SILVERYMOON
Chapter 10
They were ready and waiting for Corimin to show up. They even had four horses provided by the City for them to use.
Kate had broken down and let them go shopping for new magical items, things that might actually work against a Dragon even if it was a little one. The word little when talking about a Dragon apparently meant something since it could someday be bigger than their home and that didn't even include the spread of its wings.
They had two Wand of Lightning Bolt and one Wand of Fireball, each of which had cost them 18,000 in gold. Both had 50 charges. Still, Kate's only comment had been, "These better be worth it."
ALEXIS
Robe of the Inferno, Riding Boots, Staff of Charming, Wand of Lightning Bolt, Wand of Cure Light Wounds, Wand of Detect Magic, Wand of Color Spray, Wand of Web, Dagger with Ghost Touch and Weakening,
Winter Clothing and Boots
RICK
Monk's Belt, Gloves of Eldritch Admixture, Wand of Lightning Bolt, Dagger with Ghost Touch and Shock, Winter clothing and boots
KATE
Ring of Water Breathing, Ring of Invisibility, Cloak of Charisma, Rogue's Vest, Wand of Fireball, Dagger with Ghost Touch and Sacred, Winter clothing and boots
COMMON ITEMS
Leomund's Handy Haversack, Portable Hole, Daern's Instant Tent, Everfull Mug, Everlasting Feedbag x 2 (one provided by the city), Weekly Food Bags
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Corimin came jogging in with a large backpack on his back that was larger than theirs. He wasn't wearing winter clothing, but then neither were they yet, so they were guessing he had it all in his backpack. He also had a very fancy staff in one hand.
"I made it! Mom and Dad stopped me and gave me my graduation present ahead of time for this. It's a Staff of Power. (fully charged the staff was worth 200,000) It has nine different spells it can cast, but it only has 11 charges now, and I need to be careful." He tapped his long staff into the ground once. "It's a family heirloom." He was so proud that they had trusted him with it.
"I also have a bag of holding that holds a decent number of potions, winter clothing and winter boots, and a sleeping bag. Oh, and some trail rations, so you don't have to feed me.
"And a +1 dagger. I almost forgot that." It was his only personal weapon. He hoped it was enough.
"MEOW."
"Hi, Patches!" He had learned to love Patches. He didn't understand him like Alexis obviously did, but it was her cat, so it made sense to him. Still, he bent down to pet him and listened to him purr.
"Here's your horse." Alexis led a brindle gelding over to him and gave him a quick kiss that he gladly returned.
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"How many Druids are we dealing with?" Corimin asked as they traveled just outside the city wall.
"No idea," Kate replied. "We'll find out when we get there."
"We'll be careful; we always are." With Alexis out in front while Ethereal, they always knew what to expect and could plan for.
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They chose to travel along the eastern edge of the Moonwood Forest. Doing so would easily lead them to Leilon, the settlement they wanted to reach.
The sun wasn't even down yet, and they had no choice but to stop. It was getting colder, and they needed to put on their winter clothes, including their boots. That was going to be their life for a little while. They just hoped it didn't snow on them or worse, RAIN! Which might be more sleet.
Since they did that at Neverwinter, they set up the tent just inside the tree line so they could hide. It gave Corimin his first taste of what traveling with them would be. It was working on being extremely cold that night, and after Castle made a very light dinner that Kate chose not to eat, he would find out how it felt sleeping in a tent that was perfect inside.
"This is amazing! You camp like this all the time?" Corimin asked as he began to put on some of his heavy winter clothing. He knew that he and Rick would be going outside while the women changed for bed.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Alexis grinned at him while Kate just rolled her eyes and smiled at those two.
The women would get ready for bed first. "You've done this before?" Corimin asked Rick while they waited outside. It wasn't long before his cheeks were red from the cold.
