Justintime: Yeah, I liked the rapist faerie too, lol. I hope you like what will happen next
techwitch: I'm glad you liked it, I hoped it was funny when I made it, lol
Chapter 5: Phebas
Kedri, Ig, Gaarv, Planchet and Dahra felt the nothingness... the experience of death. Danitza was the last one to experience it and she was the only one of the group that felt the explosion. She thought she was really dead, but to her surprise she opened her eyes again.
The room where they were was round and it had 2 doors. Kedri and the rest didn't even dare to move, but Danitza wanted to explore, so she opened one of the doors, the one that was at her left. No one else went with her, so what was inside was only seen by her.
A huge Great Wyrm Red Dragon was sleeping inside of the roop where Danitza had entered. Danitza approached the Great Wyrm to the point that she could feel his hotbreath in her face. She tried to be as stealthy as she could, but tripped over one of the Dragon's claws. The dragon moved and Danitza stood still, hoping that she didn't wake him up.
Unfortunately, he did. When Danitza realiced that her stealthiness was not very stealthy she runned out of the room and closed the door behind her.The dragon looked at the Sholot warrior in silence and let her leave.
- "What's wrong?" asked Dahra as she saw her friend as pale as a Sholoth can be.
- "N-no... nothing" she sayed, trying to regain composture "let's go to the other side"
Kedri tried to look what was inside the door but Danitza didn't let her and pushed the group to the other door. At this point they trusted each other, so nobody tried to look inside again.
When they opened the other door they saw that it lead to a long anddark corridor with another door at the end of it. As they walked through the corridor they looked around very carefully. Suddenly Ig slipped on the floor and that's the first time when someone realized what was in the floor. It was made of Laja stone, so it shouldn't be slippery, but every once in a while they found some very shiny and slippery scales. They started walking very carefully to not fall with them again.
Finally they reached the other door and opened it. At the other side there was a enormous room with all kind of treasures. Everything thatthey could imagine was there, from fabric of all colours to magic wands, rings and coins.
- "WHOAAAAA" exclaimed Planchet in awe
- "Who lives here?" asked Ig, eyes wideopened"must be the richest man in the wholeworld". Even if Arborums don't ambition money this treasure was quite impressive. Everywhere you put your eyes on there was gold or somethingjust asvaluable.
The girls were so impressed that none of them could say a word.
- "Ok" sayed Kedri, finally being able to get out of her entrancement "we have something to look for, so let's get started"
Everyone started looking in different parts of the room. Dahra started searching where the fabric was, Danitza searched in a desk, where there were some scrolls and boxes. Planchet searched in a corner where there was a mountain of coins, putting some of them in his own pocket... to help clear some space for the search, of course, not that he really wanted to keep them... but he did.
Ig started searching between some things that looked like wands and Kedri looked where there were some weapons. She found 2 small wooden boxes and a larger one, but wasn't able to open any yet, because the ground started shaking. Softly at first and then harder. The sound of steps and Danitza went white again. They looked at each other and when the door of the treasure room got opened, Danitza hide under the desk andDahra behind the fabric. Kedri, Ig, Gaarv and Planchet had nowhere to hide, so they just stayed there.
The door got opened slowly and the house owner made his enterance. A HUGE GREAT WYRM REDDRAGON! he didn't enter the room, but his body was big enough to leave no room to escape through the door. He had a walking stick in his right hand,rounded glasses to see better and a small red jacket... he was very well dressed; very fancy and anachronical. He looked around while adjusting his glasses to his face.
- "AAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed, not scared at all "THIEVES! AND IN MY HOUSE!" it was a very old voice. He sighed. "What shall I do?... Ah, well, I'll just eat you!"
- "NO!" screamed Dahra "Don't eat us! We were just looking for some items, but we will leave"
- "Oh, no, you will NOT leave" sayed the dragon "has been very long since I last ate adventurers and I'm hungry" and he looked carefully at each and every one of them, including Gaarv.
- "You'll eat none of us" sayed Ig, unsheathening his sword, but Dahra held his arm so he didn't make any attacks "What are you doing? Let me fight him or he'll eat us all!"
