17th Day of Fireseek, 565 CY
The Brass Dragon Inn, Furyondy

I hope I know what I'm doing, thought Aslan.

The paladin stood on the outskirts of the mound. On it, the charred stalks of the corn that had been burned yesterday lay beneath the latest patch of black stalks, which whipped around in the stiff breeze. A cold northerly wind made the paladin shiver, his armor and excess baggage notwithstanding. Winter had definitely returned, it seemed.

He looked back at his friends. Their mood was much grimmer than yesterday. Few words were spoken between them. The women were once again shouldering their full burdens. Even Elrohir had confided to Aslan that he didn't think Talass and Caroline were going to be able to carry this much weight all day long for much longer, yet both of them no longer complained about it. The somber realization of their situation; that they were in a battle with an enemy who had all the advantages- weighed down upon everyone heavier than any material weight could.

Elrohir eyed his friend. "I know you feel you have to do this Aslan, but I really don't think you should."

Aslan looked back at the cornfield and sighed. "I have to, Elrohir. I've weighed all the pros and cons of this. The situation will only get worse if we don't act." He turned around to look back at the ranger. "What do we do if Nodyath decides to start attacking our guests- or our staff?"

"Are you going to hold yourself responsible for the actions of your counterpart, Aslan?"

The paladin raised an eyebrow. "You're about to remind me my counterpart has nothing to do with me, aren't you?"

Elrohir shrugged and gave him a thin smile. "No need to, now."

Aslan returned the smile. "Point taken, my friend. But I'm still going in." He eyed the black stalks again, and the dirt mound beneath them. "We can't wait any longer for Sir Dorbin's party to come up with a plan to save us every time we have a problem."

"Oh, ye of little faith!" came the knight's voice behind them.

They all spun around. Not only was Sir Dorbin standing about thirty feet to the east, near the stables entrance of the inn, but a female figure clad in chainmail stood with him.

It was Jinella, and between the two of them, they were holding upright a most peculiar object.

The party regarded it with curiosity as they approached the pair. It looked for all the world like a gigantic pickaxe, easily nine feet tall. The end opposite the pick, however, was flattened and sported three tines. They both held onto the giant tool firmly, keeping it standing upright.

"What is that?" Asked Caroline as they reached the new arrivals.

"This, good people, is the mattock of the titans." Jinella answered. "It's a special possession of our church. It looked like something you could have used yesterday, and-"

"Wait a minute!" Elrohir interrupted. "Was that you scrying on us yesterday?"

Jinella nodded soberly. "As I had mentioned, our church is still actively investigating Nodyath, as per the wishes of the Baron. Ethelred was checking in on you yesterday and noticed your distress. He reported his findings to our High Priest Lancoastes, and I just happened to be nearby," the cleric stated, an impish grin returning to her face. "I suggested that the mattock might be of great use to you, and he readily agreed, providing I return it promptly to the temple, of course."

Aslan eyed the mattock, and then turned his gaze back to the knight. "This thing is huge. You'd have to be twelve feet tall at least to use it properly." His expression grew thoughtful. "Well, as long as you're here to stand guard, Sir Dorbin, I could polymorph into a size large enough to-"

The knight shook his head. "No need, my friend. I didn't agree to bring this monstrosity here, just so you would have to do all the hard work."

The paladin seemed puzzled. "But you told me earlier Sir Dorbin, that you don't share my Talent for polymorphing."

Dorbin nodded. "That is true, Aslan. However, I think I'm up to the task."

And he began to grow.

As the party looked on in wonder, Sir Dorbin swiftly grew larger and larger. Within moments, he had doubled his size, and was smiling down on them. "Not as impressive as your Talent, Aslan," his voice boomed down at the paladin, "but good enough for ditch-digging, wouldn't you say?"

With that, he picked up the mattock. A few quick strides brought him to the edge of the mound, where he immediately began to swing the tool into the dirt. Chunks of earth exploded outward, causing the other seven individuals to stand back.

After a minute or so, the giant Sir Dorbin, wiping his brow, spoke down to them.

"This could take a while, my friends. No need for you to stand out here freezing. Head back inside; I'll call for you when I'm done or if I find something interesting, whichever comes first."

Elrohir looked at Aslan, who shrugged. The party, along with Jinella, started to head back to the Brass Dragon, but Tadoa hung back.

"I'd like to stay out a little while with Sir Dorbin, if that's all right."

Elrohir looked at Sir Dorbin.

"I'd be delighted," the giant said. The ranger nodded at the elf. "All right, Tad."

"Make sure you don't distract him," Talass warned.

The elf gave her that martyred look that only children have really mastered.

"Yes, Aunt Talass."

The others left. Tadoa watched silently for a while as Dorbin continued to dig. The knight glanced down at the child and smiled.

"Sir Dorbin," the elf said, somewhat hesitantly. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, young Tadoa," he replied, as he swung the mattock again. Large dirt clods continued to fly everywhere.

"Exactly how did you and your party wind up stranded here on Oerth?"

The huge fighter looked down at him, one large eyebrow raised. "Didn't Elrohir or one of the others tell you?"

Tadoa shook his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "It's been kind of a hectic week."

"No doubt," Dorbin grinned. "I'm afraid it's not a very exciting story," he said. "We were exploring the dungeons of Venom and came across a most peculiar device. It looked like a large bowl or dish, about eight feet across, I'd say. Three pillars stood around it, each with a miniature pyramid atop it. We were experimenting with it, when young Fee Hal decides to jump inside the bowl." The knight shook his head, causing droplets of sweat to fall all around Tad. "Ah, the foolishness of youth; present company excepted, of course."

Tadoa grinned.