"Yes, we went to Neverwinter at the request of the City. That got us to purchase the tent and sleeping bags. Other things we collected along the way. We didn't steal from the City. We don't steal. Alexis and I also don't lie. The truth might hurt but lying hurts worse once the lie gets out," Rick told him.
Corimin nodded. "I've noticed. Alexis really knows how to speak her mind when something comes up."
"You two are next," Kate called out, so that got the men to go into the tent and where they saw both of them in sleeping bags. "We'll close our eyes."
"Where is the fun in that?" Rick teased her. "Except for you, Alexis. You keep your eyes closed."
"DAD!?" Why was he picking on her? Besides, how would he even know if she kept her eyes open? She wanted to see something of Corimin. All they had done was kiss so far. They hadn't even gotten all that handsy yet. He had placed a hand on her breast a few times, but that was all. She was still fully dressed when he'd done it, too.
Corimin soon found that sleeping in his own well-used sleeping bag wasn't nearly as cold as he feared. This tent was GREAT!
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They noticed some wildlife the next day, but they didn't need meat. Also, they didn't have an accurate way to kill them from a distance anyway, not unless they wanted to use a charge from one of their Wands.
They reached Leilon a couple of hours before dark. It was maybe more than a simple settlement, but it didn't have a wall or gatehouse. It was all out in the open.
Out front was a large two-story house. After that, they went uphill and eventually saw that the settlement was built on a raised plateau or large flat hillside. There were roughly forty-seven buildings overall. They had already passed a few farmhouses and farmland before reaching the settlement.
They found a four-story tower in the dead center of town on a hill at least two stories high, so this place was very tall compared to everything else in town.
They actually found an inn that they could stay in if they wanted. It was called Umber Hulk's Shell Inn and was on the far end of town. Along the way, they saw a Shrine to Lathander, and as explained by Corimin, Lathander was a major God for Elves. Not far away was another shrine to Tymora, also known as Lady Luck. She was a God of Good Fortune.
They were quickly seated at a table. "What can I get you?"
"Wine?" Rick inquired. "Is there a special of the house?" If they didn't have to use up their own food, that might be best.
"Deer meat and Purple Majesty potatoes is the special this week. Wine is expensive. Would beer be acceptable?" she asked patiently.
Rick knew Kate wouldn't eat or drink. "Wine, please, and we'll take three specials."
She nodded. "Three wines at five gold each and three Specials at four silver each," she told them and hurried away.
"We need information, babe," Kate reminded him. "We need to know where to go if they know."
She was back with drinks first. "We heard there was a Dragon near here," Kate brought up.
She glanced around to see if anyone else was listening and then said quietly, "That's a sore subject in this town. Half want to do as asked and half want to fight. But how does anyone fight a Dragon? Rumor has it that he's green and not very big, but he is a Dragon.
"It's thought he's a little north of here in the hillside. I don't think anyone knows exactly where. It's the Druids that have most families worried. They want a yearly sacrifice of a child. What happens if they don't get a child is uncertain. No family wants to just hand over one of their children.
"If you plan to move here, you might want to talk to others before deciding." That said, she started to retreat until their food was ready. But then she noticed Patches. "Is that cat on fire?" The young lady was holding it and not getting burned, which was bizarre.
"His name is Patches. He won't hurt you. He's a good cat." Alexis petted Patches and kissed his head to prove it.
"If you say so." She had no interest in petting a cat that was on fire and hurried off to order their meals.
"Hills in the Spine of the World. It's called that because north of that is all snow and ice. I haven't heard of anyone living that far north," Corimin offered.
"Sounds like it's going to be cold," Alexis commented. "Still, we need to learn where and how many Druids there are, assuming these people even know."
Deer meat and potatoes that really were purple came with gravy over the potatoes and one tiny sprig of green. "My arteries are hardening already, Dad." Alexis didn't much care for what she was served.
"Arteries?" Corimin questioned her. Sometimes he didn't know what she was talking about, but he still liked her. Or maybe it was because she was just so different and very pretty.