- "No, Ig, don't you see that he will overfight you?" answered Dahra
- "Oh, come on! he's too old, what could he do? he can barely walk so I don't think he can fight!" sayed Ig again. The dragon just looked at him and grinned innocently.
- "Ig, the dragon's power to fight increases when they get older, besides every dragon has some knowledge on magicks, and for the age this dragon must be he must be more powerfull than an archmage! besides, Dragons use breath weapons.Start attacking him right now and I assure you, you will be barbecue!you'd be dead before you could even start your charge at him!" answered Kedri.
- "Aw, a cute little dog!" he sayed, looking at Gaarv,andthe wolfdidn't even dare to growl "I think I'll have this one as a dessert... now let's see who will I eat first..."
- "Don't!" sayed Planchet, darefully,while the dragon tried to decide "Please... we just came because in the Alfon village the chief sayed that you had some rings that belonged to them and he asked us to come and get them back. We just came for the rings. If you let us go I promise you, we won't come back"
The Dragon was surprised by the bravery of the thief. Even or he was too brave or too fool to speak at him freely just like that. He took out his glasses and cleaned them in his jacket, then he put themon again and sighed.
- "Alfons..." the Dragon sayed "They always believe that every magical item belongs to them... well, you'll see... when a magickal item is in the treasure of a dragon it no longer belongs to the Alfons, but to the owner of the treasure. I can assure you that if you ever carry a magickal item and you happen to meet an Alfon he will surely claim ownership on your stuff." he looked at the group again one by one "Ok, we'll do this: you have one hour to make a Rap for me, and if I like it and you make me laugh I will let you leave and MAYBE I'll give you what you want, ok?" And giving them no chance to answer at him he left the room and closed it with key.
- "Aw, great!" sayed Kedri "What will we do now? I'm a terrible singer!"
- "And me? I don't even sing while I'm bathing" replied Ig
- "Take it easy, take it easy" sayed Planchet confidently "Leave this all to me. I may not be a good singer and I know I'm a terrible fighter, but at least I know I can try to help on this"
- "Are you sure?" every one glanced at him
- "I'm not, but I could try, besides... who else dares?"
Everyone shook their heads.
- "Ok, so let me try. You try to make up some dancing and I'll try to come out with the letters" Planchet sitted behind the desk and grabbed some paper when he realiced that he didn't know how to write and started inventing something in his mind.
(After an hour of dancing and argueing...)
Knock, knock
-"Are you ready to sing for me?" the voice of the dragon sayed from the other side of the door.
- "Uh... we guess so" answered Danitza, looking at Planchet. The thief took a deep breathe and nodded to every one.
The Dragon came into the room and took a seat right in the entrance again
- "Ok, I'm ready to listen" he sayed. The adventurers were so nervous.
Planchet cleared his throat and started "mimimimimiiiii" untill Danitza hit him with her elbow. he looked at her like saying "Don't bother the artist!" and started rapping.
"Once upon a time there was a red Dragon/ he was very distinguished and good looking / he had livedlong yearsand was very powerfull / but in spite of all he had a good heart / and I was lucky to meet him and get out alive.
The dragon's rap... / the dragon's rap...
Let me introduce you Kedri, Gaarv and Ig / they are Arborums and travel with me / Dahra and Danitza are very cool friends / although sometimes they beat me a lot / I'm Planchet and humbly I ask to let us leave.
The dragon's rap... / the dragon's rap..."
The group finished the rapping, but really none of them liked very much the song that Planchet made up. They felt so ridiculous dancing and singing rap, but it was worth to give it a try at least. The dragon wasn't very satisfied either. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his claws.
- "Well, well, well... at least you tried. It wasn't very good but it'll have to do. Nobody will say that I, the great Phebas, am not mercifull, besides... I know about your quest"
- "REALLY?" asked Kedri.
