SILVERYMOON
Chapter 14
Rick, Kate, and Alexis found Corimin waiting for them at the gate. They each had to announce themselves, much like the last time they had been there. He, in turn, checked a scroll and sent for a guard to escort them.
And that guard handed them over to yet another guard. They already knew not to show up carrying a weapon of any kind. If they had one, they would be required to hand it over or lose it. The guards, however, were armed.
This guard escorted them to a waiting room and told them to stay there.
"Any guess what they want from us?" Corimin was curious. The last time he had done this, it had earned him 10,000 gold, so what would he get this time?
"Something dealing with Waterdeep is my guess," Rick put forward. Kate was willing to agree. But since Waterdeep had over one million people, why didn't they handle this themselves? Why was Silverymoon involved?
Alexis shared her thoughts. "My money is on the Seven Sisters. The Temple of Mythra seemed happy to get those four back. They called it the Silver Column, I think."
A different guard showed up. "Please follow me. They are ready for you." He escorted them into a room that was new to them.
Much like before, they saw Mitala, High Lady Alustriel Silverhand, and four others. Though this time, there were also four heavily armored and armed guards. The guard that escorted them remained and closed and sealed the door.
"Thank you for coming. Please have a seat." Mitala motioned to the empty chairs at the table. "We have a few things to discuss."
"Does this have anything to do with Waterdeep?" Kate asked them.
"Yes and no. Allow me to explain. Thanks to those maps, we and representatives of Waterdeep found spies embedded in their government. Each was captured in a single swift search so that they didn't have time to warn the others. And all of them were interrogated by various people.
"We have learned a lot from them," Mitala told them.
"We do not require your help with Waterdeep. That's being taken care of separately. We have another matter. Darunia?" The Lady Alustriel let him take over.
Darunia took out a map and spread it out on the table. "You will note that this map shows the Spine of the World. The Spine of the World is a mountain range that stretches across the northwest region of Faerûn from the Cold Run near the Sea of Moving Ice to the Ice Spires north of the Silver Marches.
"Folk across the lands of the Savage Frontier and the Silver Marches referred to the Spine as 'the Wall'. Particularly those in Scornubel. On winter days, when the white snow-covered faces of the peaks met the iron-gray of the sunless winter sky, it appeared as though they were holding up the sky. To others, it simply marked the end of the world as they saw it.
"To many Faerûnians, the Spine of the World was simply an endless, nigh on impassable range of high, jagged, perpetually ice-covered mountains.
"Some of the mountains in this range stood over 20,000 feet tall. Except for the smallest, the mountains remained covered in snow and ice year-round.
"There are four well-known sister peaks referred to as Firstpeak, Secondpeak, Thirdpeak, and Fourthpeak. The sister mountains were so similar in height that they seemed to form a single line.
"This is where we want you to go." Darunia bowed slightly to The Lady as he concluded his part in the meeting.
"Surely you're not serious? Anything over six thousand feet and the air gets very thin, making it hard to breathe. I can't speak for Corimin, but we're not climbers," Alexis stated. Maybe it wasn't her place, but she thought she had a say in this.
"We don't expect you to cross it. However, we do want you to enter it." The Lady handed it over to someone else this time. "Saia."
Saia stepped up and used a long stick to point at something on the map. "Here, far north of the Mithral Hall, lies a mine of which even the Dwarves that live there know nothing.
"Mithral Hall is a city populated by mostly Dwarves. Eighty-one percent are Shield Dwarves, 7% are Svirfneblin, 5% are Gold Dwarves, 4% are humans, 3% are Urdunnir Dwarves, and 1% are other.
"Mithril Hall was a Dwarven stronghold beneath Fourthpeak Mountain in the Frost Hills. It is also the last established location before your destination. You are free to go there if you need to do so. We will be sending you with papers to show that you represent Silverymoon.
"Mithral Hall is the source of nearly half of the Mithral in the entire North. The location we want you to investigate contains another mine. Only this mine produces a substance called Arandur. This mineral has a blue-green streaked metal that appeared within pockets of hyaline glass. After refinement and final forging, it turned a silver-blue color with a green reflective radiance. Refined Arandur has the same weight as steel.
"However, it is this refining process that concerns us the most. To prevent Arandur from being brittle once mined, they tempered it with the blood of either Red or Blue Dragons. As such, extremely skilled smiths capable of working with Duran used it in many different items, from gnomish locks and tackle to the legendary elven war blades." Saia brought her part to an end and sat back down.
"Dragons." Why was Kate not surprised.
"Red and Blue Dragons are both Evil, Red Dragons in particular. Evil in the extreme and one of the utmost powerful Dragons known in the land. They would not dare to bleed it dry, but one or more Dragons are likely willing to be bled for a price.
"They may have one or more Dragons on-site or simply have their blood stored until more is required," The Lady Alustriel explained. "Mitala?" He was next.