"It's winter, pumpkin. Fresh anything will be hard to come by this far north." Rick cut into it and gave it a taste test.
Corimin dug in since Rick was buying, meaning it was free food for him.
"Maybe we should have brought our Lyre of Building and built them a greenhouse or two," Alexis said, then started eating.
Kate was willing to admit that she hadn't even thought of that. Still, it was a side business, not a major one. They didn't charge all that much for the service.
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But what they didn't know was that they were paying extra because of Patches. If he burned something, the owner wanted money in order to replace it. He might even ask for extra money to pay for the damages. Kate went ahead and paid him, not really thinking about it.
Now, this was where they learned that it got cold at night, and it was pretty damn cold in this room.
"We're camping in the tent next time," Alexis told Kate while getting ready for bed. Hers, Kate's, and Rick's sleeping bags kept them nice and warm. Corimin was the only one suffering because his sleeping bag wasn't magical.
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Come morning, the four of them headed for the hills quite literally after just a bite of breakfast for three of them. Kate was faking it so that Corimin didn't ask too many questions.
"We are so sleeping in your tent next time." Corimin shuddered a little, thinking of last night's cold.
Alexis smiled at him. "You're cute, right, but cute."
"I knew we were north, but this is just a little too north. Temperatures like this are why I never lived in Alaska." Rick was beginning to feel the chill. The tent and sleeping bags might be magical and kept them warm, but their winter clothing wasn't magical. Nor did it have the luxury of being made out of modern materials like Rick used to wear.
Corimin had never heard of it. "Alaska? Where's that?"
Alexis tried to clarify it for him. "I told you that we were new to this area. Alaska is just one of those places only we know about." Then she said, "And not all of Alaska is that cold, Dad. Sitka was nice. Really wet, but nice."
"That reminds me, can that Lyre of Building make totem poles? We could make them and sell them." Rick was remembering that cruise to Alaska he had taken with Alexis a few years back.
But Kate burst his bubble. "Just buildings, babe. Nice try, though."
"You've been calling me babe a lot lately," Rick commented since he'd noticed. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
"Because I love you. It's my new pet name for you. It'll grow on you." Kate smiled at him. Telling him that she loved him proved much easier now that she had said it a few times.
"Does that mean I get to call you sugar plum? Sugar? Honey? Pet? Cinnamon? Duck?" Rick was full of them and he was just getting started.
"NO! …Duck? Really, babe?" Why would he want to call her duck?
"'Duck' or 'my duck' is a term of endearment used in some regions of England, and especially said by older people. It's thought to be a mutation of the word 'duke', rather than referring to the quacking bird," Rick explained since he knew a lot of things.
Kate frowned at him. "The answer is still NO!"
"You people really get around." Corimin had never heard of England either.
"You have no idea." Alexis rolled her eyes. "Babe," Alexis teased him and waited to see if that worked on him just as it had her dad.
"Whatever you say, baby," Corimin fired back.
"Call me that again, and I'll break your arms…babe." Alexis glared at him just like Kate had unintentionally taught her. Kate, though, was grinning wide. To her, it sounded like those two were well on their way to being a couple and falling in love. Maybe Corimin could overlook her being a Demon after all. She was afraid they were all about to find out on this trip.
Corimin countered with a new word. "Yes, micorazón."
"Which means what exactly?" Alexis thought he was using a language she didn't know to call her baby again.
Corimin told her the truth. "It means my heart."
"Oh! All right." Alexis could live with that. That had Corimin smiling since he had finally won.
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"Wait here, I'll be right back in a few, and you stay, Patches. I don't need you giving me away." With that, Alexis went Ethereal.
"Where did she go?" Corimin had no idea she could do that. He had seen Invisibility before, but whatever this was, it didn't look like that to him. It was different.
"Ethereal. Sort of a different phase," Kate explained. "Magic item," Kate added quickly to cover Alexis's Succubus ability.