- "Yes, you're looking for the Lord of All Times, right?" Kedri and the rest looked shocked "You'll see... some things do not pass unadverticed to the gods, and I can tell you... before your quest really ends you will become a real pain in the ass and... well, let's not get involved with that. I like you, guys, and that's why I'm going to let you go. You sayed you were looking for something, so... did you find it?" Phebas asked to the even more awed group and they shook their heads. Kedri, however, showed him the 3 wooden boxes she found earlier. "Is that what you were looking for?"
- "I dunno" sayed the Arborum archer while opening them. Inside the smaller boxes there was one ring inside each of them and in the other was a fantastic necklace.
- "Oh, the Necklace of theUnpredictable!" Phebas looked at her "Is this what you were looking for?"
- "No, just the rings"
- "Oh, never mind. I'll give it to you any ways. Put it on, it's yours"
Kedri smiled at Phebas and put on the necklace. It was a beautifull necklace that had 3 shining stones on it.
- "However, be carefull." Phebas added."Two of those stones contain wishes that will come true. You just make the wish very carefully, because it will be literal, but the third stone will give you bad luck, to you and whoever is with you. The only problem is that noone knows which stone makes what. Not even me."
- "And now you tell me" muttered Kedri, not very pleased and hoping she wouldn't need to use the stones on the necklace.
Ig chose a sword and Danitza a buckler. Dahra chose some fine fabric and offered to make Phebas a new jacket like the one he had but ofblue silk. Phebas liked the idea and the group stayed the rest of the day, waiting for Dahra to finish her gift for Phebas. He had been nice and she wanted to retribute. Planchet didn't ask for anything. He had enough coins in his pocket.
When they finished choosing things, Phebas showed them the way out, climbing through a hidden ladder that he had in the rounded room where the group first arrived,but before leaving he gave Kedri a scroll.
- "You will need this more than the others. Keep it and learn it."
Kedri smiled at him and opened the scroll. It was full of different signs. She knew that she couldn't read but she recognized that it was an abecedary in the norvandian language, a language long time lost and any mage and any powerfull person would have given whatever was the most important thing in the world for them to even have the chance to look at it.She looked at Phebas againand thank him, then she put the scroll in her bag anddidn't tell noone that she had that. She noticed that also in the bottom of the scroll was a strange symbol that sayed "Wervener". She didn't know who or what that was, but she thought it was important.
Phebas muttered something like he would miss them while they were leaving, so they promised to come back to visit.
The ladder wasn't long and when they came out of it it was already night, and they were in the middle of a wood, so Kedri started gathering dry wood to make some fire, they ate and went to sleep.
The next morning, when everyone was awake, they found out that Planchet wasn't there any more. Dahra, Danitza, Kedri and Gaarv looked for him all around unsuccessfully. Planchet was gone and left no trace.
- "Maybe he thought he was useless and just left us" sayed Danitza and started crying for the first time since they left the Black Mountain, in Dahra's shoulder.
- "Oh, dear, take it easy. Maybe he just went looking for some water. I'm sure he'll come back soon"
- "No, you don't understand it..." Danitza sayed "I... I mocked him so much... because I liked him... I have to go for him" she sayed and gathering her stuff she runned looking for the thief, to try to make him come back.
- "Well, We'll go in that direction, Danitza! When you find him look for us!" Dahra shouted, knowing that they had no time to loose any more and the group started walking again.
- "I'll g looking for Planchet too, ladyes. Gaarv, come with me, please" Ig sayed and he was really worried for his friends. Kedri and Dahra were concerned too, but the winter was close and none of them wanted to spend the winter in the middle of nowhere.
- "Ok, we'll go looking for some refugee to wait for you, ok?" Kedri sayed.
- "It will be wise" nodded Ig "look for a good place, make some fireand stay there. If I'm notback with youby the morning... do not wait for us"
- "But... how will you find us, Ig" argued Dahra
Ig smirked at her
- "Don't worry. I have my methods"
Kedri knew exactly how were those methods.
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A/N: Ok, I know it didn't happen much in this chapter, but in the next chapter I promise it will happen more, and a lot of action. For the moment our friends got a very powerfull ally and he did make them sweat, believe me. Now... GO AND REVIEW! NOW!