Mitala acknowledged the four of them. "We want you to infiltrate this mine and determine how much mineral they have on hand. Who is doing the mining, and who is in charge? Where is this mineral going? Your second mission is to try and find a way to shut down that mine or at least damage all of the processing equipment."
Kate's eyebrows shot up. "Let me see if I've got this right. You want us to infiltrate a mine run by Evil people. There may be one or more Dragons there that they've bled. We're to find out who is in charge, destroy the processing equipment, and get out alive, yes?" Kate summed up, and since no one was shaking their heads, she got it right.
What she wanted to say was, "You people are nuts!" Instead she sat there and looked at them like they were insane.
"We are aware of the immense challenges. You are free to decline, and we will not think less of you," The Lady told them. "In exchange for your help, we offer to pay for the rest of your training. In Corimin's case, since he only has one year remaining and that year is free, we are offering three years of cost in gold.
"In addition, we will provide you with the horses you need along with one Feedbag. When you return, you are free to select any magical item this city has that does not exceed 100,000 in gold. Per person."
Alexis began coughing since she had trouble swallowing that amount. That was somewhere around 161,000 gold per person… If they came back alive. They would never pay for training again.
Corimin's was smiling widely. In his case, he saw 161,000 in physical gold right in his hands. His parents were going to flip. First, though, he had to come back alive.
"We need to discuss this," Kate told them.
"Of course. We would expect nothing less. Step aside or go home and sleep on it. Please send us your answer in the morning. Is this acceptable?" The Lady Alustriel inquired.
Kate took them all off to one side, for now, to talk between themselves. If they couldn't decide, they would go home and tell them tomorrow. "Thoughts?"
"My math might be a little off, but that's somewhere a little over 161,000 gold per person. And that's in addition to whatever we find there. Remember, we have a Portable Hole," Alexis reminded them.
"You have a Portable Hole?" Corimin stared at Alexis in a mix of shock and awe. He knew what a Portable Hole was.
"Focus, please," Kate asked them. "A single little Green Dragon was one thing. Dealing with a Red and maybe a Blue simultaneously is something else entirely. If there aren't any humans at this mine, we'll stand out like a sore thumb."
"Alexis and I can change how we look," Rick said. "We got away from the Drow because of that. You were our prisoner, and we walked right past more than one. But two prisoners might be stretching it a bit. We're not being asked to kill them all, though. Think of it as an undercover operation," he proposed since that was an idea he liked. He had always wanted to do that with Kate back home.
But that didn't convince Kate. She stared at Rick like he had lost his ever-loving mind.
Alexis broke in. "I have an idea. It might be a little wild, but it could work. What if we don't try to hide our appearance? Say we don't try to match how they look. We're Demons. What if we go there looking like one? Everyone thinks Demons are Evil. This is an Evil mine.
"I can speak and understand any language for a short time. It might be enough if they don't speak Common," she said thoughtfully.
"Demons speak Abyssal. I know Common and, well, Celestial, along with Elf and one other. Mom and Dad taught me Celestial," Corimin said. "If we all look like Demons somehow, how do we solve that? They might be expecting us to speak Abyssal."
"Magic." It was all Rick had.
"We have another problem. If it's in the mountains and there's snow and ice everywhere, our horses will freeze and drop dead in hours. I'm not even sure how Patches feels about freezing cold." Alexis looked at him.
"Meow."
"It will be dangerous, Patches. It will be frigid. Our tent might hold it back along with our sleeping bags. But we still have to walk it," Alexis countered.
"Meow."
"You better be right. You freeze to death, and you'll break my heart," Alexis told him.
"Meow."
Alexis looked at the others. "Patches is in." They were all still amazed that she understood him that well. It sounded like a cat meowing to them, and that was all he was doing.
"That still leaves us. How do we keep from freezing to death? Our winter clothes might not be enough. We could be dealing with snowstorms, snow blindness, avalanches, whiteouts, and a lack of oxygen. If we walk it, we'll need snowshoes. Does anyone know how to ski?" Alexis looked from Corimin to Kate and her dad.
"I can ski," Rick replied. "I'm a master at it." He might be exaggerating somewhat, but he thought he was pretty good at skiing. He even knew a few tricks.
"I can ski," Kate added.
Corimin shook his head. "Not me." He knew he couldn't.
"Me neither, so we need snowshoes and maybe skis," Alexis mentioned. "That still leaves how we keep from freezing to death."
"I'm more interested in how we destroy the processing facility without explosives," Kate said. "I'm not sure fireballs and lightning bolts will be enough."
Corimin spoke up. "I have an idea about that, but I don't know what it costs. I've only ever heard of this offhand, and I don't actually know if it exists, but there's this magical acorn that once planted produces a volcano."
"You just gotta love this magical stuff," Rick commented because he mostly wanted to see it work. Not so much if it would work, he just wanted to see it.
"So we haggle," Alexis suggested. "They gave us an offer, so we counter offer. We did it all the time back home. You don't think Dad bought the loft without haggling, do you?"