"Oh." Corimin could believe that. There were many magical items with countless abilities, so it was possible. But he didn't know she had one of those. It seemed he would be learning a lot about her this trip. He was looking forward to it.
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Alexis suddenly reappeared.
"Meow."
"I was fine." Alexis petted Patches. "There's a short box canyon ahead, and in it are scattered trees, all different evergreens. There are three cave openings. The one on the left is about ten feet wide and has a male human, I'm guessing Druid, with a short bow. Probably a guard. The middle one is about thirty feet wide, and it's filled with some green mist. I don't know what that stuff is. The one on the right is somewhat a tight fit, and it's filled with vines. We would need to hack our way through those."
Corimin was impressed. If not for her, they could have walked right into a trap.
"Sounds like a guard to me. I'll take care of him." Kate took off a ring, slipped it back on again, and vanished before them. This time Corimin knew what she had done.
"Ring of Invisibility. Nice." He approved. But what he didn't see was that Kate changed into a swarm of bats to make it a quick trip. Since the ring still worked, it was an invisible swarm of bats.
Sure enough, Kate found two of the three cave openings, went in past the guard and shifted back to human. She stepped up to him from behind, bit him, then instantly materialized and drank until he was unconscious. She didn't need to drain him dry. Besides, there might be others.
With him on the ground, Kate took the ring off, put it back on again, and vanished. Kate shifted into a swarm of bats again, arrived with the others and changed back. She slipped the ring off. "The coast is clear."
It wasn't just a cave, it had a tunnel at the back. With them all just inside. "Me first." Alexis went Ethereal again and ventured down the tunnel. She hated tunnels. It vividly reminded her of their time in the Underdark filled with Drow or other things.
She was soon back. "Just ahead is a small cave. There's a bear-like creature in a cage in the back. I'm not sure just what it is since it has the body of a bear but the head of a bird, I think. Anyway, it's all locked up, but it is awake. Around the corner are two human females, Druids, I'm guessing. One's stirring this big cauldron filled with a liquid. The other is sitting on a straw mat, talking to the one stirring the pot.
"Ifwe're quiet, I think we can take them," Alexis said, looking at Kate.
"I'll take the one stirring the pot," Kate offered, "if you want the other one?"
"I'd rather kiss a guy, but I can do it," Alexis agreed. "You start, and I'll follow instantly." Kate slipped her ring off and back on, and Alexis went Ethereal.
"You're sure they don't need us?" Corimin asked Rick.
"Makes you wonder sometimes, doesn't it," Rick responded and waited for one to come back or if there was a noise.
Kate shifted from bats again and walked up behind the one at the cauldron, bit her, and immediately became visible. That was Alexis' cue to kiss the one sitting on the mat. Using Charm and Domination, she kissed her again and again while Kate drank till she was unconscious and dropped her.
"It's almost too easy," Alexis commented.
"Say that again when we find that Dragon," Kate retorted.
"Party pooper." Alexis went back to Ethereal and returned to her dad and her boyfriend.
Rick and Corimin walking with Alexis, got the attention of the bear thing in the cage, and he wanted out in the worst way. Except he couldn't figure out how to get the cage door open. That didn't stop him from making a loud ruckus, though.
"Nice work." Rick liked what he saw. "You okay?" Rick stepped up to Kate, knowing not all blood agreed with her.
"They're human, I'm fine." She was getting a little full, but she was doing all right.
"Be right back. You stay again, Patches." Alexis went Ethereal to scout ahead.
"Do I want to know how you two did all this?" Corimin was getting curious. It was too easy.
"Maybe later. Right now we still have a Dragon to find," Kate said.
"And that's my cue," Alexis stated, and she went Ethereal yet again.
Corimin was already impressed with Alexis. Now he was even more so. She was actually pretty good at this.
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"So where is she?" Corimin was getting worried; she had been gone too long.
"Give her a chance." Kate wasn't worried yet.