"He vanished, of course," Sir Dorbin continued. "Monsrek was able to divine that he was still alive. Lacking any method of calling him back, it was decided unanimously that we should all be in the same boat, so we went after him." The knight paused in his labor for a moment. "I wonder if Sir Menn ever came in search of us."

"Sir Menn?" the child asked.

Dorbin looked down again at the elf and smiled. "A knight, such as myself. The other member of our party."

Tadoa was surprised. "You mean there's more of you?"

The knight laughed, his booming voice almost making Tad wince.

"You make us sound like a swarm of locusts, young Tadoa! Yes indeed," he added, resuming his labor with the mattock. "He had stayed behind on other business while we entered the dungeons."

Tad shook his head. "The same as was with Elrohir and his party. Who would have thought it?"

Sir Dorbin stopped swinging the mattock again. "Excuse me?"

Tadoa looked at Dorbin's inquisitive, large eyes bearing down on him. He gulped and continued, meekly. "Er, that's how Elrohir and his friends got back here to Oerth after their last journey to Aarde," he said. "Venom's bowl."

The knight turned his gaze upon the Brass Dragon Inn. He seemed to reflect for a few moments, then shrugged his massive shoulders. "Hmmph! He might of left us a note or something."

Tad just stood there, unsure of what to say. Sir Dorbin looked back down at the child and gave him an easy smile. The elf visibly relaxed, and Dorbin again returned to his digging.

"So," asked Talass, swallowing a piece of chicken stew. "I understand you have to return the mattock to Willip after we're done with it, Jinella. But will you be returning here after that?"

Elrohir, sitting next to his wife around a large table in the common room, chuckled to himself. From what he had heard of concerning the initial meeting between these two women, he was amazed that they seemed to have reconciled their differences so quickly.

Jinella shook her head sadly, her brown hair falling in front of her face again. "It's very unlikely. I'm sorry, I wish it could be otherwise." A hint of that impish smile returned as she pushed her hair back. "I had quite a row with Ethelred about it a few days ago. I was upset at the time, but I really am needed elsewhere." She looked over at Talass, while picking up her glass of wine. "One doesn't get to channel divine power from a god by putting one's own desires foremost."

Talass smiled back and nodded sagely.

Jinella looked around at everyone. Her next grin had an embarrassed cast to it. "You people here seem like a large family. Quarrelsome in the extreme, but a strong undercurrent of faith and love runs underneath it." She leaned back in her chair, reflecting. "Seeing it made me homesick, I guess."

"You come from a large family, Jinella?" Elrohir asked.

The sly grin made a return appearance. "Seven brothers and sisters."

There were whistles all around the table. "None of us can match that, Jinella" Talass admitted. "In fact, we have almost no siblings among us. I have a sister-"

"I know," interrupted the priestess of Heironeous. Talass gave her a slightly strained smile before indicating Caroline.

"And Caroline's husband Argo has- excuse me, had a sister. She's dead now."

Caroline looked down at her lunch plate. She was not comfortable with this subject.

"I'm sorry, Caroline," Jinella said soberly.

Bigfellow managed her usual weak smile. "That's all right. Thank you."

Conversation resumed at a lower level, with stops and starts as people finished their meal. After some time, Tadoa came running back in.

"Dorbin thinks you'd better see this," he said, then spun around and ran outside again.

The knight had excavated the entire mound area to a depth of about ten feet. He stood halfway towards the edge of the huge pit, looking grimly down at an object that occupied its center.

All the faces of the Elrohir party held various expressions of disgust or revulsion. A large black, quivering mass, about six feet in diameter, lay in the pit. It looked almost like some obscene kind of pudding, although blue lines looking somewhat like veins ran all throughout its surface. It quivered constantly. On its "top," rubbery- looking cilia a foot or so long waved slowly about like ebony worms.

Sir Dorbin looked over at Aslan, who bore a look of intense concentration on his face.

"No mere ooze, this," The paladin announced. "It registers as evil."

"It looks like its in the larval stage," said Caroline softly.

"Well, we're not waiting around to see this butterfly," said Aslan. He looked up at Sir Dorbin. "Destroy it."

The mattock of the titans swung down hard, and the black mass burst open with a horrible squishing sound. A viscous goo splayed all around, although fortunately not out of the pit. Dorbin looked down at his legs, covered in black ichor and grimaced, although there seemed to be no obvious ill effects other than a bad smell.

There was a crackling sound. The stalks of corn which Sir Dorbin had unearthed with his digging and which were lying in a pile beside the pit, quickly shriveled up into dry husks.

A palpable wave of relief swept over the party. Aslan was satisfied that he detected no more evil auras as Sir Dorbin climbed out of the pit, laid the mattock down on the ground, and shrunk back to his normal size.

Elrohir grinned at the knight. "You and I are about the same size, Sir Dorbin. I'd be happy to find some clean clothes for you to wear while we wash those."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, Elrohir" Dorbin replied. "I wouldn't mind a drink and a chance to rest up after all that."

"The rest of you head back in," Aslan said. "We'll be right behind you."

The others headed back towards the inn while the paladin turned to the knight. "It seems we owe you our thanks again, good sir," he said. "You've been quite the godsend for us. I only hope you find a quick path back home to Aarde. Any progress on that yet?"

Dorbin shook his head. "None as of yet, my friend, but I'm not concerned. As I've mentioned before, a greater task still remains." His dark blue eyes indicated his conviction.

Aslan nodded. "I understand." He glanced back over to the pit, then smiled again at the knight. "Still, we must not deny ourselves our small celebrations. Today at least, we have triumphed." He brushed his hands together while nodding towards the pit. "That's that!"

No, you cheap copy, the voice of Nodyath crashed into his mind. THIS is that.

And the attack began.