"Technically, I paid above the asking price." Rick knew he hadn't haggled at all. In fact, it was a bidding war, and he won.
"So, we solve the freezing problem, haggle to get this acorn, get the horses and leave them at the Dwarven mine, and then continue on foot. Perhaps we could all fly. We need disguises in order to walk right in since we don't know who or what is there." Then Kate directed a question at Corimin. "How are you set for a sleeping bag? That last one you had looked cold."
"I talked Mom and Dad into letting me spend some of the gold on a new bag. I got one just like yours. But, I don't have a backpack like yours. We might want more potions," Corimin said.
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They walked out of the Palace with papers that could get them into the Dwarven mine and Mithral Hall, where they would drop off their horses. Mitala would bring them the horses and Feedbag. Also an acorn that would create a volcano, a mini volcano about 80 feet across. However, it would generate a mini-mountain that would spew lava for up to 500 feet all around it. There would even be a mini earthquake to go with it. They just had to plant it and get out fast.
Right now, the four of them were walking across the Moonbridge to shop for magical items to resolve their freezing problem, their disguise problem, and Dragon problem. If only they could deal with their Dragon problem that way!
Ring of Warmth at 2,100 gold each took care of the freezing problem. They needed four of them.
Heward's Handy Haversack for Corimin solved his backpack issue for a cost of 2,000 gold.
Hat of Disguise resolved the disguise problem for Corimin and Kate at 2,000 gold each. Surprisingly, it didn't have to stay looking like a hat once worn. It could be a hair clip, a large comb, or even a headband. It just had to be worn on the head at all times.
Ring of Flying for Corimin took care of his ability to fly. His disguise would include wings, but they were fake, and he couldn't actually fly. It cost 2,200 gold.
They would let Kate turn into a swarm of bats since she wanted to save money.
Kate had a slight problem. She had three magical rings at this point. But for some unknown and unexplained reason, a person could only wear two magical rings at once and still get both of them to function. So one had to come off to get her Ring of Invisibility to work.
Snowshoes at a different store only cost a few copper pieces.
"What are we missing?" Kate was sure there was something...
"Probably a lot, but since we don't leave for three more days, we have time to think about it," Alexis reminded her. She was very thankful they weren't leaving tomorrow.
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Alexis had gone home with Corimin while Rick and Kate went home together. "What are you thinking?" Kate asked him. "I can see the wheels turning from here."
"Back home, a disguise only got you so far. What we need are names, something that sounds like a Demon. We might even want a name of a head Demon. Someone that sent us and that they won't dare question unless they have a death wish," Rick told her.
"And just where do we get those from?" Kate demanded. While she hadn't thought of it, she did like the idea.
Rick smiled at her. "Same place we get everything. Mitala."
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Rick became Inguma. Corimin was Cimeies. Kate's name was Pazuzu. And Alexis became Vanth.
And the Demon Lord that sent them? That was easy enough since they had their pick: Graz'zt, Demogorgon, Juiblex, Orcus, Yeenoghu. But what Rick wanted was someone wicked, that was a Demon but also hard to contact to verify their story.
THE EYE. The Eye of Fear and Flame. She was an Undead Demon. Draped in a ragged, hooded cloak, she was a skeletal figure with a gem set in each eye socket, one red and one black. Its power was its eyes.
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They were all set to leave in the morning. At the moment, Alexis was naked and on her knees in front of a naked Corimin, giving him a blow job, followed by intercourse. Alexis needed his Cum.
And Rick was busy eating Kate's pussy to get her Cum that he needed, followed by Kate biting him to get the blood she needed.
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"All right, last thing before we go downstairs, mount our horses and ride to our Doom." Rick tried to sound scary.
"Really, Dad? If Grams were here, she definitely would not be impressed." His acting skills sucked.
"You'd better let me do all the talking, babe. You'll just give us away," Kate added since she didn't like how he sounded either. He was nowhere near forceful enough.
"Fine!" Rick grumbled. Kate was in charge…AGAIN! "Still, let's see our disguises. We need to know what each other looks like, and we need to practice our new names all the way up there," Rick told them.
Soon, two Incubi and two Succubi stood there. Corimin knew Alexis wasn't faking it. But something he still didn't know was neither was Rick. Only he and Kate were faking it using magic.
"Once we leave the Dwarven mine, we may want to look like this full-time. Except maybe when we sleep in our tent. Otherwise, it needs to be 24/7 to be safe.
Rick looked at Kate. "Right, Pazuzu?"
Kate smiled at him. "Right, Inguma."
"I think we're confusing poor Patches." Alexis thought he looked a little lost.
"This better not be permanent," Corimin complained since he didn't like how he looked. He was a Celestial, not a Demon! He just happened to be in love with a Demon. A Lawful Good Demon, but still a Demon.
"It'll grow on you," Alexis said soothingly and kissed his cheek.