"No one can touch her," Rick assured him. So far as he knew no one could. And so long as she didn't go too deep into the Ethereal Plane, that was true.
Suddenly she was back. "Here's the deal. Just beyond here is a massive green pool of bubbling goo. There's a wooden bridge about 20 feet, I would say, above the goo that we can cross. But on the opposite side, a Druid is standing next to a very ominous-looking lever in the ground.
"Then we get to the good part. Past the Druid is a large cavern with a Green Dragon in it. He's on the very far end looking into one of four Gypsy Crystal Balls on pedestals." But Alexis wasn't finished just yet.
"Oh joy!" Kate meant the opposite, of course.
"Now for the really good part. There are two more entrances to this cavern with the Dragon. Both are on the far end, one on the right and one on the left. If Kate travels over the pool of goo, I think she can reach the one on the right. I can reach the one on the left, and Dad and Corimin can come from the south. We have to deal with the Druid first, though." It was a strategy Alexis had developed while getting around.
"I'll take the Druid. Be right back." Kate once again slipped her ring off and then back on, and vanished. She shifted into a swarm of bats and flew past him, changed back to human, stepped up behind him, and bit him. He might have heard her flying past, but he didn't see her and went back to watching the bridge. That was his job. He didn't, and Claugiyliamatar the Dragon would kill him.
Once she had drank enough, she dropped him, sure that he needed to be the last person she bit for a while. She was getting rather full by now.
Kate was back. "All clear."
Alexis gave a single nod and began to speak. "All right, here's my plan. Kate goes over the goo but stays out of sight, even invisible. I go far left. The two of us wait. You and Dad attack from long range and draw him toward you. It's about 100 feet in distance, so he shouldn't be able to attack you right away.
"Once he moves, Kate and I will use our wands to attack him. If this works, he might not even be able to breathe on any of us if we hit him hard enough."
Kate took out her wand. "This better work. These things cost us a fortune." She had no idea there were magic items that cost far more than those three little wands, even combined. For example, Corimin's staff really did cost a fortune.
Corimin held his staff at the ready. "I'm ready. Anything, so long as I'm not that close to him. He breathes on any of us, and we're dead. Dad said chlorine gas was dangerous."
"If it's anything like what the Germans used in WW II, trust me, it is," Rick added.
"Give Kate and me a minute to get in position and then attack him. Once you do, we'll know that's our cue to attack him from the side or behind." With that, Alexis disappeared into Ethereal again and headed for her spot.
"Don't do anything stupid, Castle. I love you, and my heart can't take losing someone else." Kate gave him a quick kiss, slipped her ring off and on, andflew as a swarm of bats over the pool of bubbling goo till she spotted the opening. It was a big one too. It had to be forty feet wide with another one just like it on the opposite side.
"Someone else?" Corimin questioned Rick.
Rick gave him the short, short version. "Kate lost her mother when she was just 19. They were very close and she took the loss hard." Rick was ready. "Let's go, we have a Dragon to kill. Dragons aren't gods, are they?" He certainly hoped not. If they were, they were already dead.
"No." Corimin knew that for sure.
Rick and Corimin came upon something Alexis hadn't mentioned. They were elevated by about five feet, but that wasn't what had them looking first. They found two statues of women on either side of the opening.
Both looked human. One was wearing a flowing dress that exposed symbols on her arms. One symbol was the seven-pointed star of Mystra, and the other was the unicorn symbol of Mielikki. The other was gowned in rich finery. And both women were solid stone.
Neither Rick nor Corimin had anything planned, so they stood there. One pointed a wand and the other his staff. "On three," Rick told him. "One… Two… Three." Each said a command word and shot out a Lightning Bolt. Corimin's bolt appeared to be larger and far more dangerous-looking. Thankfully, both struck the Dragon right in the back, which had him screaming from the pain.
"I think we got his attention," Corimin said.
