay. The crackling sound began again as flashing light gathered around Sheahay. "Hold on here we go!" The light burst out from Sheahay and surrounded the party taking them to Veilous's frozen land. Qasar turned to Arclight as the others began to run to the dwarven city.
"You sure you won't get lost this time Arclight?" Qasar asked the paladin with a grin. Arclight just shrugged and replied chuckling,
"I can always get ya to summon me if I do."
Qasar frowned, "You can pay me in advance then for the pearl that'll cost."
Arclight just laughed and replied, "Don't worry Qasar Veilous is the one place I never get lost in." The guild members made their way up the frozen river. The river poured from waterfall that hid the entrance to Thurgadin from its enemies. Slipping past the waterfall Arclight and the others made their way into the dwarven city.
The guards at the entrance told them that the Dain Frostreaver IV had offered the Ring of Destiny a recently finished hall near the mines for them to stay in. Arclight made his way to the hall stopping every now and then to chat with fellow Ring members he meet on the way. Damn a lot of us are here early Arclight thought to himself. We are almost fully assembled. As he entered the hall he saw that it was packed with his fellow adventures. "Hey Fortune Seeker!" Arclight called out to a ranger resting in a chair.
"Hey Arc!" Seek replied waving back. "You better go have a chat with Voltamor in the back. Looks like we got a problem." Arclight frowned and thanked the ranger as he made his way to the back of the hall. Spotting Voltamor leaning against a door and sharpening his blades.
"Hi Volt what's going on? Seek mentioned we may have a problem," Arclight asked as he finally got passed the crowd of guild members.
"The officers are in an argument at the moment," replied Voltamor. "They are trying to decide if we should stay for this fight or not."
"WHAT DO…," Arclight quickly lowered his rising voice so the other guild members wouldn't get riled up. Bad enough he could hear the officers shouting through the door as it was. "What do you mean their arguing about staying?"
"Kayote and I just got back from a scouting mission. We were checking on the Frost giants movements," explained Voltamor. "Arc… their bringing their whole army against the dwarves. It was like looking at a sea of giants. Worse yet Narandi is leading them."
"Narandi? Narandi the wretched?" Arclight asked scowling. Narandi was a giant that had earned a special name among the dwarves for his cruelty. Arclight had heard his favorite way of disposing of prisoner's was to throw them to the drakkel hunting dogs.
"Big deal," Zoroo said as the dark elf walked over. "I've killed so many of their kind this guy isn't going to be anything special either. You guys must have seen a hell of a lot of giants to get this worked up."
"We're out numbered three to one Zoroo," Voltamor responded. "We can't stop that many giants. Not on our best day."
"The dwarf army will be aiding us too!" interjected Arclight. "That'll help as well."
"Their still recovering from the last attack Arc," Voltamor pointed out. "We'd still be out numbered. Frankly I think we'd get our butts kicked." Voltamor quickly jumped away from the door he was leaning on as it swung open. The hall went silent as Berit and the other officers walked out into the room.
"Everyone here has heard about the approaching Frost Giant army." Berit said scowling again. "I know you all have been wondering whether or not the Ring of Destiny is going to leave or stay and fight. I and the other officers gave our word to Dain Frostreaver IV that we would aide his city in this attack. Our word and the word of the Ring. What's more I refuse to let King Tormax think he can get away with something like this. He'd probably be looking to try it on our guild hall next. So we will stay and FIGHT. We've done the impossible before folks we just need to one more time. With all of us assembled as we are, even an army as big as the frost giants is not going to beat us. We've killed those blue giants before and we can damn well do it again. We are the Ring of Destiny, and WE…WILL…OWN…THEM" The guild roared in approval. The sound filled the hall and echoed through the city.
Through all the shouting Arclight saw Ckorik walk out the back door of the hall and followed him outside. It didn't take Arclight much to figure out that Ckorik was pissed from how he paced back and forth.
"I take it you do not approve of the officer's choice?" Arclight asked cautiously.
"That is a mild understatement paladin," Ckorik snarled at him.
"We can't just let King Tormax massacre a city Ckorik. He can't be allowed to get away with that," exclaimed Arclight.
"I am uneasy about doing this, Aenau as well," explained Ckorik as he reached out with a single claw and began carving in the wall of ice. "Norrath is facing a dangerous time in its existence." A scowl formed on Arclight's face as he saw the names Ckorik was carving into the wall. Seru, Kael, Agnarr, and many more enemies. Enemies that threatened the Ring and forced many confrontations. "All manner of chaos and discord are rampart through our lands. The night that grips us are legions upon legions." Ckorik stepped back from the long list of enemies they had faced. Next to those names the iksar carved three words into the ice, Ring…of…Destiny. "But you, I, and those of us in the Ring are strong enough to affect that. We have the ability to change the destiny of those around us. By our will each one of us turns the tide of these battles." The lizard's eyes suddenly blazed with green fire. Pointing at the list dark forces against them Ckorik unleashed a bolt green acid that slammed into the wall in an explosion of ice. When the steam cleared only the name Ring of Destiny was left on the wall beside the smoking crater. "By our will, enemies are beaten and our lands are guarded. We were not meant to throw ourselves away in the frost giants foolish war. I know we can win as do the other officers. But I fear the price. To lose some members in battle is bad enough but in this fight we are risking all. We have bet all that we have on this battle. The Ring of Destiny must not fall here."
Arclight had to think on what Ckorik had told him. In his mind he too weighed out the cost of this fight. "Those are high stakes," Arclight responded softly.
"Far higher then what we should be risking," observed Ckorik
"All war is foolish but the frost giants are waging it anyways," Arclight finally said. "I am not even sure if they care. I refuse to lay down and die or let anyone else for that matter. The Ring will do what it has to win. I can't speak for them either but I have to stay…I'm sorry Ckorik even at that price I can't walk away from this."
"A thing can be wrong and foolish and still need doing." Ckorik pointed out. "The iksar know this well. No Arc I don't think this a fight we can not walk away from. But we stand to lose far too much in this fight." Nothing more had to be said. Both of them knew what was coming. The Ring would be lucky to win the up coming fight let alone survive it. But as Ckorik said, it still needed doing. The necromancer and the paladin returned to the hall as Berit laid out the plans for the upcoming battle.