"No shit, Sherlock," Rick countered dryly. They watched him turn and face them. A bit bloodied, he really looked pissed off. In a moment, he was charging down the cavern, headed right for them. He was about halfway when suddenly he got hit in the back by another Lightning Bolt and then a Fireball erupted around him, compliments of Kate and Alexis.
Still moving but trailing a great deal more blood, it allowed Rick and Corimin the opportunity to fire off another shot. Corimin's bolt hit him square in the mouth while Rick's hit him in his left shoulder.
Unsure of the cause, the Dragon crashed to the ground, sending dirt and little rocks flying everywhere. All of that had Rick and Corimin hiding behind a statue.
Both Rick and Corimin watched a racing Patches go past them. Ending up in its mouth, the fiery cat began to extract his fury on this thing's tongue. It was blackened and reddish by the time he finally stopped.
"I'll be damned. We killed it." Rick almost couldn't believe it.
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Now all five of them were standing there looking over the Dragon. "So this is a Dragon. They get how big again?" Alexis asked and looked at her boyfriend.
"According to my dad, the older they are, the bigger they get. This one must be rather young. You've seen how big the Palace is? That big, potentially." Corimin heard Alexis whistle.
"Patches scorched the Dragon's tongue," Rick added. Yes, the Dragon was probably already dead, but he was in its mouth.
Alexis patted her chest, and Patches jumped up into her arms. He acceptedthe kisses he got from her and began to purr. "You're such a good and brave kitty." She knew she wasn't getting anywhere near that thing's mouth.
"Now comes the fun part. Dad said he wants some of its blood, some teeth, and as many scales as I can get him. Something about the blood can be used in a potion, its teeth are used for something, while the scales can be used for armor. He wants to sell it all," Corimin explained. Of course, he wasn't here to gather all this stuff, but he wanted the money from it.
"Well, Patches and I are going to explore and take a look at those Crystal Balls. I want to see if they're magical and whatever else he has." Alexis put Patches down and walked away.
Corimin took off his backpack and rummaged around in it for the bottles that would hold the blood and the box for the teeth, and he tried to figure out where to put the scales. He even had a few tools with which to do all that.
Rick finally figured it out. "So that's why your backpack is so big."
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Corimin was still prying scales off of its dead hide when Alexis and Patches got back.
"The four Crystal Balls were magical, so I put them in my backpack. He also had a pick, a wand, a scroll with a spell on it, a bag of emeralds, a bag with platinum pieces inside, and four bags that had gold pieces in them," Alexis told them.
(+2 War Pick (7,000 gold if sold), a Wand of Magic Detection (33 charges), a spell scroll of Speak With Dead (300 gold if sold),seven emeralds worth 1,000 gold pieces each, 1,339 platinum pieces, and 14,235 gold pieces.)
"Oh, and there are four more statues and a room filled with maps," Alexis added.
"Maps? Show me." Rick was interested in those.
The north wall depicted a city map, and the south wall was a map of the Sword Coast, both maps dotted with Draconic runes.
"Can you read them, Dad?" Alexis had no clue what they said.
"No, but I've seen this map before somewhere. I don't think it's complete, though. Now where have I seen it before?" Rick needed to think.
"WATERDEEP!It's a map of the City of Waterdeep. So what do all these markings mean?" That he didn't know. "You take down that one, and I'll take down this one. These two need to go back to the Palace and the Lady. They go in my backpack."
The first statue was of a human wearing a simple dress, carrying two halves of a broken staff.
The second statue was a human clad in long flowing robes and carrying a unicorn-headed staff.
The third statue portrayed a human with long, wild hair, and wearing flowing robes.
And the fourth statue showed a Drow in elegant robes with beautiful hair down to her ankles.
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Getting home was easy. But what none of them knew was that they had just stumbled upon a much larger issue. Those maps and those last four statues would eventually lead them all to it.
They wanted to help their new City. They just might get a chance.